Grid locked: Shanghai secures five-year F1 extension

Formula One announced a five-year extension with the Chinese Grand Prix on Friday, ensuring the presence of Shanghai International Circuit on the calendar until the 2030 season.

Co-announced with Shanghai Jiushi (Group) Co Ltd, the promoter of the Chinese Grand Prix, Shanghai will be the second stop of the 2025 season, scheduled for March 21 to 23. It will also feature the year's first F1 Sprint race, along with the first round of the all-female F1 Academy.

The extension comes after F1's triumphant return to China in 2024 following a five-year hiatus, which drew 200,000 enthusiastic fans to witness Max Verstappen's dual triumph in both the Sprint and the Grand Prix.