Though Shanghai has recently ditched its MotoGP meeting, it is still used throughout the year by car clubs and for private driving sessions, and a European TV audience-boosting night-time grand prix – à la Singapore – is not really a viable option, Qiu stated.

“In Singapore...holding the event at night is a good way to attract tourists to a small country,” he explained. “I think Singapore is hosting this event in their own unique way, but we have our own situation.

“Even if we don't run F1 after 2010, we should be able to cover our bases because events are taking place in the rest of the year over about 200 days.

“We want to turn it into Disneyland for cars. Fans can go there if they want to really enjoy F1-style driving and enjoy the thrill of driving at speed at this venue. Thanks to F1 we have already created this huge wave of car fever, so in that sense it is good news.”