Top 10 Motorsport Circuits from Around the World

Nigel Chiu gives his view on what his 10 best racetracks are and how each of them have etched their way into the minds of motorsport elite the world over.

What makes a great racetrack? It should challenge the drivers, create great racing, have a variety of corners (including high speed turns) and perhaps a bit of history and nostalgia as well.

Conversely the worst race tracks or those which have many 90 degree corners, endless amount of run-off and a layout which does not help racing. I’m looking at you Sochi and Yas Marina…

10) Laguna Seca

America has multiple classic and fantastic tracks and the first circuit in this Top 10 comes from the USA. At just 2.2 miles long, there are huge elevation changes as the track climbs from turn 5 all the way to turn 8. Then, comes the famous ‘corkscrew’ as the track plunges downhill with gradients of up to 16%. This point of the track is most famous for Alex Zanardi’s down the inside pass from so far back on Bryan Herta on the last lap of the 1996 CART race. Yes, he cut the corner a bit it was still an iconic moment.

Don’t forget the memorable 2008 MotoGP race when Valentino Rossi and Casey Stoner embarked on one of the most entertaining and exciting battles in MotoGP history in what many will say shaped the future relationship between the two riders. Even though I’m not a bikes fan, it would be great to see MotoGP return to Laguna Seca.

9) Baku City Circuit

By far the newest and most modern track in this Top 10 list. Baku joined the Formula One calendar in 2016 and whilst the first race was pretty dire, the last two Azerbaijan Grand Prix have been mega. It is arguably the best track built by Hermann Tilke and is quickly becoming a fan favourite.

It’s the second longest circuit that F1 visit and the final 2.2KM are full throttle which means any safety car restart is very exciting as the driver in 2nd or 3rd can slipstream their way to the lead. The track also has the most narrow section of possibly any racetrack in the world as the cars have to negotiate their way through a tight left hander next to an old castle.

Nearly all of the Formula Two races at Baku have been madness to say the least and Daniel Ricciardo’s victory in 2017 was a thrilling race which included a crazy podium for Lance Stroll. They say you can’t have too much of a good thing, but if every Grand Prix was at Baku then each race would be unmissable.

8) Sebring

Sebring is one of the most brutal circuits in the world. What I mean by this is that the car gets tortured on the rough surface which is from old sections of World War II-era landing fields that were constructed of concrete sections with large seams. Its what Sebring is renowned for. Much of the track has intentionally been left with its original concrete runway surface. The track surface has 3.74 miles and 0.7 of which is concrete. It’s such a unique surface.

The track is most famous for the Sebring 12 Hours race in March and many say that, that race is actually tougher than the Le Mans 24 Hours purely due to the experience from the bumps that the drivers has to suffer for every single lap.

7) Silverstone

Home to the British GP for both F1 and MotoGP, the World Endurance Championship, Blancpain, BTCC and a lot more; Silverstone hosts nearly every form of motorsport. The high speed turns of Maggotts and Becketts is highly challenging and is one of the best parts of any racetrack in the world. It produces great racing as well and the fans are passionate and knowledgeable.

In 2010, the layout was adjusted so sector one now contains a ‘loop’ section. I am actually a fan of this new layout as it creates a good overtaking opportunity into the left hander at Brooklands. So many sensational battles have taken place on the flat course which was previously an airfield site.

The WEC/Le Mans Series has seen titanic fights between Peugeot and Audi or Toyota and Audi as well as classic duels in MotoGP including that 2013 race between Marc Marquez and Jorge Lorenzo in one of the greatest battles of all time as they lead changed three times in the last few corners.

6) Spa-Francorchamps

If this article was done 15+ years ago, Spa may have been higher on this list but unfortunately it has been ruined with a large amount of run-off which means it is not as feared as it used to be and has lost a little bit of the star status it used to have. Now you can go off the circuit, not lose time and carry on unpunished.

Nevertheless, it is still a fan and driver favourite event. It still creates a brilliant atmosphere for its many events and still creates great racing thanks to the long full throttle section out of Paul Frere, through Blanchimont before you can overtake into the Bus Stop Chicane. The battle continues down the home straight towards La Source and from then you can slipstream the car in front down Eau Rouge and Raidillon, down the Kemmel Straight. It’s the perfect place for a good fight.

Whilst sections of the track are “easy” for F1 cars nowadays, for GTs, touring cars and other single seaters Spa remains one of the challenges of the year.

