The third round of the 2019 Formula One season marks a momentous occasion for the sport, as this weekend's Chinese Grand Prix will be the 1,000th race in F1 history.
The milestone is subject of contention as while the first world championship was held in 1950, Formula One races began four years earlier. Its origins can be traced back to Grand Prix motor racing in the 1920s and 1930s.
Historical debates aside, this weekend is the 1,000th time a Formula One race will award points towards an overall world championship since it first did so 69 years ago.
Not that defending champion Lewis Hamilton seems eager to be swept up by emotions.
"I'm not one with birthdays, I'm not one for anniversaries, I'm not one for special days like this," the Englishman told ESPN on Thursday.
"It's no different to any other race for me, I'm here to do one job, and one job only, and that's winning. Doesn't matter if it's the thousandth or two thousandth or ten thousandth, it's an irrelevant figure for me."
When and where is the race?
The Shanghai International Circuit in Shanghai hosts the third round of the championship. The race has been part of the Formula One calendar since making its debut in 2004 and is set to remain part of the championship until at least next year.
The Chinese GP has seen a different driver winning in each of the last three seasons and only three drivers—Hamilton, Fernando Alonso and Nico Rosberg—have finished on top of the podium more than once in Shanghai.
The race is scheduled to get underway at 2:10 p.m. local time (2:10 a.m. ET) on Sunday, April 14.
Where to watch the Chinese GP
Coverage of race day will begin on ESPN2 on Sunday from 1:30 a.m. ET, with coverage of the GP set to begin at 2:05 a.m. ET.
The race will also be available on ESPN+ and via WatchESPN.com, while Sling TV, Hulu, YouTube TV and PlayStation Vue will all offer a live stream.
What's the story of the season so far?
In the first two races of the season Mercedes picked up where they had left off last year. Valtteri Bottas won in the opening weekend in Australia ahead of Hamilton, before the two swapped positions in Bahrain.
The feel-good factor that surrounded Ferrari during the winter tests is a long-distant memory, as the Scuderia has struggled in the opening two rounds. Sebastian Vettel has a fourth- and fifth-place finish to his name, while Charles Leclerc claimed pole position in Bahrain but could only finish third after suffering engine issues.
Vettel's struggles in the first two races of the season mean Ferrari faces a conundrum over who of its drivers should be granted number one status, but team boss Mattia Binotto insisted the German remained the priority for now.
"If there is any 50-50 situation where we need to take a decision, the advantage would have been given to Sebastian simply because Sebastian has got most of the experience with the team in F1," he told the BBC.
Red Bull has also picked one podium finish so far, but looks off the pace compared to Mercedes.
What do the bookmakers say?
Bookmakers are backing Ferrari to overcome a difficult start to the season and put the struggles of the first two weekends behind it. According to Oddschecker, Vettel is a 5/4 favorite to win in China, while Leclerc's odds fluctuate between 2/1 and 15/8.
Hamilton, who has won five times in Shanghai, and Bottas follow suit with odds of 3/1 and 7/1, respectively.
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
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Dan Cancian is currently a reporter for Newsweek based in London, England. Prior to joining Newsweek in January 2018, he ... Read more
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