Raiders of the lost tracks - Top 14 Circuits F1 no longer visits

So many lost treasures for Stefano 

The 2023 calendar has been the topic of many conversations recently, not just due to the number of races but also concerning tracks that were retained as well as those that didn't make it.

It got me thinking about tracks that used to hold races but are no longer a part of the F1 scene.

While I knew there would be a large number of tracks to have held a World Championship Grand Prix down the years, I was surprised by the number.

Since F1 started in 1950, seventy six circuits have held at least one race. 

Seventy six!

This will become seventy seven next year as Las Vegas hosts it's first race at it's new street circuit after having held one in the past at Caesar's Palace.

There are a large number that only ever held a single race so rather than look at them all, here is a quick review of the 14 circuits that held 10 or more races in their time but now find themselves on the F1 cutting room floor.  

The most on the discarded list held a huge 41 races but you'll have to wait and see which one that is (or just scroll down I guess).

If you didn't scroll ahead and spoil the countdown (or is this a count up?), let's start with the ones which hosted exactly 10 races.

10 Races

Circuit Zolder (Belgium)

This looks like a much Zolder picture

The Belgian GP has not always been at Spa.  In the 70s & 80s, Zolder held the race 10 times.  

Nestled in the North-East corner of Belgium, the sad moment associated with this track is that Gilles Villeneuve lost his life here in qualifying for the 1982 race.  

It had already been viewed as a less desirable venue with drivers and mechanics alike after a mechanic had been killed by Carlos Reutemann in 1981 after his Williams caught him in the pit lane.  

The pit lane and garages had been renovated in 1982 but the unfortunate events that took place allowed the more popular location of Spa to take the Belgian GP and, despite one return in 84, Zolder has never hosted another F1 race.

Autódromo Internacional do Rio de Janeiro (Brazil)

Her name is Rio and she dances in the sand

Between 1978 and 1989 this was the venue for the Brazilian GP.  

It was a circuit enjoyed by fans and drivers alike and seemed to have the upper hand over Sao Paulo as the sport worried the slums of Sao Paulo were not a fitting backdrop for the glamour of F1.  

However, a lot of investment saw Interlagos redeveloped into a shorter track and some negotiations by the Sao Paulo mayor saw the Brazil race move there and has never looked back.  

The track hosted other series of racing before being torn down in 2016 to make way for the Olympics.

11 Races

Circuit de Reims-Gueux (France)

Ou et le bibliotheque?

From the first season in 1950 through to 1966, this circuit in North-East France hosted 11 races.  It was almost a Monza of France as it was seen as one of the fastest tracks on the calendar.

However, it's safety standards did not keep up with the evolution of the sport and after the race in 1966 F1 did not return here.  Other race car formats plus motorbikes used the circuit until it's permanent closure in 1972.

Adelaide Street Circuit (Australia)

Surely this picture is upside down?

Cars racing in the Australian GP from 1985 to 1995 would be found hurtling down the streets of Adelaide in South Australia.  

It famously held the 1994 race where Schumacher and Hill had a "coming together" that decided the title.  

It's final race in 1995 saw a whopping 210,000 fans attend the race which to this day remains the biggest one day event crowd for sport in Australia.  

While lots of stories circulated around Melbourne "stealing the Australian GP", the truth ,it seems, is a bit more mundane as the cost of putting on the event coupled with the collapse of the State Bank meant that Adelaide could simply not afford to keep hold of it.

With the Melbourne race not always producing an exciting spectacle, there is growing pressure to return to Adelaide.

13 Races

Autódromo do Estoril (Portugal)

Spain?

While it may look suspiciously like the Catalunya track, this is in fact the Autodromo do Estoril and it hosted the Portuguese GP from 1984 to 1996.

It was a firm favorite with the fans and many an iconic moment took place among it's twists and turns.  

