Shanghai International Circuit, Formula 1 racing track in Jiading, China.
Shanghai International Circuit is a motorsport track in Jiading, China, that runs for 5451 meters and features sixteen corners. A straight section of 1.2 kilometers allows high speeds and connects the two longest parts of the facility.
The facility opened in 2004 after rice paddies were transformed into a professional racing venue. Construction lasted eighteen months and required extensive work on the ground and infrastructure.
The layout follows the shape of the Chinese character 上 (shang, "above, upward"), the first character of Shanghai's name. The two hairpin complexes at turns 1–4 and 11–13 form the snail-like curves that give the circuit its nickname, "Schneckenkurve".
Two metro stations lie nearby and provide access to the complex, while shuttle buses run from the center and both airports. Visitors should arrive early on event days, as the grounds are large and require time to navigate.
Each Formula One team had its own building in the paddock, arranged like pavilions in a lake to resemble Shanghai's ancient Yu Garden. The site was swampland and former rice paddies, so about 43,000 pile foundations were driven using roughly 80 drilling rigs, and large storage lakes near the paddock drain the track after heavy rain.
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