Unpaid Wikipedia enthusiast Wurke Esperiense stumbles through the key facts ahead of this weekend’s race in China
The Shanghai International Circuit is a typical Herman Tilke design with long straights, a tight hairpin and the successful eradication of almost all overtaking opportunities.
The track was completed in 2004. According to a 50,000 word statement released by the Chinese Central Bureau of Information at the time, ‘no farms were removed for its construction’ and everyone involved in building it was ‘contented and alive’.
The distinctive shapes above the pit straight are known locally as ‘hu wan wai’ which means ‘the sideways vaginas’. Not to be confused with Jacques Villenueve’s local nickname ‘hu wan wi’ which means ‘the sideways vagina’.
Uniquely, the ‘gravel’ in the gravel traps is actually the ground-up bones of people who have harboured anti-government thoughts.
Last year’s race won by Nico Rosberg unless you read local press in which case it was won by then-current President of the People’s Republic of China and General Secretary of the Communist Party of China, Hu Jintao.
Like most social media, Twitter is not accessible from China. Sadly, the Lotus team seems to have found a way.