Lauda won his 84 championship there, Senna took his first F1 victory in 85, Patrese almost cart-wheeled over after in 92 after contact with Berger, and Jacques Villeneuve famously drove around the outside of Schumacher in one of the sports greatest ever overtakes on the final corner in 1995.

Sadly, like a few others on the list, safety standards were not kept up to the F1 level and the circuit fell off the calendar.  

14 Races

Brands Hatch Circuit (England)

There is no actual hatch in the track

Between 1964 and 1986, Brands Hatch hosted the British GP 12 times and the European GP twice.

It was a very popular race with fans and the circuit was seen as more technically challenging than Silverstone.  However, one thing it did not have on it's side was space.  

Specifically run-off space.  

As the land around it was residential there was no way of expanding the track and as the demands of F1 grew, Brands Hatch could not.  

The F1 circus eventually left town and has never returned but the track has remained active for other race formats.

18 Races

Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours (France)

No Paul Ricard levels of headaches!

From 1991 to 2008 the French GP was found at the circuit commonly referred to simply as Magny-Cours.

It has corners named after other venues such as the Estoril corner, Adelaide hairpin, and the Nurburgring & Imola chicanes.

There were never many good overtaking spots so the races were usually seen as uneventful and dull.  Couple this with poor access and a remote location, it was maybe not surprising that F1 bid it au revoir.

Michael Schumacher did win with a four stop strategy once so I guess that's something.

19 Races

Sepang International Circuit (Malaysia)

This is SIC

The Malaysian GP was held at Sepang 19 times between 1999 and 2017.  The circuit was custom built for F1 and designed by German architect Hermann Tilke who was also responsible for the re-design of the Red Bull Ring.

It has been described as one of the most technical tracks ever made and boasts many overtaking spots facilitated by it's width and multiple braking zones although the combination of these mixed with the weather often means the cars chew through their tires pretty quickly.

However, falling attendance coupled with rising hosting fees meant that the track closed it's doors to F1.  

The circuit now focusses on MotoGP and if it were to try to bring F1 back, like many fans would love to see, it would need to get re-certified as it's FIA grade one certification lapsed.

Indianapolis Motor Speedway (USA)

Not an oval

The Indianapolis Motor Speedway had two spells in Formula 1.  In the 1950s the Indy 500 was part of the F1 Championship ten times although not exactly in the fullest sense.  

It was not subject to the F1 series regulations and you could not really run an F1 car there, but any points you scored counted towards the F1 championship.

Ascari qualified to race in 1952 but, as per our Vale's Tales episode about the great man, his wheel collapsed and he did not finish.  However, it was part of the  F1 championship so I guess it has to count.  

What is not up for debate is that it held true F1 races from 2000 to 2007.  

It was never a firm favorite and the tire debacle in 2005 when only the 3 Bridgestone teams took to the track was a real low point.

They tried to host it a couple more times but it did not succeed and the US GP moved on to the Circuit of the Americas, which was probably for the best.

20 Races

Watkins Glen International (USA)

A place that sounds like it should be Scotland

Ask someone in the US where races should be held rather than Miami & Vegas and you usually get Watkins Glen thrown into the conversation.

Located in upstate New York near the Finger Lakes, this circuit is very popular with fans and drivers.

It held a place on the F1 calendar from 1961 to 1980 and was firm favorite and drew in great attendance given it's East Coast location and proximity to F1-loving Canada.

However, concerns over it's ability to deal with the increasing pace of the cars coupled with financial troubles resulting in defaulting on prize money in 1980 led to it's removal from the F1 calendar.  

The track filed for bankruptcy the following year.  

It was unused for a few years before being bought & refurbished for other motorsport events but it looks unlikely F1 could ever return.

Autódromo Juan y Oscar Gálvez (Argentina)

Don't cry for me Williams Renault

Buenos Aires held the Argentinian GP twenty times over the period 1953 to 1998 so as you can see it missed a few years along the way.

It also had many configurations down the years as it constantly tried to re-invent itself.  There are approximately 15 configurations of the circuit of which 5 have been used for F1 races.

