F1 Fanatic

I mentioned the original Imola circuit as one of my favorite tracks of all-time earlier today and that got me thinking what the greatest tracks ever were. So I did the logical thing to do and started ranking all great tracks I know. I only included the my prefered layout of a certain track, unless the new version is significantly different (like Francorchamps, Interlagos, Sachsenring and Charade). Here is my top 40:

1. Nürbürgring Gesamtstrecke (1927-1939)
2. Spa-Francorchamps (1947-1978)
3. Suzuka (1983-2001)
4. Solitudering (1922?-1965)
5. Mount Panorama (1987-Present)
6. Spa-Francorchamps (1982-2003)
7. Watkins Glen (1984-Present)
8. Mosport (1961?-Present)
9. Sachsenring (1937?-1971?)
10. Imola (1953-1972)
11. Zandvoort (1948-1972)
12. Charade (1959-1988)
13. Virginia (1957-Present)
14. Opatija (1939?-1977)
15. Monaco (1973-1975)
16. Road Atlanta (1996-Present)
17. Rouen-les-Essarts (1955-1973)
18. Bridgehampton (1957-1998)
19. Interlagos (1936-1989)
20. Potrero de los Funes [without chicanes] (1987?-2007?)
21. Cadwell Park (1962-Present)
22. Sears Point (2000-Present)
23. Monza (1976-1999)
24. Mont Tremblant (1965-2003)
25. Longford (1953-1968)
26. Interlagos (1990-Present)
27. Reims-Gueux (1954-1972)
28. Österreichring (1970-1976)
29. Le Mans (1956-1967)
30. Brands Hatch (1959-1975)
31. Montjuïc (1969-1975)
32. Grobnik (1978-Present)
33. Kyalami (1968-1985)
34. Mid-Ohio (1990-Present)
35. Barber (2003-Present)
36. Istanbul (2005-Present)
37. Laguna Seca (1963-1987)
38. Road America (1955-Present)
39. Sachsenring (1996-Present)
40. Charade (1989?-Present)

There are few tracks that I think are great, but I never got to try them out for myself in a sim. If you know where to get any of these, please let me know. These are:

Assen (pre-1983)
Batu Tiga / Shah Alam
Bremgarten
Gnoo Blas
Lasarte / San Sebastian
Lobethal
Masaryk / Brno (pre-1982)
Pescara
Prince George / East London
Reims-Gueux (pre-1951)
Schleizer Dreieck (pre-1956)
Thomson Road
Westwood

Feel free to post your own favorite tracks of all-time!

@f1yankee Up until ’87, Laguna Seca didn’t have the Andretti Hairpin (Turn 1) followed by the two right handers and the slow left. Correct me if I’m wrong, but I think it went from turn 1 straight up the hill to the quick left that leads to the Corkscrew. I don’t know of any other changes, but it used to be a pretty fast, yet short track.

@DamionShadows i will not correct you, because i do not know :P

Same boat as Kingshark, only there’s one thing I’d add – I never saw the appeal of insanely long tracks, such as the old Nurburgring. All it does is artificially increase tedium, whilst not adding any actual difficulties to the track. I’d add the fact that fans would not like missing out on much of the action, but then I’ve never been one for excitement.

I’ve also never understood all this “legacy” nonsense. Why should it matter how old and/or “renowned” a track is? It’s not going to automatically make it any better. Monaco is the ultimate example of that.

My top 20 of today’s F1 tracks, as I would rather not count the older tracks simply based on older videos:
0. Istanbul (I still firmly believe that it will make a comeback some day)
1. Spa
2. Silverstone
3. Suzuka
4. Interlagos
5. Singapore (!!!) (More difficult than Monaco, more exciting than Monaco (barely) and it’s a night race.)
6. Shanghai
7. Montreal (WHAT, exactly, is the point of the wall of champions anyway? It’s what costs it a top 3 finish)
8. Albert Park
9. Sepang
10. Hockenheim (I value it higher than the old one)
11. Monza (dead to me ever since the teams went with the usual massive downforce setup on it)
12. Hungaroring (might jump a few places later this year as I’m planning to go to the circuit)
13. Catalunya (suffice it to say, I do NOT like that they changed turns 13-15 so much.)
14. Yas Marina
15. Buddh
16. Monaco (absolute failure of a track. And I’m not one for celebrities or any other nonsensical stuff.)
17. Sakhir
18. Yeongnam
19. Valencia
??. Austin (I have no idea how it is, but it looks like a 8-15 track to me…)

@pamphlet I think the appeal (to me anyways) of those insanely long tracks are that people actually raced them flat out in the first place. Back then it took real courage to drive those tracks in jokes they called “race cars” on laughable surfaces called “roads”. These were more often than not flat-out public roads, where potholes, sudden bumps, trees right on the edge of the road would claim anyone who made the slightest of errors with death often being the end result. I understand why you would think the long distances “artificially increases tedium, whilst not adding any real difficulties” based on how racing is today. To me, the fact that great names such as Stewart, Ickx, and Moss tamed them is reason enough to hold those tracks in such high esteem.

Here is how I would rank the current F1 tracks, including Istanbul and Nürbürgring:

1. Spa-Francorchamps
2. Suzuka
3. Interlagos
4. Monaco
5. Monza
6. Istanbul
7. Montréal
8. Silverstone
9. Nürbürgring
10. Sepang
11. Albert Park
12. Buddh
13. Hungaroring
14. Catalunya
15. Yeongam
16. Sakhir
17. Valencia
18. Shanghai
19. Marina Bay
20. Hockenheim
21. Yas Marina

The cut-off point for good is Silverstone and the cut-off for acceptable is Hungaroring. I expect Austin somewhere between Istanbul and Nürbürgring.