09/04/2004
NEWS STORY
It's understood that the Shanghai circuit, which plays host to the first ever Chinese Grand Prix, sixteenth round of the 2004 Formula One World Championship, is almost complete.
The 3.387m (5.451 km) circuit, located 45 minutes from central Shanghai, and designed by Hermann Tilke has taken eighteen months to build at a cost of £130m ($240m).
"We hope to bring a masterpiece F1 circuit to the world," said Xu Zheng, president of the Shanghai Construction Group.
"For the first time in the world, we have built an F1 circuit on soft and alluvial land, which easily subsides and makes construction work challenging," he added.
One of the final tasks is to lay another two layers of asphalt on the track, followed by some landscaping, interior decoration and then the installation of the electronic display and calculation systems.
It's thought that everything will be finished by the end of May in time for the FIA's inspection.