Friday, October 2: The UIM F1H2O World Championship has made its much-anticipated return to China, with officials and team members now arriving in Shanghai ahead of racing action that gets underway on Sunday, October 4.

Their arrival coincided with China’s National Day celebrations today, October 1, which F1H2O’s teams and officials were able to enjoy in the form of a spectacular evening of music, fireworks, drone shows and traditional Chinese cultural performances. The celebrations provided a fitting opportunity to strengthen the cultural ties between F1H2O and China, a country that has hosted the Championship for more than three decades.

While China is enjoying a holiday break as part of the country’s Golden Week, the F1H2O paddock remains abuzz with activity as teams put the final touches to their racing set-ups. The Grand Prix of Shanghai-China is the third round of the 2026 season, with the title race still wide open.

Current World Champion Shaun Torrente currently leads the standings with 40 points. His victory at the Grand Prix of Kyrgyzstan helped him recover from a scoreless result at the Grand Prix of Cagliari, where a barrel roll forced him out of the race. Torrente also benefited from the misfortune of Stefan Arand, who won the opening Grand Prix of the season but suffered a DNF in Kyrgyzstan due to engine issues. Arand nevertheless remains close behind, arriving in Shanghai with 36 points.

The drivers will have their first opportunity to make their mark on the championship battle on Sunday with the Sprint Races, before the main Grand Prix gets underway on Monday at 3:05pm.

Afterwards, the celebrations will resume – this time not for National Day, but to honour the drivers who will leave Shanghai as the fastest racers of the 2026 Chinese Grand Prix.