F1 in China: I've never seen so many people in those grandstands

"Most of the teams had a better handle on the sport's complicated new cars in China, and the more traditional racetrack environment played better to the strengths of their hybrid power units, with enough hard braking zones to recharge batteries without having to sap engine power instead."

"We have a better idea of the grid's current pecking order, at least for now. There's some daylight between each of the top three teams and a close battle for midfield honors. Meanwhile, the specter of unreliability is well and truly with us; four cars failed to even take the start, and seven (of 22) were not classified as finishing."

"This is the biggest crowd I've ever seen here in Shanghai. When we were doing the drivers' parade, we went up to Turn 11, 12, and that grandstand has been closed for, I think, almost 20 years, and it was amazing."

Formula 1 raced in Shanghai one week into its 2026 season, with teams showing better understanding of the new hybrid power units. The traditional racetrack layout with hard braking zones suited the cars' battery recharge capabilities without compromising engine performance. A clearer grid pecking order emerged with daylight between top three teams and close midfield competition. However, reliability concerns persisted with four cars failing to start and seven of 22 not classified as finishers. Despite these issues, the race provided entertaining competition. Shanghai's iconic Tilke-designed facility, featuring a pond-filled paddock and distinctive layout resembling the character for 'shang,' attracted record attendance with previously unused grandstands finally filled.

Read at Ars Technica