Shanghai set to hold F1 festival next weekend

The venue of the Chinese Grand Prix will hold the first of four F1 festivals, aiming to boost support of Formula One worldwide.

Sir Jackie Stewart and Nico Rosberg will be attending the opening ceremony in the event, sponsored by Heineken.

Director of events at Formula One, Alexandre Molina says: “We are very proud that the first F1 Festival of the year will take place in Shanghai, a destination city in a country like China where there is incredible potential interest for Formula One.

“The city will have the opportunity to live the Formula One 2018 Heineken Chinese Grand Prix in a unique way and discover the engineered insanity which characterises the pinnacle of motorsport.”

Jacco van der Linden, Heineken China’s managing director added: “Heineken is excited to be playing a leading role alongside Formula One in bringing to life Asia’s largest F1 fan festival in Shanghai.

“Building on the spectacular success of last year’s Heineken city experience, we are aiming to further open the world of F1 to racing fans and casual watchers.

“We will leverage our online and offline communications channels across China.”

The Chinese Grand Prix has faced criticisms in recent years for not filling grandstands, leading to plenty of shots of cars driving past hundreds of empty seats at the circuit.

Hopefully this F1 festival, over the Chinese GP race weekend can boost interest in the country.