The Shanghai International Circuit is a motorsport race track, situated in the Jiading District, Shanghai.
Accommodation:
Many hotels are available within Shanghai itself, however the circuit is 33.9km from Shanghai city centre, so travel time will be a concern. Hostels are a great cheap option if you're on a budget. The train/tube system in Shanghai is cheap, regular and efficient, so although it's recommended to stay in the central Bund area, for easy access to other major tourist sites, if you're further out, transport to this area is easy.
Getting to the track:
The circuit has its own station, called Shanghai Circuit. The circuit is reachable by Line 11 of the Shanghai Metro and Jiading Bus line Number 53. Bus is not recommended due to the extended travel time. Allow at least one hour to get from the central Bund area of Shanghai to the circuit station on race weekends due to higher volumes of people. If travelling direct from the airport, take the Maglev to Longyang Road, then Subway Line 2 to Jiangsu Road, then Subway Line 11 direct to the circuit. Note there are two branches to Metro Line 11, make sure you take a train to Huaqiao or note you'll have to change to a Huaqiao train at Jiading Xincheng (one stop before the circuit).
It can take more than an hour to get from the station to the circuit seating on race day, even though it's only a 500m walk directly. If you're early and headed for H, J or K seating areas, don't join the big security lines behind the main grandstand, instead turn right out of the station and make your way towards K grandstand, as there is a smaller security / ticket check there. As it's small though it can get pretty overwhelmed if you arrive not long before race start.
Returning from the track takes time. There will be thousands of people attempting to all leave via the same exit, which splits into the bus, road and train exits. To avoid the station getting dangerously full, the crowds are herded into pens outside the train station and only allowed into the station, enough people at a time to fill a train. This mean you are stood around in very close proximity to a lot of people for up to an hour before even getting to the train station. To avoid further delays, it is recommend to buy your return ticket to the city from the automated machine when you arrive at the station in the morning, rather than when you are leaving. All train station machines in Shanghai have an English language option, and on race weekend staff are placed near the machines to assist, who understand some English.
Seating:
A Low 1-3, A High 1-3 and A+ High 4-6 will offer the best seating overall experience. You will be opposite the pit straight, towards the start of the pit lane where the teams are. This is A+ High 6. Directly opposite a TV screen, with Ferrari to the left, Red Bull in the middle and Mercedes to the right, with the Podium in view on the far right. The start/finish line is off shot to the left, with the final corner in view to the right. Being A+ High offers views of turn 7 and 8 over the top of the pit lane. Unfortunately from this point you will see little direct overtaking. Most overtaking takes place at the end of the back straight (turn 14) and the end of the pit straight (turn 1), with the latter being viewable from this position.
Food:
Food is available to buy at the circuit but is severely limited, not the best quality and not cheap. Hot food options are available: hot dogs, burgers, chicken nuggets, noodles, but expect to pay ~£10+ ($13) for a single hot dog, or small nuggets and chips, (very expensive by Chinese standards) which isn't great quality, and a little more if you want a drink. Expect to queue 45mins+ on race weekends for this. Alcohol is available to purchase but will be almost exclusively Heineken as they're the title sponsor. You can take food/drink into the stadium. All bags are scanned upon entry, and I was allowed to keep my water and snacks (biscuits/crisps) to take into the seating area.
It is recommended to stop at a Lawsons or similar 7/11 type store in Shanghai before travelling to the circuit and buying food.
What to avoid:
Shopping on race day: All the same stalls and merchandise is available on Saturday as it is on Sunday, but the circuit will have only a fraction of the people there. Get your shopping done on the Saturday, before or after quali, to ensure you've got more time to get through the queues and to your seats on the Sunday.
Don't use Google maps in China, Google is blocked and so the maps are out of date and unreliable. AFAIK there are no reliable English language phone maps available in Mainland China either.
Misc:
Full team merchandise is available at the circuit, but this is marked up over buying the same official content online. For example the Lewis Hamilton China GP Cap was £12 ($15) more expensive at the circuit than online. All stalls take credit cards (Visa/MC), but there were often shorter cash only queues to pay in the local currency. Lanyards are available for your tickets for about £3 ($4), at the Circuit non-team merchandise shop, along with circuit memorabilia like mugs, key chains and other much cheaper gift/souvenir options.
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