Formula 1 would “love” to hold a second Grand Prix in China, according to its Head of Global Sponsorship Murray Barnett.
Formula 1 expanded into China in 2004 with a Grand Prix held at the specially-constructed Shanghai International Circuit.
Shanghai’s current contract runs through 2020 and this year’s event will mark the 1,000th Grand Prix to be held since the inauguration of the World Championship in 1950.
Leading car manufacturers have recognised China as a key market and Formula 1 believes there is an “opportunity” to expand its reach further in the country.
"We would love to have a second race here," Barnett is quoted by Chinese news agency Xinhua.
"Probably not in the short-term, given how congested the schedule is already, but we'd certainly love to figure out a way to have another Grand Prix here.
"We're looking at a number of different things to try to generate more interest on a local basis.
“We can't just be here [in China] for the three days of the Shanghai Grand Prix.
“We need to have a year-round presence here and be much more locally relevant in order to really establish a big fanbase here.
“I went to the first Chinese Grand Prix in 2004, and I remember the excitement and the huge turnout they had for that race.
“Having the 1,000th Grand Prix in Shanghai 15 years later shows the scale of the opportunity that F1 sees in China."
This season’s calendar features the same 21 Grands Prix as 2018 after a one-year extension was reached with Germany (Hockenheim), while three-year deals were agreed with promoters in Belgium (Spa-Francorchamps) and Japan (Suzuka).
A new Grand Prix is nonetheless set to join the 2020 roster after a deal was signed to take Formula 1 to the streets of Vietnamese capital Hanoi next April.
That would potentially expand the calendar to a record-breaking 22 Grands Prix though several events’ contracts expire after 2019.
Event organisers in Spain (Barcelona), Britain (Silverstone), Germany (Hockenheim), Italy (Monza) and Mexico (Hermanos Rodriguez) all head into the new season without a 2020 deal.
