Historic Formula 1 Circuits: What Are They Used For Now? - Nürburgring Nordschleife
- therookiereporters
- 4 hours ago
- 2 min read
There have been 77 circuits all around the world that have hosted a Formula 1 Grand Prix, but with only 24 slots on the calendar, not all of them can be used. What happened to those who have been removed? Well, this article will take you through 5 well-known and not-so-well-known circuits that no longer host the pinnacle of motorsport, and what happened to them.
To kick off our list, we have the historic Nürburgring Nordschleife. This famous circuit hosted 42 Formula 1 Grands Prix under various names such as the German Grand Prix, European Grand Prix, and Luxembourg Grand Prix.
Spanning 22.8km, it was the longest circuit in existence. Formula 1 visited the Nürburgring Nordschleife every year from 1951 up until 1971, when Niki Lauda had his near-fatal crash at the Bergwerk section. In 1984, F1 returned to the newly built 4.5km GP-Strecke, which had heavily improved safety.
Due to rising costs, GP-Strecke shared hosting responsibilities with the Hockenheim from 2007 to 2013 before being removed from the calendar once more. In 2020, GP-Strecke played host to the one-off Eifel Grand Prix, which was won by Lewis Hamilton, equalling Michael Schumacher’s record of most Grand Prix wins.
After Formula 1, the Nordschleife became the standard testing ground for performance. The current track record is held by the Mercedes-AMG ONE, with a time of 6:29.029.
During most weekends and evenings that aren’t filled by races, the circuit becomes a regular toll road, meaning that anyone with a road-legal vehicle can pay roughly 30 euros to experience the history for themselves. Every year around May, the 20km stretch turns host to the Nürburgring 24 Hours. With over 200 cars competing, it is a sight to see. With this year’s participation of four-time F1 Champion Max Verstappen, the event is set to be the largest, with over 200,000 expected to attend. The Nürburgring Endurance Series also takes place across 8 events throughout the year; this icon is certainly not forgotten.
Article Written by Aj Dyson
