The Tianjin Circuit, V1 Auto World, is a modern facility in Wuqing, between the major Chinese cities of Tianjin and Beijing.
It has a potential public of about 35 million people. In addition to the track, the complex features a hotel, convention centre, and commercial areas, making it attractive to the public and the booming Chinese market.
Hermann Tilke was asked to design a circuit capable of hosting major events in a variety of uses. The circuit boasts several innovative features, not least the ability to extend onto public roads and a Z-shaped pit lane that can handle two layouts at once. The north pits have 39 garages, and the south pits have 12. The “Z” configuration allows for much larger event spaces and paddock sizes than traditional pit buildings, providing ample space for large-scale racing events.
The facility opened in 2018 with the permanent circuit and variants of the initial road circuit, while development continues on the full international road course. Flexible and professional, the V1 circuit balances a combination of straights and sequences of turns to meet the needs and different characteristics of both professional and amateur drivers.
The 2.5-kilometre permanent part within the V1 Auto World, with 13 turns, five left and eight right, is particularly suitable for training professional drivers and minor races. It is also offers driving experience for amateurs. The “E” configuration lengthens the circuit to 3.72 km with the addition of a street track, with technical driving characteristics in sixteen bends, five on the left and 11 on the right. Further development will increase the track to 4.28 kilometres to make it the longest in northern China.
