Top 5 Modern F1 Circuits

Unlike NASCAR, F1 tracks involve more intricate turns and advanced straight-aways, making the sport unique compared to its left-turning counterpart. If you’re an F1 racer, you must do your track homework, as the only way you can learn the raceway for any given Grand Prix is through consistent practice.

While it’s up for subjectivity on which tracks are the easiest, hardest or most popular, we outlined the top 5 modern F1 circuits, including how long they are, what races take place on them and what makes them unique compared to most other tracks.

#5 – Circuit Gilles Villeneuve – Montréal, Quebec, Canada

Starting off the list is one of the most popular F1 race tracks, opened in October of 1978, the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Quebec, Canada. Interestingly, this track was forged on a man-made island in the Saint-Lawrence Seaway and was named after the tragic death of Ferrari Driver Villeneuve in the 1982 Belgian Grand Prix.

When fans come to watch a Circuit Gilles Villeneuve race, they’re in for a spectacle, as many of the past most exciting races, such as Jean Alesi (1995), Robert Kubica (2008) and a last-to-first win on a rainy track by Jenson Buttons in 2011.

#4 – Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps – Stavelot, Belgium

The Belgium-based Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps offers drivers nearly 9.3 miles of hills throughout the Ardennes mountains, a beautiful site for both drivers and fans. The Belgian Grand Prix was first hosted here back in 1925.

While only used until the World Championship in 1950, the track was shortened to its modern 4.35-mile layout back in 1981 and was not used for official F1 bouts until 1983. Aside from being one of the longest tracks on the F1 calendar, the track offers one of the most breathtaking views for a raceway in Western Europe.

#3 – Silverstone Circuit – Silverstone, England

Constructed in 1948 on a World War II airstrip in Silverstone, England, the Silverstone Circuit hosted its first F1 World Championship race in 1950. While the track itself is often seen as flat and featureless, it provides some of the fastest-paced action you can find in Formula 1, with the track zooming throughout the English countryside.

Some of the most exciting races in F1 history happened on this track, and since 1980, Silverstone has been the singular host of the British Grand Prix, which amasses an extremely large number of passionate fans every year.

#2 – Circuit de Monaco – Monte Carlo, Monaco

As one of the oldest tracks on this list, constructed back in 1929 in Monte Carlo Monaco, the Circuit de Monaco is easily a top choice for both fans and drivers of F1. Sitting right on the French Riviera body of water, the Circuit de Monaco offers one of the toughest yet exciting racing experiences for any Formula 1 driver.

Cars don’t have much room for spacing in this one (especially since F1 cars have grown in size), with the track squeezed between rows of expensive yachts on the waterside with loads of fans on the other, making the Monaco-based racetrack one of the most exciting close-quarter circuits you can find in the world. Of course, events like the 2023 Monaco Grand Prix took place here, so it’s no surprise it makes the list as the #2 modern F1 circuit.

#1 – Autodromo Nazionale Di Monza – Milan, Italy

For the #1 modern circuit in Formula 1, we have the Autodromo Nazionale di Monza circuit in Milan, Italy, one of the birthplaces of F1 racing and the prestigious Ferrari brand. Constructed in 1922, this track sits right outside the outskirts of Milan, hosting at least one round of the F1 World Championships every year since 1950 (except for one).

While only 3.6 miles long, the track contains banked ovals (not used since 1961) and fast straights, with one of the most energizing atmospheres in all of F1. Fans and drivers would agree that the Milan-based track does well for the sport of F1, thriving in the heart of the city where Italian racing was born, as well as the modern host for the Italian Grand Prix.