F1 cars drift on Xintiandi streets to delight of local fans
Shanghai Mayor Ying Yong (right) and Formula One Group Chairman Chase Carey "add fuel" for an F1 car during the F1 Festival at downtown Xintiandi.
For the first time, Formula 1 racing cars roared their engines around Shanghai’s downtown streets as the motor world’s premier competition celebrates its 1,000th race.
The 2019 F1 Chinese Grand Prix will be held at Shanghai International Circuit in Jiading District on Sunday. On Saturday, two F1 racing cars, one of them driven by Shanghai driver Zhou Guanyu, appeared on streets in downtown Xintiandi.
Together with a few top-class sports cars, the vehicles performed drifting to allow the city’s motoring fans to feel the speed and charm of the sport up close.
The event serves as part of the F1 Festival, which was attended by Shanghai Mayor Ying Yong and vice mayors Chen Qun and Zong Ming.
Shanghai has successfully hosted the F1 Chinese Grand Prix for 15 straight years, although the cars have always been limited to the race track. The annual race has served as one of Shanghai’s sporting name cards and benefited tourism and culture industries.
“We are excited to hold the 1,000th F1 race in China as China is one of the most exciting growing markets we have,” said Chase Carey, chairman and chief executive of Formula One Group. “The sport is still at its early stage in China, but the engagement of fans here is fascinating.”
This is the first time F1 cars hit Shanghai's streets.
