MORE teams and drivers. Narrower front tires. The banning of refueling during races for the first time since 1993. And a change in the points system. These revisions for 2010 Formula One Grand Prix have a significant impact on teams' performances.

And in Shanghai 24 drivers from 12 teams are roaring along the Shanghai International Circuit's high-speed straights and through its winding turns.

And the F1 spirit is simmering in Shanghai, with a variety of activities arranged by Chinese Grand Prix operator Juss Event being held at the circuit.

The newly opened Metro Line 11 has offered petrolheads a new transport option to reach the remote Shanghai Circuit in the suburban Jiading District in the cheapest way.

During the three-day event, the main line (the North Jiading to Jiangsu Road) of the Metro 11 runs according to the usual schedule, but the branch line from Anting to Jiangsu Road has changed a little.

The Shanghai Circuit Station (Shuijing Square) on the branch line will be off-limits from 8:30am tomorrow, the F1's final day, to ensure safety but will be in service for the first two days of the event.

The Metro stop is about 300 meters from the main stands. The nearest alternative subway station is Line 11's Baiyin Road Station, some 2 to 3 kilometers away.

To facilitate public transport for F1 fans, the organizing committee is also providing four shuttle bus lines running between the circuit and the city's downtown areas during the three-day event, from 8am to 12pm and from 4pm to one hour after the racing is finished.

The bus stops are set up in the circuits's No. 13 Parking Lot (to and from the Shanghai Stadium), No. 14 Parking Lot (to and from the Hongkou Soccer Stadium), No. 8 Parking Lot (to and from the Pudong Yuanshen Stadium) and the No. 11 Parking Lot that runs to the Changning International Gymnastics Center.

Today and tomorrow from 9am to 3pm, free shuttle buses will run around the circuit.

Six bus stops have been set up and shuttle buses will carry passengers to grandstands A, B, F, H, J, and K, No. 8, 11, 13 and 14 parking lots as well as the Shuijing Square and the City Plaza.

In addition, Shanghai Transport Radio FM 105.7 will also offer transport information for local fans. During the return rush tomorrow after the races are over, patrons can get first-hand information about the nearby traffic conditions from updates every minute on the radio, designed to help fans choose the quickest route to return to the city center.

Many people bring ear muffs?or earplugs to the event as the noise produced by the cars can be extremely loud.

True F1 aficionados, however, have professional headphones with special built-in radios. This allows them to listen to the race commentary whilst blocking out external noise.

The F1 Chinese Grand Prix this year launches a newly updated 2010-version F1 headphones, aimed at elevating the race-watching experience to a higher level for car fans.

Patrons can access professional live commentary through the new headsets, as well as updated driver rankings, team information and any emergencies the occur on the track during the race.

In addition with the headphones, fans can get all kinds of practical information on the circuit, such as where to shop, eat, rest and take part in various themed activities.

Fans are ready

Wang Weixin has become something of a celebrity among F1 fans. The 29-year-old market analysis manager in a Swedish company has a part-time job -- as Grand Prix commentator for Shanghai Sports TV Channel since 2009.

The Shanghai-native devotes all of his spare time to F1.

In order to provide audience professional information, he spends hours listening to live commentary by foreign peers on Monday and Tuesday, while on Thursday and Friday he is busy preparing for the live TV shows.

"The interesting thing is that I'm the F1 fan who cannot go to the race site to watch the game," Wang says. This year, he will commentate in the television studio of the Shanghai TV Station. "But it's okay."

Wang boasts that he was one of the earliest F1 fans in China during the 1980s. In those years when Chinese fans could not access F1 live broadcasts and information was scarce, Wang eagerly awaited 10 minutes of TV highlights.

"And the footage was not immediately broadcast on the China mainland," he says.

"It was first dubbed in Chinese and then cut and edited in Hong Kong before being sent to the mainland. We had to wait at least two months to watch the 10 minutes," he recalls.

During the tortuous two months, the then young boy had to cover his ears and murmur, "I don't want to know. I don't want to know" each time he walked past a newspaper stand, so as "not to know the result before the footage arrived."

As live broadcasts became a fact of life in China, staying up late at night was something a petrolhead had to learn.

"It's been a small sacrifice for us," he says.

Wang jokes that fans like him who endured the early years were very good at staying up late, all masters of controlling their biological clocks. "The following mornings I had black-rimmed eyes at school," he recalls.

As the Internet became widely popular in China, Wang watched the races through cyber space and the iTV (digital TV), studying BBC commentary for accurate F1 information.

"The sport has become an important part of my life," he says.

Lu Wenjun, 24, has the same F1 fan addiction as Wang.

The teacher of special kids says she fell in love with it at high school and never misses it.

Last year, the lucky Lu was picked to be one of eight amateur judges at the Shanghai TV Station, responsible for recording drivers' rankings and order, as well as reporting accidents along the track.

"We kept walking the circuit and eating as much as I could was the only way to keep up my energy," she says. "But I'm happy indeed to make many new friends who love F1 as I do."