This will mark the first time the all-electric Championship has raced in Sanya in the GEN3 era, with the last and only visit in 2019.
Located at the southernmost tip of China’s Hainan Island, Sanya is not only renowned for its tropical charm of coconut groves and ocean breezes, but also for integrating a challenging street circuit into its urban fabric, creating a unique racing stage for the Formula E teams that blends natural beauty with high-speed competition.
As the core engine of the Hainan Free Trade Port and a benchmark international tourism destination, Sanya is leveraging this world-class sporting platform to showcase its dual strategic value: it is both the ‘Oriental Hawaii’, home to world-class coastal areas such as Yalong Bay and Haitang Bay, attracting global travelers with sun-kissed beaches, diverse cultural experiences, and duty-free shopping; and an open gateway for China to the world.
The Sanya street circuit offers 2.52km of competitive racing across 12 turns, with the layout lending drivers strong overtaking opportunities throughout. Formula E’s last outing in Sanya in 2019 saw a thrilling race, with a late-breaking move from Jean-ÉEric Vergne’s Techeetah-DS seeing him pass the Nissan of pole-sitter Oliver Rowland to take victory.
The 2026 Lianxin Sanya E-Prix marks the opening round of an exciting Asian triple-header for Formula E’s twelfth season, followed by a double-header at the Shanghai International Circuit. Hosting three rounds in China celebrates the Championship's origins, with Formula E's inaugural race held in Beijing back in 2014. Since then, the series has raced in four different Chinese cities, including Hong Kong and now both Shanghai and Sanya. Across these eleven races, there have been ten different winners, showcasing the unpredictable and competitive nature of the championship.
The 2026 Lianxin Sanya E-Prix starts at 15:05 local time on Saturday 20 June.
Jean-Éric Vergne, No.25, Citroen Racing, said:
“Sanya is a circuit I remember well. The last time Formula E raced there, it was an important moment in my season, but a lot has changed since then. The cars are different; the championship is even more competitive and the level across the grid is incredibly high.
“It’s a track that can create interesting races because energy management plays such a big role. As always in Formula E, the challenge is to find the right balance between pushing and being efficient. We know where we need to improve after Monaco and the objective now is to put ourselves in a position to fight at the front again.”
Sébastien Buemi, No.16, Envision Racing, said:
“It's great to be returning to Sanya after seven seasons away. The hot conditions will make it a tough race, but I'm looking forward to the challenge. For us as a Chinese owned team, it's brilliant to kick start the Asian leg of the calendar with two events in China."
