Apex Legends

If Bahrain represents the new school of racetrack design, then the Circuit de Monaco is a proud anachronism. Essentially unchanged since 1929, Monaco is practically as old as competitive motorsport itself, and every corner is steeped in generations of lore. The Monaco Grand Prix is one of the most storied races on the planet—it forms one third of the  Triple Crown of Motorsport , alongside the Indianapolis 500 and 24 Hours of Le Mans—and is deeply ingrained in Formula One's DNA.

Wending through the atmospheric seaside streets of Monte Carlo, the track itself is short, slow, slippery, and narrow—all characteristics that make it fairly unsuitable for today's supercars. Overtaking is next to impossible here, and so races are often somewhat processional.

At the same time, Monaco's tight confines demand inch-perfect precision, and the slightest miscalculation can spell chaos; To quote triple World Champion Nelson Piquet, a lap around Monaco is like “riding a bicycle around your living room.”

The iconic  Hairpin , the tightest and slowest corner on the calendar, has witnessed many wipeouts through the ages, while the harborside  chicane  is equally fraught, appearing suddenly from the blinding light at the end of a long tunnel. During the 1955 Monaco Grand Prix, race leader Alberto Ascari famously  overshot the chicane , and soared straight into the harbor; Paul Haskins made the same mistake a decade later.

Making its debut in 2016, the Baku City Circuit is a relative newcomer to the Formula One calendar. Like Monaco, it is a street course, laid out on public roads. But unlike Monaco, which is singularly old-school in its track layout, Baku is defined by dramatic contrasts: The first and last sectors of the lap follow the broad, flat boulevards and 90-degree corners of the Azeri capital’s waterfront district, while the tricky middle sector jinks through the bumpy and ridiculously narrow lanes encircling the thousand-year-old walls of the Old City.

This contrast between old and new, fast and slow, is even more evident once you bust out the measuring tape: Baku features the narrowest section on the calendar—with the track running just 24 feet (7.3m) edge-to-edge near  Turns 8 and 9 —but it also has the  longest flat-out stretch  of the season, and it's the fastest street circuit. It’s a volatile combination, and the results can be dramatic.

Recent race results testify to Baku's unpredictability; Each of the four Formula One GPs held here since 2016 has produced a different winner. Although Baku is among the newest circuits on the track, it’s already earned a reputation for excitement.

Among the most beloved Formula One tracks in existence, Silverstone is the axis mundi of British motorsport. The original track was built on service roads encircling a deactivated WWII Royal Air Force bomber airbase, and it was here in 1950 that Giuseppe Farina won the first Formula One Grand Prix of the World Championship era.

 Copse  is among the fastest corners on the F1 calendar, with drivers entering the right hander flat-out at speeds of over 180mph (290kmph). The sweeping  Maggotts-Becketts-Chapel  complex that follows is perhaps the most sublime fast ‘S’ section in the world, and a great place to see Formula One cars at the absolute limit.

The Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps is considered by many fans and drivers to be the best circuit in the world—and for good reason. Ensconced in the rolling hills of the Belgian Ardennes, Spa seems to be built into the landscape, rather than atop it. The circuit doesn't merely accommodate every contour of the topography, it wholly embraces them. With over 300 feet separating its highest and lowest points—the greatest elevation change of any circuit—a lap around Spa is a true rollercoaster ride.

Despite being halved in length in 1976, Spa remains the longest track on the F1 calendar by a considerable margin. But the circuit never feels tedious, as its organic layout flows effortlessly from one corner into the next. And thanks to the fickle Belgian weather, it’s not uncommon for drivers to encounter sunshine and downpour in a single lap!

Of course, Spa’s standout segment is the fast downhill-left-uphill-right of  Eau Rouge-Raidillon , likely the most famous corner sequence in Formula One.  Says  seven-time World Champion Lewis Hamilton of the iconic segment, "When you get to the bottom of it, your insides drop. And then when you get to the top they come back up and it feels like everything will come out of your mouth—which is quite exciting when you are going 200mph."

But that’s not the only highlight of a lap around Spa:  Pouhon , a tricky double-apex lefthander taken nearly flat-out, routinely ranks among drivers’ favorite turns on the calendar.

After a 36-year hiatus from Formula One, Circuit Zandvoort returns to the calendar this year for the 2021 Dutch Grand Prix. Perched on the sand dunes just a stone’s throw from the North Sea, Zandvoort is distinguished by its steeply banked corners, an increasingly rare sight in modern racing. Don't let Zandvoort's pancake-flat elevation profile fool you: This track still knows how to test the limits of gravity.

The track's most visually striking feature is the  Hugenholtzbocht , a tight, corkscrewing hairpin canted at 19 degrees that practically slingshots cars through the apex. The final corner of the lap,  Arie Luyendijkbocht , is also banked at 18 degrees, allowing the cars to stretch out as they head into the pit straight. The extreme camber of these corners theoretically encourages overtaking, as drivers can pass more easily on the outside lane.

Whether Zandvoort can provide exciting races today remains to be seen. But the circuit has been completely redesigned since its last appearance in F1, and it’s always exciting to see an old track return to the calendar after many years of absence.

With the fastest average speed of any circuit on the calendar, the Autodromo Nazionale di Monza is a monument to raw, unadulterated power. It’s an appropriate distinction for the spiritual home of Ferrari, a manufacturer synonymous with speed. The raucous cheers of the tifosi—Ferrari’s local supporters—contribute to Monza’s electric atmosphere on race day.

Monza traces its history all the way back to 1922, and has hosted more F1 Grands Prix than any other track since the World Championship era began in 1950. The track’s boomerang layout is decidedly simple, and thanks to its long straights, it is extremely fast, with over three-quarters of the lap taken at full throttle.

When it comes to corners, Monza favors quality over quantity. Nailing the difficult flick of the  Variante Ascari  is key to a fast lap time, while the long right swing of  Parabolica , the final corner before the finish line, has witnessed many 11th-hour overtakes throughout history.

Suzuka has been a favorite of drivers and spectators alike since its Formula One debut in 1987, and it’s easy to see why: The track’s unique figure-eight layout, challenging corners, and 20th-century grit and character combine to create a singularly special backdrop for high-speed racing.

Suzuka claims some of the most demanding high-speed segments on the calendar. The serpentine  Esses  in the first sector are a formidable test of focus and confidence, and failing to nail this section can doom a lap from the start. But the most imposing corner on the track is certainly  130R , a long left-hander taken flat-out in 7th gear. Flying through this corner at speeds of up to 200mph (315kmph), drivers push their cars to the absolute limit.

Located outside of Austin, Texas, the Tilke-designed Circuit of the Americas (or COTA) bears a strong resemblance to other modern “Tilkedromes.” But here, the signature elements—long straights followed by hard braking zones, a mix of high-speed corners and slower technical sections, and ample opportunities for overtaking—appear thoughtfully woven together, rather than assembled as if from a kit. It’s no wonder that in just nine years on the calendar, COTA has become a driver and fan favorite.

Unlike many modern circuits, COTA makes a genuine effort to engage with the topography in interesting ways. In fact, the entire site was terraformed to enhance the track’s terrain! For example, take the steep uphill climb into  Turn 1 , a blind lefthand hairpin: Thanks to the extreme angle of attack, drivers can brake very late here, encouraging overtake attempts (especially during the chaotic first lap). The track then drops away toward  Turns 3 to 6 , a series of quick 'S' corners reminiscent of Silverstone’s Maggots-Becketts-Chapel complex, but with variable, off-camber apexes that are even trickier to nail.