Shanghai to Welcome Back F1 Chinese Grand Prix After 4-Year Hiatus

A much-anticipated moment for Chinese Formula One fans is finally about to arrive. To the excitement of petrolheads, the Chinese Grand Prix is set to return to the F1 calendar — and Shanghai — after being off for four straight years because due to the pandemic.

The organizers delighted F1 fans in China on the first day of the year with a New Year’s gift — an announcement that event tickets would go on sale at 8 p.m. on Tuesday, January 9. The race will take place from April 19 to 21.

Tickets are priced between 290 RMB (about 40.7 USD) and 3880 RMB (about 544.6 USD), with a range of options available, including single-day and three-day passes, to suit audience preferences. Interested spectators can acquire tickets through the official app or WeChat/Alipay mini-programs of the official seller Shanghai Juss Sports.

This year’s race carries special significance as it commemorates 20 years since China hosted its first F1 race in 2004. The racing venue, Shanghai International Circuit, has since become the shrine for Chinese racing enthusiasts. Souvenir three-day ticket packages were also launched in celebration of the 20th anniversary of the Chinese Grand Prix, offering ticketholders exclusive merchandise such as T-shirts and drawstring bags.

In a historic moment for the sport’s development in China, Shanghai will be hosting its very own F1 driver racing at home. The long-awaited home race of China’s first full-time F1 driver and Shanghai native Zhou Guanyu is about to become a reality.

An earlier opportunity for Zhou, who made his debut for Alfa Romeo in 2022, to realize his dream of racing in front of a home crowd for the first time was taken away when the 2023 Chinese Grand Prix was canceled.

Back in 2004, Zhou attended the inaugural Chinese Grand Prix in Shanghai as a five-year-old. Eighteen years later, he has become a trailblazing icon, igniting a F1 craze in China and boosting the popularity of the event in the country’s sporting landscape.

“I think of next year a lot because the Chinese Grand Prix is back on the schedule,” wrote the Chinese motorsports superstar in a November 2023 editorial for The Players’ Tribune. “It’s going to be so, so special. I can’t wait to see so many of the people who have helped me on this journey.”

Another highlight sees Shanghai staging its first sprint race as part of the six sprints on the 2024 roster. It is joined by Miami, also a first-time host, as well as established venues Spielberg (Austria), Austin, São Paulo, and Lusail (Qatar).

The upcoming season also features a record-breaking 24 scheduled races, which will commence on March 2 in Sakhir, Bahrain, and conclude on December 8 in Abu Dhabi.

Cover image via Ev. Safronov / Shutterstock