The Chinese Grand Prix

The Chinese Grand Prix was the fifth round in the 2024 Formula 1 World Championship. Since 2004, Hermann Tilke's circuit has been an F1 track. The fastest lap was driven by Michael Schumacher in his Ferrari. He has never been beaten since then. In 2018, Sebastian Vettel was one second below Schumi's time, with a lap in qualifying on Saturday. Schumacher's 1:32.238 has never been broken during a race.

Chinese F1 history

In the early 1990s, the Chinese government planned for the circuit to be placed in Zhuhai, in south China. The track was built, and then in 1999, the race was added to the F1 World Championship. However, the track failed to meet certain FIA standards until 2004. The first-ever race was won by Scuderia Ferrari and former driver Rubens Barrichello. But the next year, it hosted one of the most iconic races in F1’s recent history. With Ferrari’s dominance in the early 2000s, it was down to Fernando Alonso and the Renault F1 team to end the Italians’ success. The Chinese Grand Prix was the last round of the F1 calendar in 2005. The next season (2006) was Michael Schumacher's final race victory in Formula 1.

Rumours began to circulate about the future of the Chinese Grand Prix. After a few years of speculation, former F1 owner Bernie Ecclestone finally put the matter to bed, saying: “We are not dropping anything. (It’s) 20 races – getting ready for 25.”

In February 2011, it was announced that the Grand Prix would be getting an extension following years of uncertainty. When Liberty Media first took over F1, there were talks of multiple visits to China, but that all stopped when COVID-19 started. The Chinese border was effectively closed, and all international sporting events were cancelled. In 2023, Formula 1 confirmed its return to China for 2024. The event was the first sprint format of the season. It was won by Max Verstappen and he became the first driver from outside the top three on the grid to win a sprint. He went on to dominate Sunday's main race.

What will the Chinese Grand Prix race weekend look like?

The race in China will be held in early April. It will also be the first sprint race weekend on the 2024 Formula 1 calendar, meaning teams will only have one practice session to get used to the circuit with the modern cars. The race will start on Sunday, 21st April, at 8am UK time.

What time does the Chinese Grand Prix start?

As in previous years, the Chinese GP can be followed live on GPblog from half an hour before the start. The start time is 15:00, and the race can also be followed live on your local TV service. In the United Kingdom, this is Sky Sports.