Zoom Heading to China after a good showing in Japan

Coming the week-end following the Japanese Grand Prix, where BMW Sauber driver Robert Kubica reached 2nd place while Nick Heidfeld moved from 16th to 10th position, the Asian leg of the Formula One season continues in Shanghai this coming Sunday, 19th October. The Chinese Grand Prix will be the penultimate round of the 18-race World Championship.

Formula One has been coming to China since 2004. The Shanghai circuit, built on reclaimed marshland, is located outside the booming metropolis. The driving time through the chaotic traffic from the city centre to the track is difficult to calculate.

The circuit designers were keen to bring a local flavour to both the track layout and the design of the overall circuit. The layout is based on the Chinese character Shang, which translates as "high" or "above," and the massive pit buildings and grandstands emulate traditional Chinese design features.

Shanghai lies on the vast Yangtze Delta where the river drains into the East China Sea. Land reclamation is allowing the municipal area to grow steadily. As with most of these huge cities, population estimates fluctuate widely. Ten million people in the municipal area and another five million in the suburbs offers a reasonable indication.

Nick Heidfeld:
"On the whole, I quite like this circuit. The first three corners are among the best on the calendar. You come in with a lot of speed, and the first corner remains pretty fast initially. But then it tightens up more and more and you have to change down into second gear. Getting out the other end in good shape will be just a bit more difficult this year with the absence of traction control. Every time you come here you're impressed by the huge scale of the paddock and grandstands; there's nothing else like it. Last year I got unlucky with the timing of a tyre change onto a fresh set of wets. Second place was possible, but that turned into seventh when I had to come in for an extra stop."

"Shanghai will be the fifth Asian city in a row I've visited – after Singapore, Seoul, Gwang-ju and Tokyo – and each one is different. Shanghai is certainly the fastest-growing and without doubt the one with the worst traffic conditions. Each time we come to Shanghai there are new skyscrapers, but every year a few of the old districts also disappear from the city centre."

Robert Kubica:
"Shanghai is an interesting circuit with a very long straight, and here there's a good chance to overtake. The track offers a mixture of very different corners: there are some slow areas but also several fast sections. The first corner is particularly challenging. You stay on the brakes for a long time, and then it quickly switches into a left-hander. I haven't had much luck at this circuit so far. I hope that changes this time and I can pick up some important points for the World Championship."