CTD IN SHANGHAI // SO FAR, YET SO FAMILIAR - FIRST THOUGHTS

Arrived in Shanghai yesterday evening after a three hour layover in LA and a rather uncomfortable 13.5 hour flight across the Pacific. A humid evening greeted us as we de-boarded the plane, followed by the sterile scent of Shanghai's Pudong airport. We enjoyed dinner and a few beers at Tima, before the lack of sleep forced us to find our pillows.

We awoke early this morning to an overcast sky and the hum of downtown Shanghai just beyond our window. A city of 22 million people, Shanghai offers a great deal of diversity. However, with Starbucks strategically positioned on nearly every corner, offering familiarity and overpriced coffee to the ex-pat community, it felt a bit like home as we walked down Nanjung-Lu in search of some F1 apparel... [read more]

We visited the Puma store just off of Nanjing, where an abundance of Ferrari branded merchandise filled the front windows.

While prices seemed similar to those in the states, the range of F1 merchandise was far greater, with everything from RedBull Racing backpacks to these Ferrari tank tops.

We stopped at the Ferrari dealer located next to the hotel where the Ferrari F1 team is staying. FIA hospitality tents are an easy way to determine where the teams are staying, or as we found out, just by asking the doorman...

Apparently photographs inside Ferrari dealerships are a big no-no, so while one of the CTD staff members distracted the salesman, I managed to snap a shot of this F430.

Be sure and stay tuned, as we head to the Shanghai International Circuit early tomorrow morning for F1 practice...