Formula 1 drivers have had the privilege of racing on some of the finest race tracks in the world. Some remain on the calendar, while others have sadly dropped off. However, they all have a place in history.
This list details 13 of the best tracks that F1 has ever raced on in its 74-year history. These are some of the fastest and most challenging circuits in history, and you won’t fail to notice the lack of modern circuits in this article.
Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari – Imola
The Imola circuit, located in Imola, just 25 miles east of Bologna, is one of the current calendar’s prettiest and most challenging tracks. It seems poignant to include it in this list, with the recent Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, in the 30th year since the deaths of Ayrton Senna and Roland Ratzenberger in 1994.
The track has changed somewhat since the mid-1990s but is still fast, challenging, and hard to overtake. At this year’s Grand Prix, drivers praised the circuit, and many hope it will remain on the calendar beyond the end of its 2025 contract.
Spa-Francorchamps
The legendary Spa circuit is a favorite among drivers and fans alike. Iconic corners such as Eau Rouge, Raidillon, and Les Combes create evocative images. However, it’s also a dangerous circuit, with several drivers losing their lives at the track over the years, most recently in 2019 with Anthonie Hubert.
To its credit, the circuit has worked hard to try and make it safer than ever, and it can throw up some spectacular races, and the weather is very variable. It can be sunny for one second, then rain without warning, throwing a spanner in the works of the teams and their strategists. A win around Spa is something many drivers crave.
Monaco
The Monaco Grand Prix might not be the most thrilling, but there is nothing like qualifying day in the Principality. The highlights from the 2023 Monaco Grand Prix qualifying session highlight how exciting the track can be. Plus, there are occasions when it provides a fantastic race, especially if the rain comes down.
The street circuit is a tough one to tame, and it has become the home of glitz and glamor over the years it’s been on the calendar. But the challenge of Monaco means drivers want to win it more than any other in F1, and Ayrton Senna is the man with the most wins at the track, with six in total—five of those consecutively from 1989 to 1993.
Suzuka
The exceptional Suzuka Circuit in Japan is another thing that the drivers love. If you make a mistake, you are most likely heading into the barrier, and it’s one of the fastest with corners, such as the esses in sector one and the fearsome 130R.
Suzuka has been the scene of triumph, tragedy, and controversy, such as the 1989 clash between Alain Prost and Ayrton Senna. The circuit, which belongs to Honda, first hosted a Grand Prix in 1987. It only briefly left the calendar in 2007 and 2008, when the Japanese Grand Prix was hosted at Fuji instead.
Istanbul Park
Istanbul Park in Turkey is one of the few modern tracks that has become a favorite among drivers and fans. The first Turkish Grand Prix was 2005 won by McLaren and Kimi Raikkonen, but it dropped off the calendar after the 2011 race. The COVID-19 pandemic saw F1 return in 2020 and again in 2021, but it is currently off the calendar again, although there are hopes it could return in a few years.
The fearsome, continuous left-hander at turn eight is one of the best corners on the circuit, and it has often thrown up spectacular racing. The 2020 event was one of those occasions, as the mixture of rain and new tarmac created a massive challenge for the drivers and one of the most entertaining races of the season.
Silverstone
Silverstone has been part of the Formula 1 calendar since 1950, the first year of the championship, and is often called the home of F1. The British circuit is fast and flowing yet wide and has plenty of overtaking opportunities, which can provide exciting racing.
Multiple layout changes have occurred over the years. The original track’s relatively simple layout has become one of the most complex. There is a mixture of fast and medium-speed corners, with Copse, Maggotts, and Beckets being three of the best. Some slower-speed corners provide brilliant overtaking opportunities.
Hockenheim
Germany’s Hockenheim circuit has undergone some of the most significant changes in the sport’s history. For decades, the track ran deep into the forest and was made up mostly of long straights. But the dangers of high-speed running between the trees, where F1 champion Jim Clark died in an F2 race, loomed large.
The modern Hockenheim incorporates the stadium section, pit straight, and the first turn of the original before it meanders its way into a shorter but raceable middle sector. It has become a modern classic and is perfect for modern F1 cars to race on, but frustratingly, the German circuit last appeared on the calendar in 2019. This is ironic, as F1 fans voted that year’s race as the race of the decade in a poll by the series.
