Longest Tracks In F1

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Since the inception of Formula 1 in 1950, 76 circuits have hosted a Grand Prix. Currently, except for Monaco and Spa-Francorchamps, all circuits are between 4.3 km and 5.9 km long, as the FIA recommends that new circuits be no longer than 7 km.

This is due to safety concerns, high maintenance costs, and difficulty managing longer circuits. However, this was not always the case, and prior to the FIA\’s notion of maximum circuit length, many circuits were much longer than the current ones.

Many of them were not even closed tracks but conventional roads that were closed for the races, which could become long routes.

With that being said, let\’s take a look at the longest tracks in F1.

1. Pescara Circuit, Italy

Length: 25.800 km (16.031 mi)

Type: Road Circuit

Direction: Clockwise

Grands Prix held: 1 (1957)

The Italian street circuit of Pescara, Italy, is the longest F1 track of all time. It was in operation between 1924 and 1961 and hosted several F1 races, but only the 1957 edition counted for the championship.

The circuit was located on the Adriatic coast of Italy and formed a triangle in the countryside between the towns of Pescara, Cappelle, and Montesilvano. It was a very demanding circuit that included two long straights and a twisty and tricky section through the hills, only interrupted by a few villages.

The circuit was a combination of urban and rural roads, which were both narrow and bumpy. Like many other long circuits of the time, such as the Nürburgring and Spa-Francorchamps, it was a fantastic and fun circuit for drivers but extremely dangerous and unforgiving.

The Pescara Grand Prix attracted more than 200,000 spectators and was feared by many, such as Enzo Ferrari, who did not send his cars out of fear for his drivers\’ safety. The circuit was also the first to include an artificial chicane, built-in 1934, after a 5.47 km (3.4 miles) straight to reduce speed in the pits.

In the 1957 GP, Juan Manuel Fangio got the pole position, and Stirling Moss won the race. The lap record belongs to Moss, with a time of 9 minutes and 44.6 seconds and an average speed of 158.88 km/h (98.726 mph). It was discontinued after 1961, as the organizers could not ensure the safety of drivers and spectators.

2. Nürburgring Nordschleife, Germany

Length: 22.835 km (14,189 mi) (1967-76 version)

Type: Race Circuit

Direction: Clockwise

Grands Prix held: 22 (1951-1954, 1956-1958, 1961-1969, 1971-1976)

The Nürburgring Nordschleife is one of motorsport\’s most mythical and legendary circuits. The so-called \”Green Hell\” by Jackie Stewart was built by the Weimar Republic between 1925 and 1927 and was originally 28.265 km long, located through the Eifel Mountains of western Germany. 

The 154-turn giant hosted Formula 1 races discontinuously between 1951 and 1976 and is one of the most challenging circuits in the world.

It\’s a fast, narrow, bumpy track with lots of fast, twisty corners and constant elevation changes, making it a real roller coaster. And the barriers are very close, so you need iron hands to keep the car on the track.

It wasn\’t until 1961 that drivers could complete a lap in under 9 minutes, Phil Hill being the first to do so when he set a lap of 8 minutes and 57.8 seconds in his Ferrari 156.

Safety was always a demand for the Grand Prix Drivers\’ Association because it was a very dangerous track, and being so long, problems were marshaling it. Ahead of the 1976 race, the drivers were determined not to race again, and the near-fatal accident of Niki Lauda in that race was the determining event for its cancellation.

3. Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps (Old version), Belgium

Length: 14.120 km (8.77 mi) (1950-56 version)

Type: Road Circuit

Direction: Clockwise

Grands Prix held: 18 (1950-156, 1958, 1960-1968, 1970)

The Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, along with the Nürburgring and Monza, is one of the few old circuits that still exist and host races today. The Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, at 7 km long, is the longest circuit of the season, although the old version, which was used until 1970, was much longer.