5) Suzuka

Unlike Spa, Suzuka has hardly changed. Much of the gravel traps and grass is still there; the layout is demanding and it has seen some of the most dramatic and memorable moments in Formula One history. In my opinion, it is the best track on the F1 calendar, from the driver’s perspective.

The Esses section is so rewarding as F1 cars average speeds at well over 140MPH as the driver tries to keep momentum up by staying on the racing line and pinning the throttle down out of the Dunlop Curve on the run downhill to the next challenge, the Degners.

So many drivers make a mistake here by carrying too much speed or correcting some oversteer and finding themselves going wide and straight to the wall at Degner 2.

It may not create the best racing, in F1 anyway, but I’m a believer of the cars should be adapted to make for good racing as Super GT and Super Formula have no problems following close around the high speeds of Suzuka. If F1 can get the cars right, Suzuka will go from a magical track to a racing paradise.

4) Road America

Located near Elkhart Lake, Road America hosts over 400 events a year. It is one of only a handful of road circuits in the world maintaining its original configuration. The long straights for the opening sector makes the braking zones massively difficult, especially because they are downhill as well. With very little run-off, mistakes are punished and the elevation change means you are in for a ride.

The ‘Carousel’ and ‘The Kink’ are just two of the track’s unique features. The Kink has claimed its share of victims over the years as there is no room for error. It is equivalent to Spa’s Eau Rouge when Eau Rouge had gravel.

My favourite moment from Road America is the 2012 ALMS race as Guy Smith and Lucas Luhr fought each other for the last stint of the race, through the traffic and against each other which resulted in an overtake at the last corner and a drag race to the line. The adrenaline rush for them both must have been off the scale as they pushed to their absolute limits on the greatest track in North America.

The final three tracks are all unique in their own right and host some of the most prestigious races in the world.

3) Circuit de La Sarthe

Located in the northwestern city of Le Mans, the Circuit de la Sarthe hosts just one event each year, it just happens to be the biggest motorsport race of the year – the Le Mans 24 Hours. The 8.4 miles track is just one reasons which makes the race so great.

Over 80% of the lap is full throttle, putting immense stress on the car and making concentration levels for the driver doubly hard as you try to sport your braking point perfectly as you bring the car down from nearly 200MPH to less than 100MPH.

Minor adjustments have been made to the track every few years, most notably the addition of two chicanes down the Mulsanne Straight in 1990. It makes for great racing as cars fight it out down the long straights to each chicane by slipstreaming and trying to outdo one another on the brakes without making an error. Many battles in the GT class have been brilliant due to the nature of the Le Mans circuit.

Then, there is the high speed section of the Porsche Curves which is breathtaking for the LMP1 cars as they now have that much downforce that they can just pint the throttle down through most of it.

It’s a magical venue.

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2) Mount Panorama

It is the greatest track in Australia and to some it is the best worldwide. Mount Panorama hosts just 3-4 events each year and that’s partly what makes it so unique. When there is a race there, we are always so impressed with the drivers and the cars who tackle the 6.1KM circuit which goes up and down a mountain like no other racetrack.

The high speed turns of Reid Park, McPhillamy Park and Skyline is a real challenge is you try to keep your minimum speed as high as possible. Technically it is a street track as races are run on public roads and this means that the walls are close, gravel traps remain and you will be punished for a mistake.

The long straights of Conrad Straight and Mountain Straight aid overtaking opportunities and the track is brutal on the brakes with heavy braking zones following on from one another.

That’s why when international drivers go over to race the Bathurst 12 Hour, they want to keep coming back year after year because they just adore the track.

1) Nordschleife

Quite simply the greatest track on earth. Even I cannot deny that there is nothing like the Nürburgring-Nordschleife. Words cannot describe this 12.9 miles terrifying, exhilarating, stunning circuit. You cannot create a circuit like it.

147 turns (more or less) are all there to test you as a driver. It’s like a rally stage really with so many crests, so many elevation changes and so many high-speed bends which would frighten the normal man. Calling it a rollercoaster is an understatement, its more like something from a dream – something God created so that all motorsport fans can appreciate. While use for major series has been deminished due to safety concerns, the memories the circuit has left behind will be etched into drivers and fans minds alike.

The danger, the history, the strain it has on the car and the driver, simply the length of the circuit makes it the number one racetrack and it always will be the best.

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Do you agree with our list or did we forget any you’d include? Tell us in the comments and keep up to date with Motorsport Radio for the lastest news and analysis.