Shanghai International Circuit

Shanghai International Circuit - Track check

Modified Apr 07, 2012 17:17 GMT

The Shanghai International Circuit was the instrument of China’s foray into the F1 calendar in the year 2004. Each year since then, the Chinese Grand Prix is run for 56 laps around this 5.451 km long track. The track was designed by the legendary Hermann Tilke and Peter Wahl, and shaped like the Chinese character ‘shang’, which stands for ‘high’ or ‘above’.

The track is one of the more technically challenging ones on the F1 calendar with a mix of fast and slow corners and a very long straight. In its initial years, the Chinese GP was the third-from-last race on the calendar and was the site where Kimi Raikkonen‘s astounding late late charge to the 2007 World Driver’s Championship began (The Finn closed a gap of 21 points in the last 3 races to take the title). Lets take a tour of the very fun Shanghai circuit. Since then, the race has been moved up to round up the first away-leg at the start of the season.

Sector 1 : Twists and twirls galore

The first sector,featuring a seemingly never-ending sequence of tight bends, is a test of the car’s stability under braking, and its mechanical grip. The right handed turn 1 just prepares you for the roller coaster that lies ahead. It also sees the cars braking from over 300 kph to 150 kph, leaving lots of opportunities for kamekaze moves. It leads right into the right handed hairpin turn-2. The apex here is deceptively deep, and tough to hit as you are decelerating all the time, and also preparing to throw yourself into the left handed hairpin at turn-3. The exit of turn-3 leads to another sharp left hander as the speed builds up on to the first straight coming up to the end of sector 1. This makes it exceedingly important to get a good exit out of turn-3 in order to get a decent time through sector 1.

Sector 2: Aerodynamics matter

The cars enter secotr-2 flying at 290kph, braking hard for a right handed hairpin turn-6. A good exit is very important, as it takes you straight into a long sweeping left-right sequence of corners at turns 7-8, ending abruptly at the tricky sharp left hander at turn-9. Slightly off-line while starting the run to turn-6, and you end up missing the breaking zone at turn-9, in addition to a never-ending struggle for grip. Aerodynamic efficiency can make or break the lap time through this sequence. The double apex left-hander at turn 9-10 leads on to the second straight that takes us to the end of sector 2.

Sector 3: Pedal to the Metal!!

The cars enter sector-3, building up speed as they come to the left-right chicane at turn 11. It is vital to get the braking absolutely spot-on, and the line inch-perfect, as the exit leads on to the fast, unwinding banked right hander at turn 12, going on to one of the longest straights in F1. The back straight at the Shanghai International Circuit is 1.2km long, with a DRS zone thrown in for kicks. This makes the approach to turn-11 even more important as the DRS evaluation zone lies there. The cars go full throttle for almost 20 seconds as they accelerate out of turn-11, and approach the right handed hairpin at the end of the back straight. The heavy breaking zone there at turn 14-15 sees cars braking from 300 kph to 80 kph within 100 metres, and a heap of out-braking manouvres. Get your braking right, shoot out from turn-15, be brave with the very fast kink at turn-26, and you’re back on the start-finish straight, ready to start another flying lap.

The Shanghai International circuit has made for some great racing in the past, thanks maily to the tailor-made-for-overtaking super-long back straight and the dead slow hairpin at its end. It evokes some extraordinary scenes from memory. The spinning Ferrari of Michael Schumacher in Qualifying for the inaugural Chinese GP and Lewis Hamilton‘s McLaren with zero rubber left on its rear tyres, stuck in the gravel trap at turn 16 after overcooking his entry into the pit lane in 2007 are the most prominent pictures in my mind. Here’s hoping we will see some equally enthralling racing this year, and some more memorable moments to cherish!