FROM the moment when Michael Schumacher spun his car in a qualifying race it was obvious the Chinese Grand Prix was going to present a fantastic spectacle.

Ferrari's Rubens Barrichello proved he could drive full-out even without Michael Schumacher at his back. BAR's Jenson Button and McLaren's Kimi Raikkonen seized second and third place.

More than 150,000 spectators were fired up to see Barrichello's red car roar past the finishing line. According to the Shanghai International Circuit, the event attracted top executives from over 20 per cent of the World Fortune 500 companies who sponsor the event.

This was the fourteenth victory of the season for Ferrari, the second for Barrichello.

The dominant colour of the winning team was red, China's favourite colour, standing for energy, promise and power.

"We really wanted to win here today. China is a very important country for our future and we want to dedicate this win to the tens of thousands of fans who packed the grandstands at this fantastic facility, which is the most modern race track in the world," said Jean Todt, the boss of the Ferrari Formula One team.

The trip to Shanghai was challenging but exciting for the Formula One teams and their drivers. The consecutive activities organized by their sponsors, who aim to raise their profile in China, nearly drove the drivers to exhaustion.

"Of course, I feel a little tired. But our partners and sponsors are important to the team and we will win for them," said Ferrari's Michael Schumacher at an activity organized by AMD, the technological brains behind the Ferrarri Formula One team.

Schumacher also brought his family to Shanghai - his brother Ralf Schumacher was returning to the track after suffering a bone fracture in a race at Indianapolis in the US.

The brothers enjoyed the trip to Shanghai very much but they were not so lucky at the track - Michael was left behind in 12th place after a poor qualifying race and a tire puncture. Ralf had to abandon the race after a crash.

But Jenson Button seemed very excited and really enjoyed his time in the most populous city in China.

The British driver brought his teammate Takuma Sato and Anthony Davidson to meet fans gathered in Xintiandi, Shanghai's well-known entertainment centre. The visit inspired screams of excitement from the fans - especially the girls.

"The hotel, food and track were all fantastic. I was very glad to be the fastest driver in the practice session I expect more challenge from here on," said Davidson.

Promising market

The rising star of BAR admitted his reputation was rising in China.

"There is no doubt that I am the most handsome among the drivers," he joked.

But what worried the young driver was the long distance between the hotel they lived in and the traffic in Shanghai.

He did not dare to drive a car on any road crowded with the local drivers. "That would be to risk my life. They drive their cars as if they were riding bicycles," he said.

"There is a good chance that the inaugural Chinese Grand Prix will become the most noticed event in motor sport history," said Norbert Haug, vice-president of Mercedes-Benz Motorsport.

For DaimlerChrysler, the Formula One event in Shanghai was of great importance.

"Mercedes-Benz is one of the top brands in the auto field as well as in Formula One and other racing sports. They share the same spirit, which is the aspiration for innovation, challenge and perfection. Starting next year we will be producing C and E Class sedans in China and at the first Grand Prix we want to present ourselves in a competitive way to the Chinese spectators at the racetrack or on the TV," Haug said.

The race was the culmination of a decade of effort by the sport's organizers and the port city of Shanghai, China's economic hub with a population of 16 million.

Mercedes-Benz, whose racing-car technology has helped shape the auto racing world, assumes a responsibility for contributing to the Formula One event in its own way.

Ferrari, the owner of a seemingly invincible Formula One team, also expressed their happiness and ambitions for the new track.

China's tolerance over tobacco advertisements gave the team a chance to breathe after the European Union's strict ban on tobacco advertisement choked-off the team's major partners and sponsors such as tobacco-giant Philip Morris. Other Formula One teams with big tobacco sponsors will benefit too.

As the Ferrari team put on their debut performance at the new track, a joint venture company was established by Ferrari and Hong Kong-based Wo Kee Hong (Holdings) Ltd and China Poly Group.

The newly established Ferrari Maserati Cars International Trading (Shanghai) Co Ltd will serve as the only importer of Ferrari Maserati cars in China.

It will help Ferrari to widen its sale channels over the country and improve its after-sale service.

A total of 20 distributors will be built before 2005.

"Our goal is to make China the fourth-largest market in the world for Ferrarri," said Jean Todt.