In all it's configurations though it was too twisty with the corners too close together resulting in not many overtaking opportunities. 

Hill & Villeneuve both won here in the championship years and Schumacher took the win in the final race held here in 98.

As is becoming a running theme on this list, money dried up for hosting F1 and the circuit focused on motorcycles.

21 Races

Kyalami Grand Prix Circuit (South Africa)

Not a flat out section

Coming in at number 3 on our list, Kyalami hosted 21 races between 1967 and 1993.  The vast majority ran between 67 & 85 with a brief return in 92 & 93.

Located just north of Johannesburg, in it's original layout this was a fast sweeping circuit considered to be one of the fastest on the calendar.

It was a favorite among fans & teams, where a laid back atmosphere coupled with great weather was a perfect way to kick start the season.  The fans loved the viewpoints offered with almost two thirds of the track being visible from most vantage points.

Back in 1976 it famously held the race where Lauda & Hunt crossed the line just 1.3 seconds apart.

It also hosted an awful tragedy in 77 when Tom Pryce was killed.  A marshal ran out onto the track to tend to a broken down car but the fire extinguisher he was carrying partially decapitated Pryce as he raced by at 170 mph.  It did not stop here as the car continued at great speed with the deceased Pryce and smashed into Laffite's Ligier sending it hurtling into the catch fencing. The marshal, Van Vuuren also passed away due to his injuries.

In the early nineties it was re-designed and became a shadow of it's former speed-self as it was turned into a twisty circuit.  After the promoter went bankrupt after the 1993 race, Formula 1 left and has not returned.

There was a rumor it was to return in 2023 but this did not transpire.

It has though been hosting various motorsport formats such as the Superbike World Championship, the South African A1 Grand Prix, and the 2019 Intercontinental GT Challenge.

37 Races

Hockenheimring (Germany)

If F1 likes it then they should put a ring on it

Coming in at number two is a very well known track that has only recently dropped off the F1 radar.

The track located in the Rhine Valley hosted F1 thirty seven times from 1970 to 2019.

For the years up to 2002 this race was held on the longer version of this track which measured 4.2 miles and went off into the forests before heading back to the grandstands. One of the issues this posed was highlighted in 2000.  The wet weather moved in but as it rained, the grandstand section was exposed yet the forest area was sheltered. It led to many overtaking opportunities in the forest and not so much in front of the paying fans. A spectator also breached the track in the forest section raising security concerns.

F1 demanded the circuit be re-designed and in 2002 we saw a shorter 2.3 mile layout created which many people lacked much of the charm of the original.

Contract negotiations with F1 saw the race drop off a couple of times in recent years and we have not been back since 2019.  Has it dropped off forever?  I hope not.

41 Races

Nürburgring (Germany)

    A track so long you have to pit half way round

The number one track for most races held but not on the calendar anymore is also in Germany.

The Nurburgring has many alter egos as it has held F1 races under the guises of the German GP, the European GP, the Luxembourg GP, and most recently in 2020 as the Eifel GP.

The track is famous for having multiple sections that form distinct circuits in their on right. The Whole Course measures 17.5 miles long and consists of the Nordschleife or North Loop (14.1 miles) and the Sudschleife or South Loop which measures 4.8 miles.

The early races ran on the North Loop but the sheer distance of the track made it impossible to raise the safety standards to the levels the sport demanded. It was here in the 76 race that Niki Lauda crashed and received severe burns and was lucky not to lose his life.  

In 1981 redesign work commenced and in 1984 the first GP at the new 3.1 mile layout was held.

It alternated with Hockenheim for the German GP but then dropped off the calendar in 2007 before one reappearance in 2020.

So, there we have it, a list of tracks once famous for the sight of F1 cars hurtling around them that now have either dropped off forever or have hopefully just taken a break. 

Wow, got through this weeks blog without even mentioning the cost cap.

Oh, nearly got through it.