Ranking every F1 track: Our verdict on which should stay, go or be added
Since the confirmation of the first Dutch Grand Prix in over 30 years at Zandvoort next year, there has been a lot of chat about the circuits that make up the Formula One calendar.
Will a return to the lowland dunes be good for on-track action? Maybe not. But is it good for Formula One and the hordes of Max Verstappen fans? Definitely.
With three available slots left and five current tracks (Barcelona, Silverstone, Monza, Hockenheim and Mexico City) without a contract for the 2020 season – not to mention a duller than dull Spanish Grand Prix – the debate is only going to go on. We could well be losing one or more of the sport’s truly great tracks.
The desire of F1 owners Liberty to host a race in Miami (whatever the cost or location) and to have a race on every continent means it will continue. Let's not forget next year’s inaugural Vietnam Grand Prix in Hanoi, or the potential moving of the Brazilian round from Sao Paulo to Rio de Janeiro.
And with a potentially processional Monaco Grand Prix this weekend there will inevitably be further navel-gazing.
But don’t despair. We’ve gone through all 21 circuits in the 2019 season and ranked and reviewed them. And added a small realistic fantastical wish list of dream circuits, too.
Tracks that probably need a mandatory safety car period…
21. Yas Marina Circuit, Abu Dhabi
How many truly memorable races has Yas Marina held? Not many. By far the most noteworthy was when Fernando Alonso’s Ferrari was stuck behind Vitaly Petrov’s Renault in 2010, allowing Sebastian Vettel to take the title. The fireworks and all that terribly overblown showy stuff that comes with a season’s climax (or not) are one thing, but the on-track action is too regularly dreadful.
Verdict: Why are we here?
20. Sochi Autodrom, Russia
Yas Marina without the floodlights. Does F1 really need this flat, characterless track? No. Is it good to have the sight of Vladimir Putin presenting the winning driver their trophy? Even more no. The long, 180 degree turns 3-4 combination is a reasonably decent section but other than that, it is mostly a combination of short-ish straights and 90 degree turns. Of all the "street circuits without the streets" this is truly the worst.
Verdict: Get rid
19. Circuit Paul Ricard, Le Castellet, France
On its return to the calendar last year Paul Ricard gave us a grand prix that very much felt like it was being driven on a track designed for testing rather than racing. And that’s because it was. With a seemingly infinite number of possible track configurations and those ridiculous red, white and blue sandpaper run-off areas and a distinct lack of gravel it is a track that induces more eye pain than enthusiasm. Sure, there was a lot of overtaking, but it kind of felt quite easy, aided either by DRS or the fact that a Mercedes and Ferrari had dropped to the back of the field.
Verdict: Magny Cours, anyone?
18. Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, Spain
Not a terrible track but not really a good one either. The 2019 Spanish Grand Prix did a good job of showcasing what is wrong with modern grand prix racing. Still, that is not necessarily the track’s fault but the over familiarity the teams have with it through testing surely does not help. It may survive into 2020 but could be moved later in the year. Unlikely to be sorely missed. As for that awful final chicane…
Verdict: Going, going, gone?
On the bubble…
17. Shanghai International Circuit, China
Another of the Hermann Tilke-designed tracks that have been added in the last 20 years, this one never felt quite as good as the Sepang Circuit in Malaysia, which held its last F1 race in 2017. Still, there are some sections that look quite enjoyable for the drivers, but the races too often failed to deliver thrills, a few exceptions aside. And it all felt a bit wrong having the 1000th "F1 Grand Prix" there earlier in the year, too.
Verdict: Get rid? Keep? Toss a coin.
16. Albert Park, Melbourne, Australia
After the opening race of every year at Albert Park, F1 seems to have the same conversation with itself about the lack of overtaking and how this parkland circuit is not the best for on-track action. That may be true but at least it has some character and isn’t too far away from a major city. Given how wrong it felt to have Bahrain as the season-opening race in 2010, Melbourne just feels right as round one now and it's easy enough to live with its imperfections.
Verdict: Keep, a bit of a middling track but a good place to start the season
15. Hungaroring, Budapest, Hungary
What you can say about Albert Park you can say about the Hungaroring, just outside of Budapest. It has been a mainstay of the calendar since 1986. Because of its twisty layout, requiring high downforce set-ups and the general lack of overtaking, it is often described as “Monaco without the walls”. It’s definitely challenging to get a lap together. Often driven in scorching temperatures, it is still a track where the driver can make a difference and has the potential for a team without the best engine (sorry, power unit) to win.
Verdict: A lovable but largely unloved dustbowl of a track
14. Marina Bay Street Circuit, Singapore
It is in one of the best cities to host a race, but is this track all that good? If you look at layout itself, no. Again, it has abundant straights and 90-degree turns (there is a theme developing here) but feels less exciting and more lacking in character than Baku, somehow. Still, this is a great test of a driver’s skill and concentration, in severe heat, humidity and for 100 seconds a lap. And at night.