Zandvoort
When F1 announced that the Dutch Grand Prix would return, primarily thanks to Max Verstappen, there were fears that the tight, twisty, and narrow track wouldn’t provide good racing. But each edition of the race has been thrilling for different reasons, even if Verstappen has won all three since 2021.
The Dutchman held off Lewis Hamilton in 2021 at the height of their title fight that year, while Red Bull aced the strategy in 2022 and 2023, with the latter a wet-dry-wet affair where Verstappen showed his world champion class. Like Imola and Suzuka, it punishes drivers for mistakes, and it’s an old-school circuit that is becoming increasingly rare due to sanitized, modern circuits appearing on the calendar more regularly.
Circuit Gilles Villeneuve – Montreal
The Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal, Canada, takes its name after the legendary Canadian driver who was tragically killed in 1982. The circuit has been on the calendar since 1978 and, more recently, has become one of the most looked forward to each season thanks to it often throwing up great races.
There are plenty of overtaking opportunities, and the circuit’s tight, twisty, but fast nature makes it a real spectacle. The circuit holds the honor of hosting the longest Formula 1 race ever, the 2011 edition won by Jenson Button and McLaren. Thanks to safety cars and a red flag, this wet and dry race took four hours, four minutes, and 39 seconds to complete, but the fight for the win came down to the last lap.
Adelaide Street Circuit
While the Albert Park Circuit in Melbourne is an absolute classic and loved by fans and drivers, Australia’s previous F1 track in Adelaide is still well-loved. The track first hosted a Grand Prix in 1985, won by Keke Rosberg, with the last won by Damon Hill in 1995. The track was the scene of dramatic title deciders, notably in 1986 and 1994.
The track is slightly modified today and still used, but not by Formula 1. The Australian Supercars series still uses the track, and that series showcases just how good the circuit still is. Adelaide was the scene of the controversial title decider between Michael Schumacher and Damon Hill in 1994 and Ayrton Senna’s final F1 victory in 1993.
Albert Park – Melbourne
Formula 1 moved from Adelaide to Melbourne for the 1996 Australian Grand Prix, and the track has hosted the Australian Grand Prix from that date onwards. It recently underwent significant changes in 2021, altering multiple corners to make it a more raceable circuit and more enjoyable for the drivers, and that looks to have worked.
In his Williams, Damon Hill won the first race at the circuit in 1996, with Carlos Sainz winning the 2024 race for Ferrari after Max Verstappen retired with a brake failure. The circuit is fast, flowing, and in a gorgeous setting in the middle of Albert Park, with the city of Melbourne just outside the venue. The atmosphere in Melbourne is always amazing, and it will return as the season-opening race for the first time in five years for the 2025 championship.
Interlagos Circuit
The remarkable Interlagos Circuit in Sao Paulo, Brazil, is synonymous with Ayrton Senna, another circuit that fans and drivers love. It is located in the heart of Sao Paulo and has a mix of fast, medium, and high-speed corners. Due to weather, it is often susceptible to unpredictable elements in the region.
It can often throw up a surprise, such as Kevin Magnussen’s pole position for Haas in 2022, and when the rain falls, the race will turn on its head. The 2012 Brazilian Grand Prix is a perfect example of this and is still one of the best races the track has ever seen. Its future has been threatened multiple times, but thankfully, it is now almost assured of a place on the F1 calendar each year.
Monza Circuit
Monza isn’t the most challenging of circuits and is predominantly made up of long straights. But it still produces brilliant racing, as the last few editions of the race have shown. The 2020 Italian Grand Prix is one of the best, following the unexpected win by Pierre Gasly in the Alpha Tauri.
Thanks to the Tifosi, the circuit is caked in red, and they are all there to support Ferrari. The Italian team has been on the podium at Monza in the last two seasons, but the red cars have yet to win the race since Charles Leclerc’s incredible victory against the Mercedes in 2019. Like Brazil, Monza has been threatened over the years, but it is now part of a brilliant Italian duo on the calendar, along with the Imola circuit.
