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A second Grand Prix in China? F1 would love that!

A second Grand Prix in China? F1 "would love" that!

26-01-2019 12:21
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Nicolás Quarles van Ufford

F1's head of global sponsorships Murray Barnett has said the sport "would love" a second Grand Prix in China apart from the current one, which has been the third race on the calendar in recent years.

As the head of sponsorships and partnerships, Barnett knows all too well about the importance of the Chinese market. It's the biggest economy in the world, after all.

The Chinese Grand Prix at Shanghai has been a fixture on the F1 calendar since 2004, when Rubens Barrichello won it for Ferrari. Last season, Daniel Ricciardo won his first race of the season in Shanghai in spectacular fashion, overtaking both Ferrari and Mercedes cars in the process.

"We would love to have a second race here," Barnett told Chinese news agency Xinhua.

“Probably not in the short-term, given how congested the schedule is already.

“But we'd certainly love to figure out a way to have another Grand Prix here."

With 21 races on the calendar already and several countries having talks with the F1 to be added to the list, there doesn't seem to be much room for a new destination right now. 

"We're looking at a number of different things to try to generate more interest on a local basis," Barnett added.

“We can't just be here for the three days of the Grand Prix. We need to have a year-round presence here and be much more locally relevant in order to really establish a big fanbase here."