The Travelling Life of Silvan Colani
September 2004 - Sinopec Formula 1 Chinese Grand Prix
Keen to join an exclusive club of Formula 1 host countries in the world and to prove that this communist giant is able to put on a flawless international event, China has built an incredible US$ 300 million racetrack on the outskirts of Shanghai. Indeed, the facilities are world-class, from the grand stand to the racetrack to the toilets (important, given all the Foster's intake), but the moment you leave the circuit, there is no doubt you are in China!
We were there to witness the inaugural Sinopec Formula 1 Chinese Grand Prix - an opportunity too good to be missed only two hours from Hong Kong. With flights booked several months ago and tickets bought over the Internet (not as easy as it sounds) and accommodation arranged in a serviced apartment we were ready to go.
Having arrived at Pudong Airport at around 10am on Friday, we decided to take the Maglev train into the city, a German-built magnetic elevation train that reaches a top speed of 431 km/h - a fitting start for a high-speed weekend. The seven-minute train trip was impressive, but in typical Chinese fashion you arrive out in nowhere. However, there was an inter-connection into the MTR, which we took to get into the city center. After having found our accommodation we took two taxis to the circuit, a trip which took almost 2hrs - not very funny in a poorly air-conditioned VW with lousy suspension! On top of that, the taxi was not allowed into the circuit, almost forcing us to walk for another hour. However, we managed to negotiate ourselves onto a bus and thus into the track. But transportation would remain the main worry for the rest of the trip.
Having arrived just in time for Friday practice, we got a good first impression of the circuit from our seats near turn 6, an open hairpin corner which is approached at close to 300km/h in sixth gear before the cars break hard and turn in at around 100km/h in second gear. Anthony Davidson, test driver for BAR Honda, was surprisingly fastest on Friday - a good omen indeed for a BAR fan as myself.
After practice we inspected the rest of the facilities, including the initial snail-like sequence of corners, which are surprisingly steep downhill - clearly a very tricky part of the circuit. We then spent the rest of the afternoon hanging around outside the Grand Stand where all the promotional activities by the main sponsors were happening. My favorite was the Michelin pit stop game, where I tried to beat the day's record of 9 seconds but failed due to my somewhat incompetent pit crew. I also enjoyed the ride on those funky Coca-Cola machines - definitely on top of my wish list for this Christmas!
The merchandise on sale elsewhere was certainly not affordable for the average Chinese, but neither were the entry tickets I guess. Business was brisk nevertheless. As dusk fell over the track, we headed to the top of the Grand Stand from where we had an eagle eye's view over almost all of the circuit during practice for the Porsche Carrera Cup.
By the time we wanted to leave the circuit, we were mildly surprised to find that the gates were by now closed and we had turned into prisoners at the world's most expensive F1 facility! But we were not the only ones: there were plenty of Chinese people also at a loss how to get out. There was no other way left than to climb over the main fence - not an easy feat after many Foster's. We eventually managed to get over it by putting a few tables on top of each other. Once across, we assisted in a mass prison breakout by helping all the Chinese escape from within. Despite the many bruises, it was quite hilarious.
Free at last, we faced the next problem: how would we get back to the city? There were no taxis and the buses simply refused to take us drunken foreigners onboard. We eventually hijacked a hotel bus and politely forced the driver to bring us to the outside of the circuit where we hoped to find a taxi. With no such luck, we had to hitchhike onto a passing goods vehicle to the surprise of the rural Chinese driver. Ferrari flag waving in the wind, the truck brought us a bit closer to the city. At a busy intersection he dropped us off and we hailed two taxis. These were only suburban taxis, however, and we would have to change once more once we reached the city limits. Needless to say, it took us forever to get to our dinner appointment.
After a night on the town, we made it an early start next morning to ensure we would reach the circuit in time for qualifying. This time we would take the official buses from Shanghai Stadium, which ferried the estimated 150,000 spectators back and forth. The trip was relatively smooth and we arrived just in time. The biggest surprise of the qualifying session was of course Michael Schumacher's spin at the first corner which relegated him to the back of the grid for the race. Excellent news for an exciting race day. Barrichello was on pole with Kimi Raikkonen in second and Jenson Button (hurray!) in third. To the pleasure of our Sauber fans, Massa qualified fourth.
On Sunday, we arrived in time for the driver's parade, where we just managed to catch a glimpse of the F1 stars going around in a modified pick-up truck (just as we did on Friday night, I though!). This was followed by an exciting Porsche Carrera race, which provided plenty of action. Weather conditions were excellent for the main race - hot but with clear skies (sort of, this is China after all).
The start of the first ever Chinese Grand Prix was an exciting affair, with Alonso moving from fifth into third thanks to Renault's incredible launch control. Massa also stole a position from Button, which he thankfully regained shortly after. Schumacher started from the pits and had a poor race throughout, including another spin and a punctured tire. What a loss of face! There was plenty of good action up and down the field, as the circuit proved very exciting indeed. The return of Jacques Villneuve in a Renault provided some excitement in the back, while a Minardi lost his front left wheel. Barrichello led for most of the race, but with Button on a two-stop strategy, instead of three as most other teams, he eventually managed to capture second place from Kimi. Alonso was fourth, Montoya fifth and Sato sixth (go, BAR!!!).
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