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Chinese 2026 GP sprint preview
Top stories ahead of the Chinese sprint GP. Ranked F1 coverage since the Australian Grand Prix - upgrades, controversy, and paddock storylines that matter before the weekend - plus circuit facts, records, and this grid's history at the track.
Weekend schedule
All timezonesTimes shown in circuit-local time (GMT+8).
- FP1Fri11:30
- Sprint QualifyingFri15:30
- SprintSat11:00
- QualifyingSat15:00
- RaceSun14:00
A forecast appears here once the weekend is inside the forecast window.
The circuit
Full circuit guideShanghai International Circuit · 5.451 km · 16 corners · clockwise
1:32.238
Fastest race lap
Michael Schumacher, 2004
Recent form at this circuit
Last winners
- 2026Andrea Kimi Antonelli · Mercedes
- 2025Oscar Piastri · McLaren
- 2024Max Verstappen · Red Bull
Last pole times
- 2026Andrea Kimi Antonelli · 1:32.064
- 2025Oscar Piastri · 1:30.641
- 2024Max Verstappen · 1:33.660
What makes it different
- Turns 1–3 form a single 270-degree corner that tightens all the way through, so a car is turning for about nine seconds and the entry speed you pick is committed before you can see the exit.
- The back straight is close to 1.2 km - one of the longest full-throttle stretches in F1, which forces a wing level the twisty final sector does not want.
- The circuit was built on reclaimed rice-paddy marshland, which took roughly 40,000 concrete piles sunk into the ground to support the track ahead of its 2004 debut.
This grid’s history here
Lewis Hamilton6 wins · 2019, 2017, 2015, 2014, …
Fernando Alonso2 wins · 2013, 2005
Andrea Kimi Antonelli1 win · 2026
Oscar Piastri1 win · 2025
Max Verstappen1 win · 2024
Valtteri Bottas1 pole, no win · 2019
Top stories ahead of the Chinese sprint GP
No major storylines in this window yet. Check back as more coverage lands between races.
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