The Longest and Shortest F1 Circuits

Which are the longest and shortest F1 circuits? What are the longest and shortest tracks at which F1 has ever raced?

^{Image: © Andrew Balfour}

Current F1 Circuits Ranked From Longest to Shortest

The table below shows the length of each current circuit on the Formula 1 calendar, ranked from longest to shortest.

Spa is the Longest Circuit on the F1 Calendar

At 7.004km, Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps is the longest circuit on the current Formula 1 calendar. It is the longest by over 0.8km, with Las Vegas Strip Circuit becoming the second-longest when it joined the calendar in 2023.

Nestled in the Ardennes forest, Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps has legendary status having first appeared on the calendar back in 1950; the sport’s inaugural season. It’s a universally loved track, thanks to its breath-taking corners, high elevation and unpredictable weather.

Spa-Francorchamps may not remain the longest track on the calendar for too long. A hugely ambitious project in Qiddiya is under construction, with the track there expected to exceed the length of Spa. Building of the new Saudi Arabian track is expected to be completed in 2027.

Monaco is the Shortest Circuit on the F1 Calendar

Circuit de Monaco is the shortest track on the current Formula 1 calendar, at 3.337km. Such is the short length of the track, it is the only race on the calendar which does not cover the 305km distance stipulated in the regulations. Races in Monaco instead run to just 260km.

Perhaps the most famous of all races on the F1 calendar, plenty of challenges are packed into a lap of the 19-turn track, which passes by the iconic Casino Square, through the tunnel and around the famous Rascasse cafe.

What is the Longest Track F1 Has Ever Raced At?

Pescara is the longest circuit at which Formula 1 has ever raced. A colossal track, at 25.579km, the Pescara Grand Prix appeared on the calendar only once, in 1957. The track was added to the calendar at short notice, due to the cancellation of races in Belgium and the Netherlands.

Pushing the limits of safety, the race took place on the Adriatic coast and was held at 9:30 in the morning in an attempt to avoid the blazing mid-August heat. Because the track was so long, no attempt was made to make people pay for tickets. It is believed that at least 200,000 turned out to watch the race, with many able to watch from houses which lined the track.

What is the Shortest Track F1 Has Ever Raced At?

Circuit de Monaco is the shortest track at which F1 has ever raced. Specifically, the layout used from 1955 to 1975 was the shortest of all, measuring 3.145km. The differences from then to now are mostly in the latter stages of the lap.

The Nouvelle Chicane is now more pronounced than the former chicane in the same area, while the Swimming Pool section has added distance to the lap length, as have the final corners (La Rascasse and Anthony Noghes) which were formerly just a single hairpin bend. The first turn at Sainte Devote is now also a slightly wider line than in the previous era.

The current layout of the Monaco Grand Prix track is longer than a number of other circuit layouts at which F1 has previously raced. Namely, those tracks are the 1981 layout of Jarama (3.312km), the 1974 layout of Dijon (3.289km), the layout of Long Beach used from 1976 to 1983 (3.275km) and from 1976 to 1981 (3.251km), plus the Zeltweg circuit (3.200km) on which F1 only ever raced once.

The Length of Every Layout of Every F1 Track in History

The table below shows the length of every circuit ever raced on in Formula 1 history. The table includes the various different layouts of each circuit, ranked from longest to shortest.