Located in the Belgian Ardennes, races have been held there since 1986, and in 1902 races were held on closed public roads, the first time a road was closed for racing.

The old version of the circuit was designed in 1920 by Jules de Their and Henri Langlois Van Ophem and was just over 14 km long of public roads lost in the green and lush forest. Soon races began to be held and this version was used in the F1 championship discontinuously from 1950 to 1970.

The layout of the 14 km long street circuit was characterized by fast sweeping corners and huge elevations, with only 3 slow corners. It followed almost the same route as the current version up to Les Combes, at which point it turned off through the Ardennes countryside, reconnecting at Blanchimont.

It was one of the fastest and most beautiful tracks of the season, but very dangerous, where many drivers died or had serious accidents, such as Stirling Moss or Jackie Stewart, so after 1970 there was a boycott of the circuit, which did not host races again until 1983 when it had already been redesigned.

4. Autodromo Nazionale di Monza, Italy

Length: 10 km (6.21 mi)

Type: Race Circuit

Direction: Clockwise

Grands Prix held: 4 (1955, 1956, 1960, 1961)

The Autodromo Nazionale di Monza, near the Italian city of Milan, continues to host Formula 1 races, and is one of the fastest circuits on the calendar, which can be summarized in 3 long straights, several chicanes and the Curva Parabolica.

The current version is the one that has been used for the most part, although there were 4 editions in which another variant was used. This version combined both the traditional 5.75 km layout and a 4.25 km high-speed oval with progressive banked curves, forming a complete 10 km layout.

This track was very fast and dangerous and had already been used during the 20s and 30s. In 1928 the most serious accident in Italian motorsport took place, with the death of the driver Emilio Materassi and 27 spectators.

In 1960, due to the danger of this layout, many British teams boycotted the race, which was also held the following year. However, tragedy struck again, with Wolfgang von Trips\’ accident that ended his life and the lives of 11 spectators.

From then on, numerous new safety barriers were introduced on the circuit and the layout was changed, limiting it to the 5.75 km version used today.

5. Sebring Raceway, USA

Length: 8.356 km (5.192 mi)

Type: Road Circuit

Direction: Clockwise

Grands Prix held: 1 (1959)

Sebring Raceway hosted the 1959 season finale, and although the Indianapolis 500 was a championship scoring event until 1960, Sebring is considered the true first US GP, and the first in North America.

Sebring Raceway was created on a former airfield, like many other famous modern circuits such as Silverstone, and the 12 Hours of Sebring soon became an established round in the World Sportscar Championship.

The track was very fast, with 3 long straights, many 90º turns and some chicanes and fast corners. For the 1959 championship, it was the ninth and last race of the season, and 3 drivers arrived with options to win the title: Jack Brabham, Stirling Moss and Tony Brooks. In qualifying, Stirling Moss got the pole position, with a time of 3 min.

In the race, New Zealander Bruce McLaren took the win, and Jack Brabham, who ran out of gas on the last lap and pushed his Cooper T51 to the finish line, finished fourth, securing the title.

6. Circuit de Reims-Gueux, France

Length: 8.302 km (5.159 mi)

Type: Road Circuit

Direction: Clockwise

Grands Prix held: 11 (1950-1951, 1953-1954, 1956, 1958-1961, 1963, 1966)

The Reims-Gueux Circuit hosted the original French GP and is very similar to the Pescara circuit. This circuit was used since 1926, west of Reims near the village of Gueux, located in the northeastern French countryside, and soon began to host races, such as the 12 Hours of Reims, which was held for the last time in 1967.

The layout, like Pescara, was triangular, with two 2.2 km long straights where maximum speed could be reached, a narrower section, elevation changes and only two slow corners.

It became a very popular circuit for drivers and spectators, and unlike other road circuits, great facilities such as grandstands, pit garages and the main grandstand were built, some of which are still in good condition, making it a good place to visit.

