Streets tracks have always played a major part in the history of motorsport. Monaco first hosted its iconic Grand Prix in 1929, and the early days of racing in Europe featured events at tracks such as Pau, Pescara and Montjuïc. They were an exciting addition to a calendar heavily focused on traditional racetracks, but in recent years, the focus has shifted…
In the past 20 years, Formula 1 has introduced 14 new circuits to the calendar. Six of these have been street tracks, with only Valencia dropping off the annual rotation. Interestingly, of the eight ‘traditional’ circuits to have debuted in this time period, half no longer have a spot in the 2026 season.
So why are street tracks sticking? Money is the obvious reason. Casual fans would much rather visit a Grand Prix in a major city such as Miami, with the surrounding of the shiny Hard Rock Stadium, or take a seat along the Las Vegas Strip, than they would at a traditional circuit in the middle of nowhere.
There is also the potential for chaotic and dramatic races at street tracks. You only need to look at the usual chaos in Baku, particularly in its early years on the calendar, for proof. With the ever-growing battle for attention, attracting new fans is much easier if you’re showing them controversial incidents and drama as opposed to an excellent battle on tyre strategy.
That’s the dilemma facing F1 right now, but Formula E is seeing almost the complete opposite situation. When the series launched in 2014, it made a big point of travelling to major cities across the globe. Season 1’s calendar visited four continents, hosting races in Beijing, London, Miami, Moscow, Buenos Aires and others. Several more would follow in the coming years, including Paris, New York, Rome and Tokyo.
What’s interesting however, is the dedicated race circuits that were introduced. A double header at Circuit Ricardo Tormo in Valencia in 2021, two seasons visiting Portland International Raceway, debuts at Shanghai International Circuit and Misano in 2024. To add onto this, Formula E has already been to two street circuits used on the F1 calendar in Season 12, tackling both Miami and Jeddah.
This change is happening because of the issue Formula E faces. Admittedly, it’s a great problem to have, but its cars are constantly getting faster and bigger. GEN3 was introduced in 2022, with the Evo package brought in two years later. And now, GEN4 is set to make the cars even quicker, with one of the biggest jumps in performance the series has seen.
Therefore, it is simply outgrowing its tracks. The London circuit at the city’s ExCeL London exhibition centre is arguably already too small for the cars, and will drop off the calendar ahead of Season 13. There are also concerns around the Tokyo venue. So will Formula E be able to stick to its city-centre identity, or will it have to lose part of its original USP?
The third option might be to continue down the path of using street circuits designed for Formula 1. Monaco, Miami and Jeddah have all successfully hosted E-Prixs already, with the latter two still having opportunities to expand into the full circuit. And with those inside Formula E, most notably Lucas di Grassi on social media recently, suggesting that GEN4 Evo and GEN5 cars could be as quick, if not quicker that F1 machinery, Formula E would be well up for showing its incredible technological advancements on the same tracks.
Finally, as a fan, to have the familiarity of venues like Singapore, Melbourne and Jeddah, along with some more traditional tracks, signals an exciting proposition. Formula E has made big steps but hasn’t quite cracked it with the mainstream motorsport audience just yet, but this could be the way to turn more heads. Formula E’s roots are in tight, twisty city centres, while Formula 1 comes from a background of dedicated racetracks. However, in years to come, they may just meet in the middle.
Photo Credit: DPPI