The fact that the return of the premier class of motorsport in China is causing enthusiasm was already evident from ticket sales. According to official information, the tickets were sold out within an hour when advance sales started on January 9th – despite prices of up to almost 500 euros. The PS circus is also well represented in Chinese TV and internet media.
After all, there is a lot to report, because the sport has changed significantly since 2019, new faces and new balance of power have arrived. Five years ago Mercedes was still dominating Formula 1, Lewis Hamilton won in Shanghai and was on his way to his sixth of seven world championship titles. Sebastian Vettel finished third in the Ferrari, behind him Max Verstappen finished fourth in the Red Bull.
Reuters/Aly Song Lewis Hamilton was the last winner in Shanghai
Verstappen is still missing a victory in China
At that time, the Dutchman was still missing a lot of the World Cup crown. Even today, China does not appear on Verstappen’s list of victories. The 26-year-old is now a three-time world champion, has 57 Grand Prix victories to his name and now wants to include Shanghai in his personal success story.
The first sprint race of the year will take place on the 5.451 kilometer long course on Saturday (5:00 a.m. CEST), before the fifth Grand Prix of the year takes place on Sunday (9:00 a.m. CEST).
Return to “key market”
Mercedes motorsport director Toto Wolff described F1’s return to the world’s largest automobile market as an “important moment” and China, with its 1.4 billion people, is a “key market”. The country is “crucially important for the global presence of sport,” said the Viennese.
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Formula 1 has gone through a remarkable growth phase since 2019, said Wolff. “We have expanded into new markets, continued to grow our audience and attracted a new generation of fans. This growth has continued in China and the return of the Chinese Grand Prix will help stimulate this progress.”
Ferrari is hoping for something similar for its own luxury brand. “Compared to the rest of the world, we undoubtedly have the youngest customers here,” a Ferrari manager once explained in an article entitled “China – a very special market”. He emphasized: “The average age is 35 years.”
Record winner Hamilton, hopeful Guanyu
The “Scuderia” has celebrated four victories in China so far, a Mercedes won six times, a McLaren-Mercedes three times, a Red Bull twice and a Renault once. The record winner among drivers is Hamilton with six successes. Incidentally, his triumph in 2019 took place in the 1,000th. race in Formula 1 history.
Zhou Guanyu in particular is hoping for a strong weekend. The 24-year-old from Shanghai has been a regular driver in Formula 1 since 2022. Chinese state media celebrated their compatriot’s home appearance at the beginning of the year. In terms of sport, the “Shanghai Tiger”, as he calls himself, is only behind the Kick Sauber racing team, which still has no points, this year.