With a few exceptions, the circuit hosted races for the Formula 1 championship until 1966, the year in which Lorenzo Bandini set the fastest lap with a time of 2 min and 11.3 seconds, at an average speed of almost 230 km/h (155 mph).

The circuit was discontinued in 1972 due to, like many other road circuits of the time, its dangerousness, as well as maintenance costs.

7. AVUS, Germany

Length: 8.300 km (5.157 mi)

Type: Road Circuit

Direction: Anti-clockwise

Grands Prix held: 1 (1959)

The Automobil-Verkehrs- und Übungsstraße (Automobile traffic and training road), known as AVUS, is a public road located in the southwestern districts of Berlin.

It opened in 1921 and is the oldest controlled-access highway in Europe. The original layout was about 20 kilometers long, but had to be shortened after World War II since part of the route crossed the sector of Berlin that from that time belonged to the Soviet Union.

The circuit essentially comprised little more than opposite sides of a dual carriageway connected by two hairpins. The north corner had a 43-dregree banking, four times that of Indianapolis and no barriers. It was therefore a very simple circuit, extremely fast, and with a very dangerous banking.

The AVUS hosted the 1959 German GP, for which the race was run in two 30-lap heats, due to tire life concerns, with a total distance of 498 km. Ferrari dominated the weekend, with Tony Brooks taking the pole, with a time of 2 min and 5.9 seconds, and winning the race, ahead of the Ferraris of Dan Gurney and Phil Hill.

The weekend was marred by the fatal accident of Jean Behra during the Formula 2 support race.

8. Circuit de Charade, France

Length: 8.055 km (5.005 mi)

Type: Road Circuit

Direction: Clockwise

Grands Prix held: 4 (1965, 1969-1970, 1972)

The Circuit de Charade, better known as Circuit Clermont-Ferrand or Circuit Louis Rosier, hosted the French Grand Prix four times between 1965 and 1972. It is located in Saint-Genès-Champanelle, near Clemont-Ferrand, in central France, and it was built on the base of an extinct volcano.

There was local interest in building a circuit in the area as early as 1908, but it did not materialize until 1957 when the Circuit de Charade was inaugurated. The circuit was characterized by its large number of corners, tighter and faster than the Nürburgring, with many elevation changes and hardly any straights, making it a very complex and challenging layout.

A new version of the circuit is still in use today, and due to the active volcanoes that surround it, as before, it is common for the track to be covered with ashes and stones, and like the Nürburgring, it is surrounded by mountains and nature. Stirling Moss described it as the most beautiful circuit he had ever seen.

In the 1969 GP, Jochen Rindt suffered from motion sickness due to the sinuosity of the track and preferred to wear an open-face helmet just in case. Of the 4 Grand Prix that were held, two were won by Jackie Stewart, one by Jim Clark and the other by Jochen Rindt. Chris Amon achieved the lap record, with 2 min and 53.9 seconds, at an average speed of 166.75 km/h.

9. Autódromo José Carlos Pace, Brazil

Length: 7.960 km (1972-77 version)

Type: Race Circuit

Direction: Anti-clockwise

Grands Prix held: 8 (1972-1977, 1979-1980)

The Autódromo José Carlos Pace, better known as Interlagos, currently hosts the Brazilian GP, known today as the São Paulo GP, and is one of the shortest and fastest circuits of the season. However, this was not always the case, as it was originally built as a longer track.

The Interlagos circuit was built in 1940 after it had been planned before the Crash of 1929. The objective was to reform and build a modern and luxurious neighborhood in this area of the city of São Paulo, located between two large artificial lakes.

The original circuit had 7.960 km and 15 turns and was characterized by a first part of high speed, and a last section, which is still used in the current track, slower and more technical. All this on a terrain with natural ups and downs, which made it a very fun and challenging track, and with the potential to become one of the best circuits in the world.

It was closed in 1967 to be remodeled by several European experts and circuit managers and opened in 1972 to host the Brazilian F1 GP, influenced by the popularity and success of Brazilian driver Emerson Fittipaldi.

