What makes a Formula 1 circuit difficult? Exploring 3 major factors

When fans watch a Formula 1 Grand Prix on a given race weekend, not much thought is put into exactly how difficult that circuit may be. Instead, the focus simply lies on who wins the race, what overtakes occur on track, and what close battles may be transpiring in front of our eyes.

While each circuit may have its own unique characteristics as to what makes it difficult, other factors can certainly play a role as well. We see tracks such as Monza and Spielberg considered relatively "easy", but conditions such as weather can easily change that.

However, in terms of track-specific aspects, there are particular venues that prove to be difficult for drivers every season. Additionally, several circuits contain a number of these difficulty-raising aspects, which goes to show why Formula 1 is often considered the “pinnacle of motorsport”.

What exactly are these factors?

Street circuits are some of the most entertaining circuits and also present added challenges when compared to traditional road course circuits. When fans hear that, circuits such as Monaco, Singapore, Las Vegas, and Baku instantly come to mind.

The biggest reason is that street circuits are typically narrower, meaning there is less space for overtakes and even staying on the racing line – and a smaller margin for error. But a street track such as Las Vegas can be quite the opposite, as the long straights make drivers far more susceptible to being overtaken.

Circuits with high-speed corners are also generally accepted as being quite difficult. Silverstone and Circuit of the Americas both have a string of high-speed turns which require the utmost focus and skill.

Going off the racing line will easily result in lower speeds and lost time, and misjudging the amount of throttle needed can easily result in a driver losing the rear of their car and flying into the wall. Maggots and Becketts are arguably the most famous of such turns on the calendar.

Finally, the chicane is arguably the most difficult individual turn on any circuit. Oftentimes, a chicane as the first turn of a track can cause quite a lot of action right from the start. Monza is a fantastic example, as drivers have a long run all the way to turns one and two, where they pick up speed and get side by side going into the chicane.

One of the more famous incidents in the Monza chicane came in 2021, when contact between Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton into turn two saw the former’s Red Bull end up on top of the latter's Mercedes.

Ultimately, these factors come together and give fans so much action between drivers during any given Grand Prix. Formula 1 is very fortunate to have such a wide array of circuits on its calendar every year.