For the first time since 2019, Formula 1 returns to the Shanghai International Circuit for the Chinese Grand Prix, with the lone practice session set for Thursday.
Formula 1 returns to China for the first time in five years come Thursday for the Chinese Grand Prix. The event fell victim to the COVID-19 pandemic each of the last four seasons. This weekend marks the first of six F1 Sprint events on the calendar, with some tweaks to the format coming for 2024. The lone practice session for the race is set for Thursday night with Red Bull’s Max Verstappen arriving in Shanghai with a 13-point lead over teammate Sergio Pérez in the driver standings through four starts. Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz are next on the driver table, trailing by 18 and 22 points, respectively.
How to Watch Chinese Grand Prix, Practice 1 in Formula 1 Today:
Date: April 18, 2024
Time: 11:25 p.m. ET
TV: ESPN U (G)
Live stream Practice 1 for the Formula 1 Chinese Grand Prix on Fubo: Start your free trial today!
Shanghai International Circuit opened in 2004 and hosted its first Chinese Grand Prix in late September the same year. The track features a unique start, with drivers flying into the tightening Turns 1 and 2 before a quick left into Turns 3 and 4. The 3.388-mile circuit features 16 turns and one of the longest straights — three-quarters of a mile between Turns 13 and 14 — on the F1 calendar.
Lewis Hamilton of Mercedes is a six-time winner in China, including the last race in 2019 while Fernando Alonso, now with Aston Martin, topped the podium in both 2005 and 2013. Hamilton recorded the lone back-to-back victories in Shanghai in 2014 and 2015.
Continuing the theme of high-performing teammates, Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri of McLaren check in at fifth and sixth in the driver standings, trailing Verstappen by 40 and 45 points, respectively.
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