FORMULA ONE TRACK FAILS

01 Korean GP, Yeongam

Korea is hardly renowned as a motorsport destination, and the Korean GP, held from 2010–2013, didn’t help matters. The circuit was barely finished in time for the inaugural race, and plans to build a city around the circuit never happened. F1 hasn’t been back in a decade.

02 European GP, Valencia

The now-derelict Valencia street circuit was so boring that in 2009, not a single on-track overtake was recorded at the European GP. Usually that only happens at Monaco. F1 woke up from this utter snorefest and binned it from the calendar for 2013. Have you missed it since? Thought not.

03 Indian GP, Greater Noida

Another mid-2010s Tilkedrome that failed to become a household name, the Indian GP lasted from 2011 to 2013. It had wider corner entries to promote overtaking and a long straight for DRS passes, but when the government refused to subsidise the event, the writing was on the wall.

04 Dallas GP, Fair Park

Only run in 1984, the Dallas GP was one of F1’s many false starts in in the USA. Many of the drivers detested the near 40°C heat, the flaking track surface and the lack of proper runoff areas, and as little as half an hour before the start, part of the circuit was repaired with quick-drying cement.

05 Vietnamese GP, Hanoi

Vietnam was supposed to debut in F1 in April 2020, but never got its moment due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It was rescheduled for 2021, but then dropped after a high ranking official on the race organisation committee was arrested on charges of corruption. Whoops.

06 US GP, Indianapolis

Forever infamous due to the 2005 US GP when all the Michelin tyre-shod teams returned to the pits after the formation lap and did not take the start because of safety concerns. This was a major F1 fail on the world stage: if a chicane had been added to the circuit all would have been well.

07 Caesars Palace GP, Las Vegas

Though the Caesars Palace GP took place from 1981–1984, only two of those races featured F1 cars and drivers before it was ditched by F1 and left to the CART Series. The dull track was laid out in the car park of the eponymous casino in Las Vegas, with spectators staying away in their droves.

08 Japanese GP, Fuji

Between 2007 and 2008, the Japanese GP snubbed Suzuka and visited Fuji Speedway instead. Mistake. Travel arrangements for the fans were horrendous and some of the grandstands didn’t even have a clear view of the track, which led to lawsuits.

09 Qatar GP, Lusail

F1 has only raced at Qatar once so far, in the 2021 season, but was dropped in 2022 because Qatar was busy readying itself for the 2022 FIFA World Cup. But the race in 2021 was rubbish. Zero crowd atmosphere, no memorable corners, and the only overtakes were down the main straight.