With three days to go until the final day of the 2005 Formula One championship, grand prix fever was slow in arriving in Shanghai and organisers and city authorities were revving up their efforts to make sure of a packed house for the race on Sunday.
The 10 teams competing started arriving at the state-of-the-art track in China's biggest city.
The Shanghai race is the last in the 19-leg Formula One World Championship - the longest season ever.
'We're pleased that the season is ending in a nice place like Shanghai. It's been a long season,' said Mark Webber, the BMW Williams driver.
Renault's Fernando Alonso has already won the drivers' title already but the constructors' trophy will be fiercely contested, with Renault holding a slim a two-point lead over rival McLaren in the standings.
The paddock was buzzing with engineers in overalls getting the cars ready for the race.
But even though there was a buzz out at the track, the public has proved harder to crack and ticket sales have been sluggish, far slower than last year when the track was inaugurated.