Formula 1 Chinese Grand Prix

The second race of the season takes place in China at the Shanghai International Circuit, located in the suburbs of China’s largest city. The circuit features a combination of long straights (which is typical for a Hermann Tilke design) and a few extremely technical corners. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the F1 race in Shanghai was absent from the calendar since 2020, but it finally returned in 2024. This led to Max Verstappen securing his first victory at the circuit.

The Shanghai International Circuit is truly a track for an all-round strong car. With long straights, tight corners, and high-speed combinations, it offers a challenging lap. There are also plenty of opportunities to use the DRS (Drag Reduction System) if you exit the twisty section well, allowing for overtaking.

Since 2004, Hermann Tilke’s circuit has been part of the calendar, and the fastest lap set by Michael Schumacher in his Ferrari at that time has never been broken. In 2018, Sebastian Vettel managed to beat Schumacher's time by more than a second in qualifying, but the 1:32.238 set by Schumacher in the race has never been surpassed.

The Chinese Grand Prix is the second race of the 2025 F1 season. The event takes place on the weekend directly after the Australian Grand Prix, and is followed by the Japanese Grand Prix two weeks later.

In 2025, the Formula 1 season in the Netherlands will again be broadcast by Viaplay. All F1 sessions throughout the weekend will be available on the streaming platform. Pre- and post-race analysis of the qualifying, sprint race, and main race will also be available, alongside several other F1 programs.

Another option for live coverage of the Formula 1 season is F1TV Pro, the official streaming service of Formula 1. F1TV Pro broadcasts all F1 sessions held in China in the early morning. Viewers can choose whether they prefer English or Dutch commentary.

After a four-year absence, the Chinese Grand Prix returned to the Formula 1 calendar in 2024. It was a dominant weekend for Max Verstappen, who won the sprint race from a fourth-place start, then secured pole position for the Grand Prix and converted it into a win with a commanding 13-second lead over Lando Norris in second.

The race also saw a few crazy incidents. Daniel Ricciardo was launched into the air by Lance Stroll in Turn 14 following a safety car restart. This caused significant damage to Oscar Piastri’s McLaren. Ricciardo could not continue the race, and Piastri finished only in eighth place. Sergio Pérez, Verstappen’s teammate at the time, took his final Formula 1 podium at the Chinese Grand Prix 2024.

With the return of the Chinese Grand Prix to the Formula 1 season in 2024, Max Verstappen seized his chance to win this event for the first time. From 2015 to 2019, Verstappen had little success on this track, except for a podium finish in 2017.

During the 2018 Chinese Grand Prix, there was an opportunity for Red Bull to win with improved straight-line speed thanks to the Honda engine, but Verstappen made a mistake by colliding with Sebastian Vettel, resulting in a spin and a 10-second time penalty. He finished in fifth place. His teammate Daniel Ricciardo won the race. In 2019, Verstappen had a less memorable race in China, moving up to fourth place after Charles Leclerc’s Ferrari made a pit stop error, even though Verstappen lacked the pace to compete with Mercedes and Ferrari.