This version was used until 1980, due to safety concerns that included the bumpy track surface and inadequate barriers, deep ditches and embankments, more so with the era of ground effect cars, which could become very dangerous with a bumpy track.

Years later it was shortened and remodeled, and in 1990 it once again hosted the Brazilian GP with the 4.325 km layout we know today.

10. Circuito da Boavista, Portugal

Length: 7.775 km (4.831 mi)

Type: Street Circuit

Direction: Anti-clockwise

Grands Prix held: 2 (1958, 1960)

The Circuito da Boavista was a street circuit located in Porto, in northwest Portugal, and hosted 2 Portuguese Formula 1 Grand Prix.

The circuit had two large straights in front of the port, called \”Esplanada do Rio de Janeiro\” and \”Avenida do Boavista\”, and continued through a twisty section full of turns, through small residential neighborhoods, over cobblestone streets, where drivers went at full speed. This scenery made it a very picturesque and challenging circuit.

In 1958, Stirling Moss won the race and prevented his rival Mike Hawthorn, who ended up winning the title by 1 point, from being disqualified for bump starting his stalled car stopped, showing a great act of sportsmanship. In 1960 Jack Brabham won the race, in which only four cars finished, due to the fact that it was a race with many accidents and mechanical problems.

In 2005, the circuit was revived, trimmed and with some changes, and some national races were held until 2013.

11. Ain-Diab Circuit, Morocco

Length: 7.618 km (4.734 mi)

Type: Road Circuit

Direction: Clockwise

Grands Prix held: 1 (1958)

The Ain-Diab Circuit was built in 1957 and hosted a non-championship race that year and a championship race in 1958. The circuit was located in the south of Casablanca and used the coastal road from Casablanca to Azemmour that ran through the Abderhaman forest.

The circuit was built in six weeks by the Royal Automobile Club of Morocco and was given the blessing of King Mohamed V. The circuit was rectangular in shape, although without any real straights, but rather a sequence of fast corners. Due to its proximity to the coast, the circuit presented certain additional challenges, such as wind, dust, sand and occasional mist.

The Ain-Diab Circuit was the 1958 season finale and saw an intense championship fight between Britons Mike Hawthorn and Stirling Moss, driving for Ferrari and Vanwall respectively.

Moss won the race and Hawthorn was second, so the Ferrari driver won the title by only one point. This race was also marked by the accident of Stuart Lewis-Evans, whose car caught fire, causing him severe burns that ended with his death 8 days later.

12. Circuit Bremgarten, Switzerland

Length: 7.208 km (4.479 mi)

Direction: Clockwise

Type: Road Circuit

Grands Prix held: 5 (1950-1954)

Circuit Bremgarten was a circuit located in Bern, Switzerland, which hosted 5 F1 Grand Prix during its first 5 years. It was built in 1931 as a motorcycle circuit but soon hosted car races as well. Like the Ain-Diab Circuit, it had no true straights but was a combination of fast corners.

It was a very beautiful circuit, as it was located in a green area with a large grove of trees, although it was very dangerous, especially in the wet, due to the lack of light from the shade of the trees in certain sections, and the constant elevation changes.

Of the 5 F1 Grands Prix that were held, Nino Farina, Piero Taruffi and Alberto Ascari each took one victory, while Juan Manuel Fangio won twice. Interestingly, the fastest lap of the circuit was done in the pre-war era, by Bernd Rosemeyer, of the Auto Union C, with a time of 2 minutes and 34.5 seconds.

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Conclusion

Much has changed since the early days of Formula 1, and the circuits are a perfect example of the evolution of the sport. Many of the circuits during the first two decades of the category were, as we have seen, very long, on public roads and with hardly any safety features such as crash barriers.

With the passage of time, safety concerns have increased and many measures have been taken at the tracks, which have been adapted to the new times.

Sources

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