Verdict: Keep
Worthy of their place…
13. Red Bull Ring, Zeltweg, Austria
With venues added in new locations at a rapid rate since 2004, going back to the old Österreichring – later shortened and turned into the A1 Ring from 1997-2003 – was a nice return to one of F1’s old stomping grounds. The mountain-heavy backdrop of the North Styrian Alps is one of the more striking too. As for the circuit itself, its dramatic elevation changes combined with heavy braking zones are something few other tracks have. Plus, if the cars keep getting faster every year, they’ll be lapping around here in under a minute soon.
Verdict: Pretty and pretty good
12. Hockenheimring, Hockenheim, Germany
Another venue which has been redesigned since the “good old days”, the new Hockenheimring has none of the fearsome and beastly straight/chicane combinations through the woods of its originator. And that is probably for the best, for both safety and racing reasons. The new layout felt a bit shoddy at first but has since produced some superb races. The 2018 edition was a classic, although that was helped by the rain and Lewis Hamilton being out of position on the grid. Still, the first sector (quick right-hander, straight, tight turn, straight, hairpin) aids close racing and overtaking.
Verdict: Would be good if they could secure the German GP here every year
11. Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez, Mexico City, Mexico
A good track without any real great corners. Although it lacks the old super high-speed 180 degree final turn that was the Peraltada, we have seen plenty of action and collisions since F1 returned here. Perhaps it's something to do with the thin air? As rubbish as the layout going through the baseball stadium is (and the zig-zaggery of the first half of the lap), the fact that an F1 track has this as even a possibility is pretty neat. Plus points for the super enthusiastic and huge crowds, too.
Verdict: Keep but please re-profile the stadium section
10. Baku City Circuit, Azerbaijan
Another track which looks like it could have been drawn by a kid with a ruler and a protractor, the first grand prix here in 2016 was uneventful in the extreme. The next two were absolute carnage and arguably races of the season. 2019 not so much. So, the potential is there. A good chunk of its 90-degree turns come with reasonably heavy braking zones. The sector of elongated s-bends through to the mammoth final straight is breathtaking, even in qualifying, but the super tight castle section is borderline ludicrous. In a good way.
Verdict: Nice track, shame about the place
9. Bahrain International Circuit, Sakhir, Bahrain
Ignoring any problems bigger than the track itself (human rights) there have been many exciting grands prix here. Barring 2010, of course, where they inexplicably used the longer endurance layout, resulting in a race that made reading Friedrich Engels’ The Origin of the Family, Private Property and the State seem appealing. Its first sector is almost early 2000s Tilke-by-numbers: long pit straight, heavy braking zone into tight and technical combination followed by a medium-length straight into another tight right-hander, but it works well most of the time.
Verdict: A track definitely of more worth than its location
8. Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, Montreal, Canada
Another street track without the streets. For years you could almost guarantee that the Canadian Grand Prix would be one of the races of the year, chock with excitement and unpredictability with a narrow track and walls waiting to punish any mistake. The “wall of champions” on the exit of the final chicane, called so after Damon Hill, Michael Schumacher and Jacques Villeneuve all crashed there in 1999 – is the best example. Sadly – as with many racetracks, modern or not – the current regulations and dominance of the top three teams has tempered that a bit but it's still up there.
Verdict: Glad it has a contract until 2029
The top class, almost irreplaceable
7. Autodromo Nazionale Monza, Italy
Does Monza’s history give it a loftier place than the current circuit deserves? Perhaps, but to lose a place with that amount if history and a race in Italy, with all the Ferrari fans, would be an incredible shame. And although its high-speed corners, straights and chicanes are less of a challenge than they used to be (as with every single track, to be fair), judging braking points at 215mph and nailing your line in the parabolica, carrying the speed through to the pit straight is no cake walk. It also holds the current record for the fastest ever F1 lap.
6. Circuit de Monaco, Monte Carlo, Monaco
Yes, yes, yes. No, it is not a great track for overtaking and with the current monster cars it has only become worse, but Monaco presents a different challenge altogether. Sure, F1 fans will rightly moan when a new grand prix appears in a previously undeveloped field in the middle of North Korea in five years’ time but you aren’t going to get that with Monaco. It can get a bit monotonous if nobody bins it in the wall, mind you. Not that that will stop the “most boring race, ever” comments inevitably following this year’s grand prix.
