15 F1 circuits you can drive without a race licence

Road Trips

May 13

Play Fantasy Formula 1 by driving these public road Grand Prix circuits past and present — and you don’t need even need a race licence to lap them.

Adelaide, Australia

Adelaide was home to the Australian Grand Prix from 1985-1995 and these days a shorter version of the original 2.4-mile track hosts touring cars. Situated in Victoria Park, its Brabham straight is where Nigel Mansell spectacularly blew a tyre and his chance of winning the 1986 World Championship. You can follow part of the circuit by taking a loop of Dequetteville Terrace, Wakefield Road, East Terrace, Hutt Street and Rundle Road. Unfortunately the Mistral hairpin and Senna Chicane are out of bounds.

Baku, Azerbaijan

The newest street circuit first saw the chequered flag in 2016 when it hosted the European Grand Prix. At 3.7-miles it’s also the longest city track (and second longest lap, behind Spa) on the calendar. The start/finish is at Azadliq Square, it then makes a loop around Government House and takes a straight line to the Palace of the Shirvanshahs and Maiden Tower before circling the Old City and finally the 1.4-mile straight down Neftchilar Avenue where F1 cars top 200mph. Valtteri Bottas’ 2019 qualifying lap time of 1:43.009 is an average speed of over 134mph.

Barcelona-Montjuic Park, Spain

Montjuic Park, Barcelona met with a tragic demise in 1975. Many drivers felt the circuit was unsafe and Emmerson Fittipaldi even withdrew in protest. During the race Rolf Stommelen crashed, killing five spectators and Grand Prix racing would never return. From 1969 until that awful day the 2.3-mile circuit ran around the picturesque park. The lap begins on Ronda Litoral, skimming the edge of the park, before a hairpin took drivers into the park proper. Ctra de Montjuicand and Carrera dels Tarongers will give you an idea of how precarious this track was as you pass through the trees. Cut through to Passeig de l’Exposicio, passed the Olympic stadium and take Carrer del Pelvori, Carrera del Segura, Carerra del Foc and Carrera dels Ferrocarrils Catalans back to Ronda Littoral. With the botanical gardens, Castel de Montjuic, Fondacio Joan Miro and the Olympuic museum to take in, this is a lap that is going to take you a day or more to really explore.

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Barcelona-Pedralbes, Spain

The Spanish Grand Prix was held on this 3.9-mile arrow-shaped, Barcelona track in 1951 (won by Fangio in an Alfa Romeo) and 1954 (won by Hawthorn in a Ferrari). Almost half the circuit is the straight down Avinguda Diagonal which leads to a tight right onto Ronda de Dalt. Continue on Av. d’Elsplugues and loop around onto Av de Pedralbes, take a left on Passeig de Manuel Girona, right on Carrer de Numanca and left back on Avinguda Diagonal. It’s not the most exciting circuit, but it certainly brought racing to the centre of the city in a way that’s seldom seen today.

Dallas, USA

Dallas, Texas holds the dubious honour of hosting one of the most chaotic Grands Prix in history. No wonder the event was a one-off for 1984. The road surface was so poor that it fell apart during practice and had to be repaired hours before the race, the concrete barriers were so unforgiving that 14 of the 26 starters retired after making contact with them and temperatures were so high that Nigel Mansell passed out after trying to push his Lotus across the finish line. The race was won by Keke Rosberg on a circuit that looped Fair Park and the Cotton Bowl stadium, even passing through its parking lot. You can retrace most of the 1.3-mile track by taking Pennsylvania Ave, following the edge of the park northwards and then cutting right past the Cotton Bowl. Access through the Fair Park Coliseum area is out, so you’ll have to imagine this distinctly unglamorous section before rejoining Pennsylvania Ave and completing a lap of one of the world’s worst F1 circuits.

Detroit, USA

Formula One took over the Motor City from 1982 to 1988 on a bumpy and slow street circuit built around the Renaissance Center. The track was incredibly rough, originally even including a railway crossing and was especially hard on cars and drivers. The 2.5-mile circuit was mastered by Ayrton Senna, who took victory there years running from 1986-1988. If you’d like to follow in his wheeltracks then start on Atwater street with the river on your right and turn left on Rivard Street, then you’ll take another left on Franklin, cutting through the GM parking lot before taking a right on St Antoine. Make another right on East Jefferson Ave, looping onto Chrysler Drive and taking another left on East Congress St, a quick left on Beaubien St and a right on to the Larned St straight. Then it’s left at One Woodward on to Griswald Street and right at the Church of Scientology onto West Jefferson Avenue. Unfortunately you can’t complete the lap today as it cuts through the Civic Centre to rejoin Atwater Street.

Long Beach, USA

From 1976 to 1983 Formula One raced on the streets of Long Beach, California. The 2.04 mile track skirted Rainbow Lagoon Park and circled the Long Beach Convention and Entertainment Centre, making good use of its parking lot. Today this whole area is a shopping and entertainment hub, but you can still take West Shoreline Drive, cut through Bay St, past The Pike hotel and follow West Seaside Way, South Chestnut Place and West Ocean Boulevard, continuing onto East Ocean Boulevard and then by missing out the car park section join East Shoreline Drive. Given the amount of people seeking retail therapy in the area, you won’t set any lap records though.

