Racing's greatest street circuits

Further adding to the atmosphere is the warped grandeur of the Mussolini-era architecture which towers over the track, giving it a truly unique ambience in world motor sport.

Last year’s pair of damp races turned into humdingers, with frenzied overtaking manoeuvres up and down the field and several high speed incidents.

Lucas di Grassi told Autosport he thought of the track as a “mini-Macau”, going on to say, “You have jumps, different tarmacs, different grips, high-speed and difficult braking, uphill, downhill.”

The Brazilian added that the track’s “imperfections” add to the “old-fashioned” feel – which is what makes it so good. Hear, hear.

Monte Carlo

Monaco represents everything that is good, bad and in between about Formula 1.

Previously a playboy’s hideaway only seen to most through grainy black and white photographs, it evolved in tandem with the championship’s development in the ’60 and ‘70s to become the living, breathing embodiment of F1’s risk-taking, glamour and decadence.

The iconic layout has produced some of F1’s standout moments on which the championship now projects its brand: Ayrton Senna’s incredible ’88 pole lap as well as his famous loss of concentration in the corresponding race; Lewis Hamilton’s masterful win in the rain in ’08; not to mention Alberto Ascari’s Lancia crashing into the harbour and Graham Hill forging his ‘Mr Monaco’ moniker.

The circuit wraps itself around landmarks which are like no other – the 150mph+ steeplechase up to Beau Rivage, the sweep of Massenet and edginess of Casino are indelibly linked with the championship, whilst F1 acoustics reach their most ear-piercing in the Tunnel, and then Nouvelle Chicane rewarding only the bravest overtakes.

The crescendo of Tabac, Chiron and Swimming Pool still manages to make the hairs stand up as the lap comes to its conclusion. Unfortunately, processional races have become common in recent years, but that doesn’t change the fact that the Monte Carlo street circuit is a special track which still deserves its place on the calendar.

Marina Bay Circuit, Singapore

As far as striking locations go, you’ll be hard pressed to find a venue more impressive to look at than the Marina Bay Circuit.

Host of F1’s first ever night race back in 2007, it has been a fixture in the calendar ever since as the Singapore Grand Prix.

Lucas di Grassi described the 6.12km (3.8 miles) circuit as a cross between Monaco (difficulty) and Spa-Francorchamps (length). The Guia Circuit is said to be the road to F1 stardom: Ayrton Senna and Michael Schumacher are among those to have ascended from Macau victory.

It has been home to memorable race finishes, such as the tight battle between race leader Sérgio Sette Câmara and Ferdinand Habsburg on the closing laps of the 2017 Macau GP. In their desperation to beat the other, both drivers outbraked themselves and headed straight into the wall – leaving Dan Ticktum to take a last gasp win. Habsburg crossed the line for fourth, albeit with a broken front suspension.

A win in Macau is always special, with victory usually separating the promising from the true greats.

Clermont-Ferrand, France

Anything fiery from the French Auvergne region is inevitably linked with the volcanoes dotting the landscape. But it wasn’t magma bubbling deep underground that gave the Charade circuit its spirit: the rocky remnants of past eruptions formed a circuit that curved and twisted like few others.

With 50 corners over five miles and barely a straight to speak of, the tarmac rose and plunged with the land in a dizzying test of skill and bravery: “A superb test of driving skill with the best machinery that makes ordinary mortals like you and me mop our brow and mutter Cor!’,” wrote Denis Jenkinson in Motor Sport.

Nowhere was that better demonstrated than the 1972 French GP where a puncture robbed Chris Amon of a commanding lead. Resuming in ninth, the New Zealander whipped around the circuit setting lap record after lap record on his way to a podium finish.

It exemplified the challenge of street circuits, wrote Jenks who bemoaned FIA guidelines that corners should open up: “For me one of the most satisfying types of corner is the complete opposite, one which tightens up on you when you least expect it, so that you have got to be just right on your approach and entrance or you are in dead trouble.”

Sadly dead was the word after 1972, the final year that Charade hosted the French Grand Prix. There were complaints over the circuit length, the quality of facilities and safety. And when you consider that mountainside run-off areas were made up of catch-nets, it’s hard to argue with that decision.

Targa Florio, Italy

Greater than the sum of its parts, and that’s saying something when we’re considering the 44-mile Piccolo Madonie circuit on winding Sicilian roads. But the location, the bruising sports cars that competed and the fanatical crowds — half a million lined the route — made the Targa truly epic.

It was a test for the greats: Nuvolari, Moss, Vacarella, Elford and Siffert. Not just their speed and skill, but also their restraint on broken tarmac, around unsighted corners and skirting sheer drops.

The Targa Florio isn‘t just a race that’s lost to a previous era, it’s a way of racing itself.