CAR
Friday Fives: The longest race tracks in Formula 1 history
It’s not Formula 1 if we don’t have the Belgian Grand Prix on our race calendar, we do love the Spa-Francorchamps circuit. The up-hills and down-hills, F1 cars driving through the forests and most importantly the corners like Eau Rouge, La Source and the infamous Bus Stop Chicane. This is the longest circuit in the current F1 calendar but did you know that the Spa-Francorchamps circuit is not the longest circuit in F1 history?
Let’s pay tribute to five of the longest F1 races of F1 history.
1. Charade Circuit
Distance: 8km
Another circuit located in France and built around the sides of an extinct volcano. This circuit, which measures at 8.055km, was described as a faster and twistier version of Nurburgring. Rumour has it that some drivers complained of motion-sickness and wore open-faced helmets just in case they were to throw up.
2. Automobil-Verkehrs- und Übungsstraße (Automobile traffic and training road)
Distance: 8km
I can’t even spell it so forgive me if there are misspells! AVUS is probably the strangest circuit in F1 history; it’s got only two long straights and two hairpin corners at each ends! Located in Germany, this 8.300km circuit now forms the northern part of an autobahn. F1 was held there only once in 1959.
3. Sebring International Raceway
Distance: 8.3km
It’s pronounced “sea-bring” and it’s located in Florida, USA. The raceway hosted the first F1 GP in the United States but due to the high costs and low attendance the next race was moved to Riverdale. This circuit measures 8.356km.
4. Nordschleife, Nurburgring
Distance: 23km
This ever changing track used to measure almost 22.810km long. Jackie Stewart nicknamed the circuit the Green Hell and it was considered to be the most demanding and difficult racing circuit in the world.
5. Pescara Circuit
Distance: 26km
And the longest circuit in F1 history is located in Italy. F1 was held in Pescara only once in 1957 and it was an 18 lap race thanks to the circuit measuring 25.579km long. World Champion Fangio set the pole position time of 9 minutes 44.6 seconds at an average speed of 157kph, but it was Stirling Moss who won the longest circuit in F1 history.
