What the Chinese GP's highlights reveal about its first F1 race for five years

This weekend marks the return of the Chinese Grand Prix after a lengthy COVID-induced hiatus. A look back at its past races gives some hints of what to expect as the latest generation of cars tackle the Shanghai International Circuit for the first time

Jake Boxall-Legge Apr 16, 2024, 2:19 PM

It's been five years since the Chinese Grand Prix last graced the Formula 1 calendar, and it's probably the biggest understatement of the century to suggest that quite a lot has unfolded in that time. Since this is supposed to be a light-hearted but ultimately informative column about motorsport, we won't plunder the depths of everything that's gone on in that quintet of revolutions around the sun, but COVID is the important event of note.

Minimising the spread of coronavirus has been the reason why China has been away from F1 for so long, as its government implemented a 'zero-COVID' approach following the discovery of a new strain in late 2019. That didn't stop it getting out of the country and around the world, but restricting travel into the country ultimately necessitated the Shanghai circuit's hiatus for a few years. Even though those measures were rescinded in late 2022, it was ultimately too late to get a race pencilled in for last season.

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Author Jake Boxall-Legge

Jake Boxall-Legge Autosport’s Technical Editor. Having studied Automotive Engineering with Motorsport at the University of Hertfordshire, West Country-born Jake's original ambition was to design racing cars. During a year between studies in which he accidentally rekindled a love of writing, he took up a Master's in Motorsport Engineering at Oxford Brookes. Halfway through his master's year, he was offered a place on the Autosport Academy, conducting occasional freelance duties before becoming the press officer for Formula 2 and GP3 in 2018. Autosport offered him a return to the fold later that year to serve as its Technical Editor. His voice appears on a number of videos and podcasts, and can often be found writing about terrible Formula 1 cars in excruciating detail. In his spare time, Jake enjoys baking and blames his failure to make it past the Great British Bake-Off interviews on his tenuous grasp on choux pastry. His dream is to open a brunch cafe - and his willingness to make outrageous puns in inappropriate situations has earned him the contempt of his colleagues.