Formula One racing in China has come a long way since Ferrari鈥檚 Rubens Barrichello took the chequered flag when the Chinese Grand Prix made its debut on the F1 world stage in 2004. Despite the improvement there is still a long way to go before they can compete with the best, according to China鈥檚 F1 expert.

Pan Yongyong is a well-known name among China鈥檚 F1 fans, although he is better known by his unusual nickname 鈥淧olar Shrimp,鈥� which he uses when appearing on TV as an F1 commentator.

Pan is now the vice general manager of Juss Event鈥檚 circuit management center. Apart from commentating on F1 races for local channel Great Sports, he has worked as the deputy editor-in-chief of a Formula One-themed magazine F1 Express. He was also the general manager of an ex-World Rally Championship team FCACA, which competed in the SWRC and PWRC in 2010.

As vice general manager of Juss Event鈥檚 circuit management center, Pan鈥檚 major duties included the management of Jiading District鈥檚 SAIC International Circuit, as well as the operation of over 10 racing events held at the circuit every year.

Pan first showed an interest in cars and racing sport around the age of 9.

鈥淏oys are always attracted to cars,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t was around 1986 when I started to realize how high-level motor sport and its related industry was and I could not wait to get involved.

鈥淗owever, like most children of that era, I was from an ordinary family under the background of a centrally planned economy. There were very limited social resources and little choice of entertainment. Therefore, I had to be practical and make motor racing a hobby of mine. But it鈥檚 a hobby I have followed for a lifetime.鈥�

Pan majored in computer science and software development in college.

鈥淚 wanted to get as close as possible to F1,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 took some courses to acquire machinery-related certificates. It was only in the 1990s, when Shanghai was considering building a F1 circuit, that I realized I could make a contribution.鈥�

Pan began to display his motor racing knowledge by writing sports columns for newspapers, magazines and websites. He became a guest commentator on Great Sports for F1 races in 2003, and impressed the Chinese TV audience with his insights and rich professional knowledge of the sport.

鈥淚t was very difficult to collect related information or news when the sport was first approached by Chinese fans,鈥� said Pan. 鈥淚 used to search for information from overseas websites.

鈥淚 used to go through atlasf1.com often, as the site gathered quite a lot industry professionals, including Renault F1 team鈥檚 chassis engineer and Craig Scarborough, who is now a well-known F1 technical writer. I got acquainted with Scarborough and introduced him to some Chinese media to write columns.鈥�

Pan penned a column for F1 Express from 2005 to 2008 under the pen name of Polar Shrimp.

鈥淚 happened to be having polar shrimp when I was asked to think of a pen name for myself,鈥� Pan laughed. 鈥淏ut later I found out in a documentary film that trying to capture polar shrimp is one of the most dangerous occupations in the world, which requires a lot of courage and effort. That suits my character.

鈥淒uring the four years, I set a goal that I should provide my readers with fresh content they haven鈥檛 read from any other media outlet. It also required me to search for and learn new knowledge.鈥�

After the magazine ceased publication in 2008, Pan stepped closer to the sport by becoming the manager of the Shanghai-based FCACA World Rally Team.

鈥淭he investor told me that the team was aiming to become the world champion, which matched with my ambition,鈥� said Pan.

FCACA competed in the China Rally Championship in 2008 and showed great potential by finishing runner-up in the team鈥檚 2009 season.

In 2010, with Finnish champion Jari Ketomaa and Chinese champion Wang Rui, FCACA stepped on to the international stage to compete in the World Rally Championship. Pan also became the team鈥檚 general manager.

Though FCACA project ended at the end of the 2010 season, due to investors鈥� problem, Pan said the experience was unique.

鈥淎s the team鈥檚 general manager, you not only lead the team, but also take up other duties, including the publicity of the team,鈥� Pan said. 鈥淚t allowed me to see other aspects of motor racing that a columnist could not see, which is charming.鈥�

The experience gave Pan a more macroscopic view over the sport.

鈥淚 don鈥檛 really have a favorite team or driver, but I would follow a driver as long as he had real capability,鈥� said Pan. 鈥淗eroes are built by an era sometimes. We can never deny that Michael Schumacher was a great driver, though his career is comparatively smooth in my point of view.

鈥淕reat drivers can be spotted at the early stage of their career. When you look at Ayrton Senna, his driving style was never the same as others. He would push the car to its limit even if he was not paid.鈥�

Pan also agreed that F1 has lost some charm. Changes in regulations partially led to the situation.

鈥淚 miss the days when fuel filling was still allowed in a race, which enriched team strategies,鈥� he said. 鈥淭he competition between two tire providers was also exciting, which no longer exists due to the cost. However, there is nothing that cannot be changed and fans would eventually accept the changes.

鈥淪ome new regulations were made by the FIA to balance the benefits among the teams, while some measures were taken to improve drivers鈥� safety, like the Hans system, which is extremely necessary.

鈥淔or some time, what made F1 interesting was the intelligence the teams鈥� technicians showed when studying and making use of loopholes in regulations. Double-decker diffuser and deformable nose cones were all 鈥榠nventions鈥� from between the grey area of F1 regulations. However, such loopholes are becoming fewer and fewer nowadays.鈥�

The 2018 season will be the 15th year the SAIC International Circuit has hosted the Chinese Grand Prix, despite a limited Chinese influence on the F1 racing sport鈥檚 premier stage.

鈥淚n 90 percent of cases, whether a country can produce good car racers is related to the development of the country鈥檚 auto vehicle industry,鈥� said Pan. 鈥淏ut in the other 10 percent of cases, it depends on a driver鈥檚 personality. Countries like Spain and Brazil are not known for their car industries, but they have always contributed great drivers.

鈥淎 public foundation is crucial, it creates culture and tradition for the development of racing sport. The more people get involved in the car industry, the bigger phenomenon it creates. For China, it is taking a long time and there is no shortcut.

鈥淚 feel lucky that I have already experienced a lot of motor racing-related jobs. What I want to do next is to make my contribution to bridging the auto industry and motor sport, which are still comparatively separate in China.鈥