Weekend annex
Chinese GP 2026 — Sprint weekend annex
Round 2 of 2026 at the Shanghai International Circuit — the first sprint weekend of the new ground-rules era. Standard 2023-onward sprint format applies: Friday FP1 + main Qualifying (sets Sunday grid), Saturday Sprint Shootout + Sprint, Sunday Grand Prix. Circuit length 5.451 km, 56 race laps (~305 km). Shanghai's combination of long straights (the 1.2 km back straight between turns 13 and 14) and low-grip abrasive tarmac historically makes tyre strategy decisive.
Sprint weekend format
Friday: FP1 (60 min) + main Qualifying (sets Sunday GP grid). Saturday: Sprint Shootout (SQ1+SQ2+SQ3 knockout, ~45 min total; sets Sprint grid) + Sprint (100 km / 19 laps at Shanghai). Sunday: Grand Prix. Points: Sprint 8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 for P1-P8; GP 25-18-15-12-10-8-6-4-2-1 for P1-P10.
Circuit facts
5.451 km · 16 turns · 56 race laps. Two notable long straights — the front straight to Turn 1 and the back straight between T13 and T14 — with heavy-braking corners at T1 (300+ km/h → ~80 km/h), T6 (hairpin) and T14 (tight hairpin at end of the back straight). Under 2026 active-aero rules, the driver-controlled low-drag mode is available both straights; under old DRS (2011-2025) two fixed DRS zones covered the same stretches. Tyre demand on the rears is historically high due to traction-out-of-hairpin phases.
Exact 2026 active-aero zones at Shanghai pending FIA event bulletin cross-check.
Last updated: 2026-04-24
This summary is editorial material prepared by F1pedia for general F1 audiences. It is not a legal reference. For binding rule text, consult the official FIA document.