A star is born
ByEurosport
Published 27/09/2004 at 08:32 GMT
A success both on and off the track, Sunday's Chinese GP showed Formula One there is life outside Europe. While the Old Continent public has become blasé, the 160,000 packed into the state-of-the-art track complex in Shanghai ensured the off-track success
Rubens Barrichello's start-to-finish win - holding off the double challenge of young guns Jenson Button and Kimi Raikkonen - enthralled genuine sports fans and undoubtedly had the marketing men rubbing their hands as the sport sunk its claws into China's 1.3bn population.
Despite whatever criticisms can be made of the incumbent regime in China, the track - built on marshland hauled back from nature only two years ago - is a gem.
SUPER QUICK TRACK
Reports this week work on the 2008 Olympic Games installations in Beijing is ahead of schedule is little surprise such was the scale of the Shanghai circuit.
The never-ending 30,000-capacity stand along the home straight plus the space-age press box 'in orbit' over the start/finish line simply take the breath away.
With the new tarmac making it super-quick, the track itself provided numerous openings for even the most cautious of drivers to dive through as the race saw more overtaking manoeuvres than in the rest of the entire season.
'UNTAPPED' MARKET
The &euro300m invested to build the circuit by the authorities, plus a further &euro40m paid to F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone to bring the race to Shanghai, looks like money well spent in terms of providing a further boost to China's world reputation.
But for all the benefit Formula One will have given to China, it is certain Formula One - or more precisely the car manufacturers will be even happier with events given the exposure their companies have had in an essentially 'untapped' market.
Even the tobacco companies - almost anonymous in smoke-phobic Europe - got their share of the limelight, with the Chinese authorities making an exception for Formula One by allowing tobacco advertising on the cars to drum the brands ever-more into the population's consciousness.
CHAMPAGNE DROWNING
In contrast to the Bahrain GP - which had the feel of a sheik's plaything riddled by concern over sand-clogged engines - the Chinese Grand Prix caught the imagination of the locals.
Added to this the enthusiasm - regardless of their motivation - of the teams and that of the drivers and the race injected life into a season overwhelmed by the domination of Ferrari.
And while rose water was the fluid of choice for the post-race podium dunking in the desert, Barrichello's champagne drowning of Ferrari boss Luca di Montezemolo in Shanghai christened the arrival of a new star on the circuit in traditional Formula One style.
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