China GT opens in Shanghai

China GT’s 2026 season opened at Shanghai International Circuit on April 17 and runs through April 19, putting national GT racing back at the same venue that hosted Formula One in March. (cgt.top) The opening round is a four-day meeting from April 16 to 19, with test sessions on Thursday, practice on Friday, qualifying and Race 1 on Saturday, and Race 2 on Sunday. The weekend includes GT3 and GTC/GTS classes, with each class running two 56-minute races plus one lap. (51gt3.com) China GT’s 2026 calendar lists five rounds: Shanghai on April 17–19, Zhuhai on May 22–24, V1 Tianjin on June 26–28, Shanghai again on September 4–6, and Sepang on November 27–29. The championship is organized by the Federation of Automobile and Motorcycle Sports of the People’s Republic of China. (51gt3.com, sporttimeracing.com) A GT championship is built around production-based sports cars, not the single-seat cars used in Formula One. China GT’s Shanghai round is using that format to turn one Formula One venue into a broader racing weekend with multiple support categories on track. (51gt3.com) The Shanghai stop comes weeks after the Formula One Chinese Grand Prix on March 13–15, which drew more than 230,000 spectators and generated 190 million yuan in ticket revenue, according to official figures cited by China Daily. Formula One data cited there put China’s fan base at more than 221 million in 2025. (chinadaily.com.cn) That Formula One surge is spilling into domestic racing, according to China Minutes, which reported that China GT’s Shanghai opener has a record 57-car field, 50,000 tickets sold, and 28 sponsors or participating brands. The same report said the female share of the audience has risen to 41 percent from 12 percent. (chinaminutes.com) China Minutes tied much of that jump to actor and singer Wang Yibo, who races for Uno Racing. The outlet reported that Wang holds an FIA International Grade D licence and has posted two wins and four more podiums in eight races over the last two seasons. (chinaminutes.com) Other outlets have described the same shift in audience makeup around the March Grand Prix. Asian Motorsport reported that more than two thirds of attendees came from outside Shanghai and that fan activity now extends into merchandise trading, fan clubs, and short-video platforms. (asianmotorsport.com) Shanghai’s role in the 2026 China GT season is larger than a single opener. The circuit is hosting the preseason buildup, Round 1 in April, and Round 4 in September, making it the championship’s main hub as organizers try to turn Formula One attention into repeat traffic for domestic series. (race24.asia, cgt.top) By Sunday afternoon, Shanghai will have staged another full race weekend at national level, with GT3 and GTC/GTS winners decided before the series moves on to Zhuhai in late May. (51gt3.com, 51gt3.com)