230,000 Attend 2026 Chinese Grand Prix Weekend

The 2026 Chinese Grand Prix weekend had an estimated total attendance of 230,000 – the largest at Shanghai International Circuit in over two decades.

The 2026 Chinese Grand Prix weekend had a total three-day attendance of around 230,000 according to Chinese media outlet National Business Daily. During its broadcast of the Grand Prix, Formula 1 announced that the race was a sell-out event.

230,000 is the largest reported attendance figure at the Chinese Grand Prix since the first two races at Shanghai International Circuit in 2004 and 2005, which saw turnouts of 260,000 and 270,000 respectively. Juss Sports, the Chinese Grand Prix promoter, reported ticket revenue from the event increased by 30% compared to last year.

The first Sprint weekend of the season, George Russell claimed victory in the shorter Saturday race before Mercedes team-mate Kimi Antonelli became the sport’s second-youngest winner with Grand Prix victory on Sunday. Mercedes’ dominant start to the year continued, with this being only the seventh time that a team claimed 1-2 results in the first two races of a season.

Attendance at the 2026 Chinese Grand Prix was up by 10,000 on the 2025 figure and has increased by almost 100,000 from the 2017 figure of 145,000. It is reported that around 12% of spectators were from the local area, with 74% from other parts of China. Overseas visitors accounted for 14% of attendees.

Record Attendance at First Two Races

The 2026 Chinese Grand Prix is the second race in a row to post a larger attendance figure than in the previous season. The season-opening Australian Grand Prix had a four-day total of close to 484,000 – an increase of almost 20,000 on the 2025 figure.

Whether or not Formula 1 will exceed its record overall total attendance from 2025 of 6.7 million remains to be seen. Its task has been made more difficult in the past week with the news that two of the scheduled 24 races – the Bahrain and Saudi Arabian Grands Prix – will not take place due to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.

The Bahrain and Saudi Arabian Grands Prix have some of the lowest attendances of the season, with Bahrain only reaching 100,000 in total for the first time in the last few years. Official figures for the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix have not been released in recent seasons but are believed to be under 200,000.

The cancellation of the two races in the Middle East means that there will be no racing in April, with a gap of five weeks between the Japanese Grand Prix at the end of March and the Miami Grand Prix at the start of May.

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