ABU DHABI (Reuters) – Formula One announced a five-year extension of the Chinese Grand Prix contract on Friday, keeping Shanghai on the calendar through 2030 at least.
The sport returned to China in 2024 after a four-year absence due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The new deal was announced at the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
Formula One sees China as a key growth area, with a local fanbase of more than 150 million — more than half drawn to the sport in the last four years and 50% of them women.
Shanghai will be the second race of the season on March 23 next year, after Australia.
“Our return to China this season for the first time since 2019 was a fantastic moment for the sport, and it is incredible to see the levels of support that we enjoy in the country continuing to grow year-on-year,” said F1 chief executive Stefano Domenicali.
(Reporting by Alan Baldwin, editing by Toby Davis)