Verdict: The jewel in the crown is looking a little tarnished
5. Autodromo Jose Carlos Pace, Interlagos, Sao Paulo, Brazil
If I could make just one alteration to the F1 calendar without getting rid of any races, it’d be to swap the Abu Dhabi with the Brazilian one, held at Interlagos. End-of-season races here are just better and it often seems to rain, also a bonus. The curbs are monstrous, the elevation changes striking and it’s probably the bumpiest track on the calendar with the most dangerous high-speed pit entry of anywhere. The rewarding of patience (or the punishment of impatience) through the final sector, along the pit straight and into Senna esses is a particular highlight of racing here.
Verdict: 9/10 if it’s dry, 11/10 if it rains
4. Circuit of the Americas, Austin, USA
Hermann Tilke gets a fair bit of stick for his characteristic “Tilkedromes” but the Circuit of the Americas in Austin is the finest F1 track to be created in the last 10 or even 20 years. Austin is a great city too. The track has some of the best corner combinations anywhere. The first sector, with its tight uphill turn one and the subsequent quick, s-bends is just breath-taking. In fact, I am starting to think a track made up of a combination of Bahrain and COTA’s sector ones and Baku’s sector three might be about perfect. Myriad overtaking opportunities here, too.
Verdict: The finest track in America? The finest modern one, certainly
3. Silverstone, Great Britain
It felt a little weird when Silverstone changed its layout several years ago. Although it took a while to get used to – waiting for new pit buildings didn’t help – the new first sector (which replaced the old sector two) is superb all-round. They lost a fairly average sector – anyone miss the old Abbey or Bridge corners? – and found a superb new one, starting with a super-quick right-left jink that beats even Copse. And although the quick combination of Maggotts, Becketts and Chapel isn’t what it used to be (what is?), it’s still a thrill to see the direction changes going through there. The racing has generally been exemplary in recent years. Fingers crossed for a quick confirmation on the circuit’s renewal.
Verdict: Not bad for a race around the outside of an airfield
2. Spa-Francorchamps, Belgium
A few years ago, Spa may have topped this list. It wouldn’t feel out of place at the summit even now. It might even be right. But as more and more downforce is added to the new breed of F1 cars, the challenge of driving around the Ardennes in an F1 car has changed. Eau Rouge/Raidillon is still awesome but has perhaps lost a little of its fear factor. Not that it doesn't still present a significant risk to a driver's car and body. Likewise, the hold-your-breath-and-hope-for- the-best left-hander at Pouhon is not as much of a challenge as it was and getting it wrong there is not as harshly penalised anymore. These things knock it down from 10/10 to 9/10 only and it is another beast of a track. Plus, there's always chance of chaos at the first turn hairpin, La Source.
Verdict: A real drivers’ track
1. Suzuka, Japan
Ignore what I said earlier, I’m swapping Yas Marina for Suzuka as the season-ending grand prix. That is what it is and will always be remembered for. Like Spa, it is a place where drivers can really make a difference. And it flows like nowhere else. So many of corners are worth mentioning but we can't describe them all. There’s not much more to say. A track worthy of the gods. Can you watch this onboard of Michael Schumacher’s pole lap from 2001 in all its grainy glory and tell me that this isn’t the finest F1 track on the calendar?
Verdict: The real drivers’ track
Our fantasy F1 wishlist...
And now for a few suggestions. Whilst we realise some of these are not the most realistic, it doesn’t hurt to dream. And if they can drive Formula E cars through London’s ExCel Centre, then they can host grands prix at these tracks. Right? Come on Uncle Chase, make it happen.
Asia/Pacific Grand Prix: Bathurst Mount Panorama, NSW, Australia
Another beast of a track, in New South Wales. Getting current F1 cars to do a full grand prix on this would be incredible, chaotic or hilarious. Possibly all at the same time. There are some devilishly difficult and quick corners at the highest part of the circuit and some pretty tight walls, too. I can't see a crash-free race or even practice session happening but this would be a challenge to match any track out there, even in the current cars.
North American Grand Prix: Watkins Glen (New York State) or Road America (Wisconsin)
Watkins Glen previously hosted the United States Grand Prix for 20 years until 1980 (and IndyCar until 2017) and is just a really terrific track. Sure, like many older circuits it may lack the heavy braking zones that you need to help overtaking these days, but it would be incredible to see modern F1 drivers do their thing around some of the long, banked curves of the Glen. Failing that there’s always Road America, which does feature heavier and longer braking zones as well as plenty of tricky, long radius corners.
European Grand Prix: Brands Hatch, Kent, UK
Whilst the current host of the British Grand Prix is one of the flattest tracks on the calendar, Brands Hatch has some of the finest and most dramatic elevation changes in motorsport, inside or outside of the UK. This is no more evident than on the undulating opening part of the lap. The downsides would be a dull race, with very few real overtaking opportunities and a track that is pretty narrow in places. But again, the spectacle might well outweigh that by far.
Do you agree with our choices? What tracks would you ditch and which would you add? Let us know in the comments section below.