Melbourne, Australia

The race that nearly marked the start of the 2020 season circles Albert Park Lake near Melbourne’s Central Business District. The track is 3.3 miles long and the public has access for about nine months of the year. It’s a fast, flat circuit in a Formula One car, but in a road car you’ll be restricted to 25-30mph. And you can’t quite drive the same lines as GP legends, as there are a few changes between turns three and six, there’s a set of lights between 12 and 13. Oh, and between 7 and 13 there’s no overtaking - so at least that’s much the same as on race days!

Monaco

The most glamorous location on the calendar has hosted Grand Prix racing since 1929. The 2.1-mile circuit takes in the famous casino, super yachts bobbing in the harbour and the tunnel where even road cars sound amazing as the exhaust echoes off its walls. The whole circuit is on public roads, so aside from race weekends, the track’s 19 corners are yours almost any time you like. We’ve got a more detailed guide here.

Montreal, Canada

Circuit Gilles Villeneuve is situated in Montreal’s Parc Jean Drapeau next to the St Lawrence River. With its landscaped gardens and arrangement of artworks it’s a lovely park to take a stroll, ride or - yes - drive. The whole 2.7-mile, 14-corner circuit is open to drivers. In summer months the track is divided into lanes for walkers and runners, cyclists and vehicles, while in the winter it runs in both directions. Opened as the Circuit Notre-Dame in 1978, the track was renamed after Villeneuve’s untimely death in 1982. Over the years the circuit has been modified a few times for safety reasons, but the infamous ‘Wall of Champions” still catches drivers out every year. As the speed limit is just 19mph don’t expect to beat Valtteri Bottas’ 2019 race lap record of 1:13.078.

New Jersey, USA

New Jersey is the street race that never was. On the calendar, then off again from 2013-2016 it’s Grand Prix vaporware. But the Port Imperial track was planned and you can drive it. You start on Port Imperial Road, at Weehawken Waterfront. The track design had some esses to bring you to Pershing road, but you’ll have to skip that or make your own in a parking lot. Now follow Pershing to join JFK Boulevard East passing Old Glory Park on your right. Take a right onto Anthony M Defino Way to its end where you’ll reach a hairpin that brings you to Port Imperial Way again and your final run to the flag. If there was one. Which there wasn’t of course, as the race never ran.

Phoenix, USA

Downtown Phoenix, Arizona held three Grands Prix between 1989 and 1991 on its 2.4-mile circuit. The intense desert heat would prove a challenge every year, despite timing and track design changes to mitigate this. The start/finish line is on East Jefferson St with decent run down to the Talking Stick Resort Arena, where you hang a right on North 1st St and an immediate left on East Jackson Street, then another left on 3rd Street before rejoining East Jefferson. You can’t make the double-apex left at Chase Baseball Field any more, so just do a U-turn when you can. You’ll be off-circuit for a bit as you take a right on 3rd and then rejoin the track with a left on Washington. Another long straight leads you to a hard right on North 3rd Ave, taking a left around the Municipal Court on West Adams St and another left on South 4th Ave, which rejoins Washington. You can’t take the final hairpin any more so take 7th Ave to rejoin Jefferson and your lap is complete. But don’t stop yet - head to Central Avenue to see the Ayrton Senna mural.

Porto, Portugal

The Boavista circuit in Porto is best known as the track where Stirling Moss effectively handed his World Championship to Mike Hawthorn in 1958. After Hawthorn got in to trouble with the stewards, Moss persuaded them not to penalise his rival and let him keep his six points. The circuit only hosted Grands Prix from 1958-1960 but what a circuit it was. 4.6-miles in length with an average speed of 112mph it circled Parq Da Cidad and much more. Start on Estrada da Circunvalacao, turning left at Via da Castelo do Queijo. Then it’s a left onto Avenida da Boavista and a long straight leading to another left at Avenida do Doutor Antunes Guimaraes, left on Rua do Lidador, left on and a final left to rejoin Estrada da Circunvalacao. Now imagine that in a Vanwall.

Singapore

The Marina Bay circuit stretches 3.1-miles around Singapore’s Downtown Core and Kallang area. With its start/finish straight on Raffles Boulevard, the track follows Nicoll Highway, Stamford Roa, St Andrew’s Road and passes the Padang and City Hall. Over the Anderson bridge it goes, past the swanky Fullerton Hotel and then a tight left onto Esplanade Drive before rejoining Raffle Boulevard. It’s bumpy and notoriously hot and humid - even at night when the floodlit race takes place. There’s yet to be a race without a safety car, and when you drive the circuit even in a road car it’s easy to understand why.

Valencia, Spain

Home of the European Grand Prix from 2008-2012, Valencia’s 3.4-mile circuit skirted the harbour and had the unique feature of crossing a swing bridge. With 25 corners it was one of the most complex tracks on the calendar. Not quite reaching the heights of Monaco, Singapore or Abu Dhabi for waterside glamour it’s the only track where Toyota can claim to still hold a racing lap record. Timo Glock did a 1:38.683 in 2009. Start on Carrrer Marina Real Juan Carlos, taking a right before Ponte de Drassanes, where you take a loop through not much worth talking about to come back just beyond where you joined it. There’s a right-left wiggle to take you to Mole de Ponent. Take a left over the swing bridge and another left to rejoin Carrer Marina Real Juan Carols which will deliver you through a series of bends back to the start finish line.