Beijing Olympic Green Circuit

Beijing Olympic Green Circuit at a glance

Location

Beijing, Beijing Municipality

Type

historic circuit (defunct)

Length

3.453 km (2.146 mi)

Turns

20

Direction

clockwise

Surface

asphalt

Opened

2014

Owner

formerly City of Beijing (temporary street circuit; no longer laid out)

Address

Beijing Olympic Green (奥林匹克公园), around the National Stadium

Track map and layout

The Beijing Olympic Green Circuit was a temporary 3.453 km (2.146 mi), 20-turn street circuit run clockwise on closed public roads through the Olympic Green (奥林匹克公园), the park built for the 2008 Summer Olympics on Beijing's north side. The layout threaded past the National Stadium (the 'Bird's Nest'), the National Aquatics Center (the 'Water Cube') and the surrounding parkland roads, using ordinary carriageways rather than any purpose-built racing infrastructure. At 3.453 km it was, at the time, the longest circuit on the Formula E calendar, with a long back straight into a tight final sector around the stadium precinct.

Configurations

Events and race weekends

The Olympic Green circuit hosted the Beijing ePrix twice: the very first race in Formula E history on 13 September 2014, won by Lucas di Grassi for Audi Sport ABT after a late-race collision between leaders Nick Heidfeld and Nicolas Prost, and the opening round of the 2015-16 season on 24 October 2015, won comfortably by Sébastien Buemi, who also set the circuit's fastest lap. No motorsport event has used the Olympic Green streets since 2015.

Getting there and parking

The Olympic Green is a major public park in northern Beijing, well served by the city's metro network; there is no circuit infrastructure to visit, only the park's roads, plazas and Olympic venues as they exist for everyday visitors and tourists.

• Beijing Capital International Airport (PEK) · about 40 min drive
• Beijing Daxing International Airport (PKX) · about 70 min drive

Beijing Subway Line 8's Olympic Green and Olympic Sports Center stations sit inside the old circuit footprint and are the easiest way in; there is nothing marking the former Formula E route on the ground.

Hotels and camping near Beijing Olympic Green Circuit

Visitors typically stay in central Beijing districts such as Chaoyang, Dongcheng or around the Olympic Green itself, all within easy metro reach of the park; there is no camping, RV or trackside accommodation culture associated with the site, which functions purely as a public park and Olympic legacy precinct.

Where to look

Olympic Green / Chaoyang district for proximity to the park; Dongcheng or Wangfujing for central Beijing sightseeing bases.

Track days, driving experiences and lap records

There is no track-day, ride-along or public driving access of any kind; the Beijing ePrix used a temporary street layout closed and reopened around each event, and no permanent racing facility was ever built on the Olympic Green.

Lap records

Spectator guide

There is no event to attend and no spectator infrastructure remaining; the Olympic Green today is one of Beijing's most-visited public parks, popular for its Olympic-era stadiums, gardens and open plazas rather than for motorsport.

Weather

• Jun-Aug: hot and humid, highs around 30-32°C
• Dec-Feb: cold and dry, highs around 0-4°C

History of Beijing Olympic Green Circuit

Formula E's very first race

The Beijing Olympic Green Circuit was built as a temporary street layout through the park constructed for the 2008 Summer Olympics, and it earned a permanent place in motorsport history by hosting round one of Formula E's inaugural championship on 13 September 2014. The 3.453 km, 20-turn layout ran clockwise past the National Stadium and National Aquatics Center on closed public roads, making it, at the time, the longest circuit the all-electric series had raced on.

A dramatic debut

That first Beijing ePrix is still remembered for its chaotic finish: with Nick Heidfeld leading Nicolas Prost into the final corners, the pair collided while battling for the lead, sending Heidfeld's car airborne into the barriers. Lucas di Grassi, running third, inherited the win for Audi Sport ABT, giving Formula E its first-ever race winner in front of a curious home crowd drawn by the novelty of a silent, all-electric grand prix through an Olympic park.

A second and final visit

Beijing returned to the calendar to open the 2015-16 season on 24 October 2015, this time won at a canter by Sébastien Buemi, who took pole, victory and the circuit's fastest lap, becoming the first driver to score the maximum points available from a single ePrix. That race proved to be the Olympic Green's last; Formula E moved its China round elsewhere in subsequent seasons and never laid out a circuit on the Green again.

The Olympic Green today

With the temporary barriers and grandstands long gone, the Olympic Green functions today exactly as it was designed to: a large public park anchored by the Bird's Nest stadium and Water Cube, popular with tourists, joggers and families, with Beijing Subway Line 8 running directly beneath the old circuit footprint. Nothing on the ground marks the roads that once carried the world's first Formula E race.

Frequently asked questions

Other tracks nearby

• Goldenport Park Circuit · 15 km · road course
• V1 Auto World Tianjin · 86 km · road course
• Ordos International Circuit · 558 km · road course
• Jiangsu Wantrack International Circuit · 955 km · road course