The F1H2O World Championship has touched down in Shanghai, with teams and officials arriving ahead of racing that gets underway on Sunday, October 4.
The timing lined up neatly with China's National Day celebrations on October 1, giving the visiting paddock a taste of fireworks, drone shows, music and traditional Chinese cultural performances. It was a fitting welcome for a championship that has now been racing in China for more than three decades.
China is in the middle of its Golden Week holiday, but there's no rest in the F1H2O paddock. Teams are busy finalising their set-ups ahead of the Grand Prix of Shanghai-China, the third round of the 2026 season and a weekend that arrives with the title race still very much up for grabs.
Current World Champion Shaun Torrente heads into Shanghai on top of the standings with 40 points. His win at the Grand Prix of Kyrgyzstan was a timely bounce-back after a scoreless outing in Cagliari, where a barrel roll ended his race early.
Torrente's position at the top has also been helped by misfortune elsewhere. Stefan Arand won the season-opening Grand Prix but was forced out of the Kyrgyzstan round with engine trouble. Arand remains firmly in the fight though, arriving in Shanghai just four points adrift on 36.
The first real test for the Shanghai field comes on Sunday with the Sprint Races, setting the stage for the main Grand Prix on Monday at 3.05pm.
Once the chequered flag falls, the celebrations in Shanghai will start up again, this time honouring whichever drivers emerge as the fastest of the 2026 Chinese Grand Prix.
