OCTOBER 14, 2002

Confirmation of Chinese GP coming soon

Max Mosley flew to Shanghai on Monday to break ground for the planned Formula 1 circus in the city. The trip comes just a few days after Mosley, Britain's Prince Andrew and Bahrain's own Crown Prince, Sheikh Salman bin Hamad al-Khalifa broke ground on the construction of the first F1 circuit in the Middle East.

Bahrain is expected to be on the F1 calendar in 2004 and Shanghai will probably be the same, although the race has yet to be confirmed. We expect that that will happen within 10 days as F1 boss Bernie Ecclestone is due to visit the Chinese city shortly.

The Bahrain track, which Mosley called, "one of the most exciting projects we have seen in Formula 1 for a long time" will feature six different layouts which will include a flat oval and a drag strip. The $150m construction program is due to be completed by the start of 2004 with the likely date for the race being at the end of the season. Bahrain is perfect for the World Championship finale as it is located in a time zone which allows prime time coverage across most of the world. It is anticipated that the race will come after the Japanese GP so that freight can be transported straight from Suzuka to Bahrain. It is not yet clear when the Chinese GP will happen but it makes sense for the event to be at the start of the year, perhaps linked with Australia and Malaysia, although a mid-season foray from Europe to Canada and on to China might also be an option.