| Shanghai Grand Prix |
Welcome, race fans, to my Formula 1 page. This page chronicles my Shanghai Grand Prix trip. I hope you find it informative and interesting. You might also want to check out my Montreal Grand Prix, Mazda RX-7 (FD3S) and Honda S2000 pages. Background In June of 2005 I saw my first Formula 1 Grand Prix in the beautiful city of Montreal, Canada. I had an amazing time and immediately knew I wanted to see another grand prix. Like most other sporting events, you actually know more if you watch it on television, with the commentary, instant replays, and what not, but hearing and seeing the cars in-person overshadows any stats the commentators may spew. But unlike most other sporting events, seeing a grand prix means visiting another country, experiencing another culture. That, for me, is the true allure of F1. Traveling and seeing the most technologically advanced race cars in the world, couldn't ask for more. The Road to Shanghai Shanghai is China's largest city, the commercial and financial gateway to China. Getting to Shanghai is no problem. I'll be flying direct from San Francisco to PuDong International Airport on Air China. It's a 12+ hour flight, and I lose 1 day with the timezone difference. I'll be arriving too late to take the MagLev train, but hopefully on my return I'll be able to experience the fastest train in the world. More information about the MegLev can be found here. Tried ordering the race tickets directly through the Shanghai International Circuit, but their online system was no longer accepting orders. I suppose I should have tried calling them directly, but I ended up buying through a ticket broker in Hungary. gpticketshop.com's website is very professional looking, so I figure it's probably not a scam. Got my tickets via UPS 14 days before the grand prix weekend. You might have read that I was disappointed with my grandstand selection in Montreal. The track map did not show the huge tent that would block our view of the main straight on race day. I wasn't going to make the same mistake twice, so opted for the "main high," although I'm starting to wonder if main low would have been better. 
Lodging-wise, I wanted to stay at the Grand Hyatt Shanghai, the world's highest hotel, where the rooms start on the 53rd floor. But they were sold out, and, more importantly, it's freaking expensive! So I'm just at a regular hotel (review to come). From what I've been able to gather, driving to the circuit is not a good idea because you'll need a special pass to park near the circuit. It's a moot point, since I won't be driving in Shanghai, but just in case you're considering driving. Apparently they'll have shuttle buses that'll take you from downtown so I'm not too worried. Oh, before I forget, you'll need a visa to get into China. Being the arrogant American citizen that I am (just joking), I thought I wouldn't really need a visa; but I do. The process was very easy. There is a Chinese consulate in San Francisco, right across from the Japan town center on Geary. Went to Walgreens to get a 2"x2" passport photo taken, filled out a simple one page application, turned it it along with my passport, and picked everything up 3 days later. The cost was $50 for standard processing. Anticipation Less than one week before departure. The Japan Grand Prix is this weekend. There is a slight chance that McLaren can clinch the constructor's championship at Suzuka, which would make the Shanghai race not as exciting, but highly unprobably that Renault will only score 1 point. Who knows. Knock on wood. Will skip Friday practice and do either "walk 1" or "walk 2" 
Shanghai will be my first visit to a non-English speaking country. In London and Canada I never felt scared or lost, but Shanghai should be very different. The Stage is Set The stage is set for the final race of the 2005 Formula 1 season. Coming into Suzuka McLaren was leading Renault by 2 points. With Montoya's DNF and a Renault 2-3 finish it's Renault back on top by 2 points. The Japan Grand Prix was nothing short of spectacular. Here's a video of Fernando Alonso's awesome pass on Michael Schumacher in 130R. 
So the stage is set for the Shanghai Grand Prix. Looking Back Where should I start? That Shanghai is one insanely crazy city, or that the Grand Prix was a huge disappointment? Well, in any event, here are the unfiltered, uncataloged pictures from the trip. Shanghai International Circuit Shanghai International Circuit is a nice but bland circuit located an hour or so outside of Shanghai. 
The hotel told me it'd take about 3 hours to get to the track. It actually took about 2 hours, but the return did take 3+ hours. I was staying at the Sofitel Hyland Hotel, so the easiest way to get to the track was via the Line 1 metro/Shanghai Stadium. At the stadium there were about 3,000 buses waiting to take fans to the track. 
