As one of the world's top three sporting events, the Formula 1 World Championship attracts hundreds of millions of spectators worldwide. 

A file photo of an F1 race in Shanghai. [Photo provided to International Services Shanghai]

The first F1 Chinese Grand Prix was held on Sept 24-26, 2004 at the newly built Shanghai International Circuit. Over the three days of the race, a total of 260,000 spectators attended. 150,000 were present on the day of the main race, setting a record for the largest number of spectators ever for a single race in China. This remains the highest attendance recorded for a single race in China today.

The F1 Chinese Grand Prix was held annually from 2004 to 2019. The commercial operation and quality of the race were continuously improved, earning high praise and evaluation from various sectors, both domestically and internationally. 

Nowadays, F1 races are covered by journalists and photographers from newspapers, magazines, the internet, radio, and television stations worldwide. These races are televised in over 200 countries. 

Source: Shanghai Administration of Sports