China to stay on F1 calendar until at least 2020 - but 2018 Grand Prix is set to swap places with Bahrain
Monday 2 October 2017 14:45, UK
The Chinese GP will remain on the Formula 1 calendar for at least another three years after agreeing a new race contract - while its 2018 edition is set to swap dates with the Bahrain GP.
China was the only remaining event marked on the 2018 calendar as being subject to confirmation but the deal, which runs until 2020, was confirmed in Malaysia.
Alongside the renewal was a proposed date change for next season, with the Shanghai race now pencilled in for April 15 - round three of the campaign - a week after the Bahrain GP.
The change is a reversal of the schedules previously stated in the provisional 2018 calendar, and is subject to the approval of the FIA World Motorsport Council.
The first Chinese GP took place in 2004, and Lewis Hamilton has won the event five times since its inception. Fernando Alonso, Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen are the other current drivers to have claimed victory at the Shanghai International Circuit.
F1 in 2018: Schedule and test dates
F1's owners Liberty Media had previously stated that, despite falling crowd attendances over the weekend, China represented a great commercial opportunity as one of three Asian races left on the calendar.
"We are very pleased to have reached an agreement which will see the Formula 1 Chinese Grand Prix continue as a fixture of the Formula 1 World Championship for at least a further three years," said F1 chairman Chase Carey.
"We and our partners in this venture want to make this Formula 1 Chinese Grand Prix even more spectacular, while bringing Chinese fans ever closer to the sport."