The bus I took was comfortable and had AC, so the hour long ride was pleasant. Had a nice chat with a guy from Texas, trying to explain F1 to him (he was in Shanghai for business, not the race). Now the bad part. As the illustration shows, the drop off point is opposite my seats (grandstand A). It's a good 45 minute walk from drop off to entrance. Extremely tiring and boring, since unlike Montreal, which has trees and a lake, this track is completely barren. 
On Sunday I ended up paying 50 Yuans to a guy with a motorcycle to take me, so it wasn't too bad. Here's a picture of me on the back of motorcycle with the back of the guy's head. 
I was on the topmost row of the main grandstand. Pro - got a good view of the entire track except the back straight and last corner. Con - not as close to the action as the lower section. 
The pre-race ceremonies were pretty cool. In the background the crew is working on the cars, and in the front you had the ceremony, including an appearance by Jackie Chan. 
At 2:00 PM the race started. Here's a little Quicktime clip of the cars on the warmup lap. Now the really bad part. Early into the race a drainage cover came loose and Montoya (McLaren) runs over it, forcing him to change tires and the safety car was out. This changes the entire race strategy. It took forever for the racetrack crew to fix things so the safety car was out for a long time. Extremely disappointed with the organizers. Come out, a drain cover? Getting back to Shanghai was a major PITA. The organizers didn't know to quickly get people on the bus. They were loading one bus at a time! Imagine how long it took to get everybody out. Big thumbs down to the organizers of the Grand Prix. Shanghai, One Insanely Crazy City As for Shanghai the city, wow, what an experience. The flight from San Francisco to Shanghai is extremely long - 13+ hours of flight time, plus check-in, customs, etc. United Airlines sucks. Flew Virgin Atlantic to London and even in coach class ever passenger got their own multi-media entertainment unit. United had one dinky screen and played horrible movies. Arrived at PuDong 6 PM local time. Immigrations and customs was a breeze. From PuDong Airport to Shanghai The taxi cost me 27 Yuans and took about an hour. After picking up your baggage proceed to the hotel counter to get a hotel address card. These business cards have the hotel's address in Mandarin so the taxi drivers can understand. It is very important to keep this hotel card with you. After a night of drinking, etc., just give the taxi driver the card and you're set. Taxis are easy to get and very cheap. The most I paid was 30 Yuans to get to the MagLev station from the hotel. Beware, a ride in a taxi through the streets of Shanghai is quite an experience. There is absolutely NO right of way. Cars, buses and people go as they please. Accommodations I stayed at the Sofitel Hyland Hotel. The hotel itself is nothing great and the rooms are nothing special. But the location is GREAT. When you step outside you are right on Nanjing Lu, the famous street with all the shops. In the morning you can see Chinese moms doing their dance. 
Impressions Crazy. Shanghai is crowded. There's people everywhere. It's like a New York City on steroids. And like New York City the people can be characterized as "rude." They're not really rude, it's just the way things are. Everybody is in a rush and aggressive. There's no such thing as waiting in line, for example. You don't wait in line because there's no line. Just go straight to the counter. Like the idiot I was I kept standing in line, and locals just passed right by me and ordered. There's constant honking. People cross the street when they want. Cars go when they want. I was amazed that there weren't more accidents, but didn't see anybody get hit or hurt. Shanghai is very modern. In some areas I thought I was in the United States. So for people who want to see 5000 year old temples try elsewhere. I was only in Shanghai for the weekend, so I only got to see Old Shanghai, Nanjing Lu and the Bund. Old Shanghai has all the Chinese styled buildings. If you're into technology take a ride on the Maglev train. To the airport we got up to 431 km/h. Here's a video clip. Watch toward the end, it's NOT fast forward. Clubs My friend's sister was in Shanghai for summer and sent me this list of clubs Pegasus- pretty small but always plays the most recent hip hop (for china that is) Guandi- nice club with a hip hop room and trance room; younger crowd (this is where i saw Jermaine O'Niel :D) Rojam- really big and nice but the big room is mostly house/trance, theres a smaller room downstairs that plays hip hop Windows- smaller bar but environment is good, fun; lots of locals come here Zapatas- bar with cheap margaritas, big outdoor area, mostly older white/european men Park 97- next to Guandi, more upscale but its hooker-central My sister's friend's friend took me to Pegasus. She said it was completely packed when she went their on a weekday, but when we went it was dead. Something else must have been happening that night. |
