Formula 1 officials have confirmed plans for the first of this year’s four fan festivals.
Following on from F1 Live London – which was attended by all teams and all bar one driver in the build-up to the British Grand Prix – four festivals will take place in 2018.
The first will be held in Shanghai from April 13 to 15, alongside the Chinese Grand Prix, the third round of the campaign.
The Jing’An Kerry Centre will play host to the Fan Festival, which will be opened by Sir Jackie Stewart and Nico Rosberg on the afternoon of April 13, and feature live music and activities across the weekend.
Armin van Buren and Angela Chang will be among the music performers, while showcars from Renault and Pirelli will be on display, along with an area dedicated to esports.
It was also revealed that the fan festival will feature the debut of Axel, Formula 1’s new mascot.
“We are very proud that the first F1 Festival of the year will take place in Shanghai, a destination city in a country like China where there is an incredible potential interest for Formula 1,” said the sport’s Head of Events Alexandre Molina.
“The city will have the opportunity to live the Formula 1 2018 Chinese Grand Prix in a unique way and discover the engineered insanity which characterise the pinnacle of motorsport.”
The other fan festivals will take place in Marseille, Berlin and Miami alongside Grands Prix in France, Germany and the United States respectively.