The site chosen for the circuit was a 5.3 square kilometre area of Jiading District swampland, previously used for rice cultivation. Construction required extensive groundwork to stabilise the terrain. Approximately 3,000 workers were on site daily for 18 months to complete the project, funded through a government-backed joint venture called the Shanghai Jiushi Group at a reported cost of 2.6 billion yuan (approximately USD 450 million at the time).
Herman Tilke's layout was inspired by the Chinese character "shang" (上), the first character in Shanghai's name, meaning "above" or "ascend." The resulting shape creates two snail-like loop complexes connected by long straights. The main grandstand complex features distinctive wing-like viewing platforms spanning the circuit and can accommodate 30,000 spectators; with all grandstands combined, capacity reaches 200,000.
The paddock design was equally ambitious, with each Formula One team allocated its own individual building arranged around a lake, evoking the classical Chinese Yu Garden in their cluster arrangement.
The 5.451 km circuit begins with Turns 1 and 2, a tightening right-hand curve taken at approximately 185 km/h, followed by a slower hairpin complex at Turns 3 and 4. The high-speed Turns 7 and 8 chicane generates constant lateral forces of around 3 g at a minimum speed of 160 km/h. Turn 13 is an exceptionally long right-hander that feeds onto a 1.170 km straight, one of the longest on any Formula One circuit, which leads to the Turn 14 hairpin — historically a prime overtaking point. The combination of long-braking zones, slow chicanes, and high-speed sweeps gives the circuit a varied technical character.
The track was resurfaced ahead of the 2025 Chinese Grand Prix. Michael Schumacher's official race lap record of 1:32.238 set in 2004 stood as the benchmark for many years, while Oscar Piastri set an unofficial qualifying track record of 1:30.641 in Q3 of the 2025 event.
The circuit hosted the Chinese Grand Prix continuously from its inaugural running in 2004 through 2019, a break due to COVID-19 conditions, and then returned to the calendar from 2024. The race quickly became a recognised fixture in the Formula One calendar, with the circuit's long straights and heavy-braking corners producing frequent overtaking opportunities that the format encouraged.
Shanghai International Circuit was a regular WTCC destination, hosting the FIA WTCC Race of China from 2012 to 2016. The circuit's scale and infrastructure made it a prestige venue for the series as it sought to grow its Asian and specifically Chinese commercial footprint. The circuit's longer straights and multiple braking zones suited touring car battles for position, and the Chinese rounds consistently drew strong fields and significant local commercial interest.
Shanghai hosted the MotoGP Chinese motorcycle Grand Prix from 2005 to 2008 before losing the contract to the new circuit at Losail. The venue also held a V8 Supercars China Round in 2005 and hosted the A1 Grand Prix from 2006 to 2008. More recently, from 2024, the circuit became home to Formula E's Shanghai ePrix alongside the Chinese Grand Prix. The FIA World Endurance Championship's 4 Hours of Shanghai was a regular fixture between 2012 and 2019.
In 2011, the circuit entered a sponsorship agreement with Audi, briefly operating as the Shanghai Audi International Circuit. A subsequent deal with SAIC Motor led to the naming SAIC Shanghai International Circuit, the designation used for commercial purposes in parallel with the official Shanghai International Circuit name.
As the first Chinese permanent circuit purpose-built for Formula One and among the first of Herman Tilke's large-scale Asian projects, Shanghai International Circuit set a template for the new generation of Asian GP venues that followed in the 2000s and 2010s. Its scale, infrastructure ambition, and commercial positioning represented China's entry into the front rank of global motorsport hosting, a position it has maintained across multiple championships for more than two decades.