Top 10 most dangerous Formula 1 circuits

Formulae 1 as much as it is interesting and exciting motorsport to watch is a dangerous one especially for the drivers, some of these tracks have extreme curves and we’ve seen instances where cars fly off the track. Here we’ll rank the tracks from the least dangerous to the most dangerous(1 to 10)

MARINA BAY STREET CIRCUIT

The track is a street circuit around Marina Bay Singapore it occupies the areas of Downtown Core and Kallang, the track is 5.063km long and has 23 turns, the circuit had its first Grand Prix in 2008. The circuit holds a unique record of having at least one safety car appearance in every race is 21 safety car deployments in 12 races that were until 2019, this specific circuit has sparked some heated controversies on the kind of risks it poses to its participants for example short run-off areas, poorly layout out curves, bumps that scrap underneath the car,half-loosen kerbs and the famous turn 11 that has had the British driver Lewis Hamilton name it the worst corner in F1, the circuit has undergone modifications over the years but that doesn’t mean the risks have been eliminated, Singapore Grand Prix also faces the challenge of the extreme weather conditions that are experienced in the area.

Do you think Singapore is a great place to drive? Lucky for us we’ve seen the return of the Singapore Grand Prix on the F1 calendar in 2022 the race takes place from Sep 30 to October 2.

GUIA CIRCUIT

The circuit is located in the Macau Peninsula in Macau, the circuit consists of long straights and tight corners which are narrow, bumpy, and limited overtaking opportunities(characteristics of a typical street race), an ultra-long main straight can allow speeds of up to 260km/h to protect drivers. With its challenging tight corners, not even the best drivers are safe, there has been a total of 9 tragic car accidents on this track while in the middle of the race.

RED BULL RING

Located in Austria the country famous for its great drivers, the Red Bull Ring was first opened on 26 July 1969. This track has been removed on the Formulae 1 calendar once due to its safety concerns reaching a critical point it was then reopened on 15 May 2011. The track has a length of up to 4.318km and has 11 turns currently, the track has undergone changes and modifications over the years so as to improve safety. This track was characterized by elevation changes,tight turns, and small run-off areas with very little room for error, it also has insane curves which have contributed to a lot of accidents such as the one that led to the death of driver MARK DONOHUE In 1975

CIRCUIT DE MONACO

The track is laid out on the streets of Monte Carlo and La Condamine in the city of Monaco. This specific circuit is so dangerous so much so it has been the death of 4 drivers, it is characterized by elevation changes, sharp corners, and a narrow course. This narrow course does not allow for much overtaking as the drivers have to avoid any collision, to make matters worse the track has a tunnel while exiting the tunnel the drivers get hit by the bright light also immediately after the tunnel the drivers have to brake hard in a tight left-right-left chicane, races on this track are often accompanied by a safety car to ensure no one gets hurt.

IMOLA CIRCUIT

Its official name is AUTODROMO INTERNAZIONALE ENZO e DINO FERRARI, the Imola circuit is a 4.909km long track that hosts the Formulae 1 championship in Italy. This track has associated itself with death since the drivers ROLAND RATENZENBERGER & AYRTON SENNA lost their lives while racing in the 1994 SAN MARINO GRAND PRI. This specific track is unique from the rest it is not characterized by the usual tight corners and curves that make it dangerous for drivers but instead it has one thing that makes it dangerous for drivers and that is the flat-out TAMBURELLO CORNER, this corner is home to many severe accidents, it is bumpy with little room between the track and a concrete wall, due to the safety issues the track was removed from the F1 calendar in 2006, after modifications the circuit was reopened in 2020.

INDIANAPOLIS MOTOR SPEEDWAY

The track is located in Speedway, Indiana in the United States, it is formerly the home of the USA Grand Prix from 2000 to 2007, although Formulae 1 races happened here for a short time the number of accidents recorded here was reason enough to permanently take the track off the F1 calendar, at first glance the track may seem harmless as it is a simple 4km rectangular oval like track, this assumption was the exact reason that led to the death of 73 people, the simplicity of the track allows the drivers to drive while on extreme speeds, crashes that have happened to hear are extremely severe like the one that left RALPH SCHUMACHER with a broken back.

BUGATTI CIRCUIT DE LA SARTHET

This circuit is located in Le Manz, Sarthe, France, its present configuration is 13.626km making it one of the longest circuits in the world. If you are a motorsport fan you should know anything associated with this track is synonymous with tragedy, the Le Man’s disaster took place here whereby a race car flew into the crowd killing 83 spectators and the driver. On this specific track, 85% of the time is spent on full throttle, putting immense stress on the engine. The track has undergone modifications over the years, even with the changes the track is still known for being very fast with speeds reaching up to 240km/h

CIRCUIT DE SPA-FRANCORCHAMPS

This track located in Belgium has been engraved with the name ‘TERROR’.This track has claimed the life of 23 drivers since its opening. The track was originally designed to help the drivers test their speed limits. The tight corners, steep uphill sections, left to right turns and a blind summit are the main risks that drivers face, and also the unpredictable weather is another determining factor for its dangerousness. In 1969 the Belgium Grand Prix was boycotted by the drivers themselves due to the extreme danger, nowadays the track has undergone modifications but it is still considered a dangerous circuit to race on.

MONZA NATIONAL CIRCUIT.

Since it was held in the Italian Grand Prix in the early years of F1, this track has been criticized by the drivers for its lack of safety. The 5.79km long track is divided into 3 sections (1)THE GRAND PRIX SECTION (2)THE JUNIOR TRACK & (3)THE OVAL TRACK. Overall the track is famous for its highspeed straights, first corners & lack of run-off area despite it undergoing several modifications. This track has claimed the lives of 35 spectators & 52 drivers including F1 driver ALBERTO ASCARI, RONNIE PETERSON & WOLFGANG VON TRIPS not even these legends survived this track.

THE GREEN HELL(NURBURGRING)

This circuit was the venue for the F1 German Grand Prix for a very long time, during that time the track earned its reputation for being the most difficult track to race on, but it is more infamous for the crash that scared NIKI LAUDA. This track is 20km long, and the nature of this track has anything and everything to put the driver’s life at risk not to mention the unpredictable weather.Many races apart from F1 occur here and it is difficult to tell how many people have died on this track.