NO ROOM FOR ERROR.
They are narrow, enclosed, with few run-off areas and little margin for error: for many professional racing drivers, street circuits are considered the greatest challenge in motorsport. BMW and BMW M works drivers repeatedly pushed and keep pushing both man and machine to their limits on circuits where normally the traffic crawls along in leisurely stop-and-go. Some of these circuits are now a thing of the past, but all of them have made history. Here is a selection of the world’s most exciting street circuits.
MOTORSPORT IN MOTOR CITY.
MOTORSPORT IN MOTOR CITY.
In a sense, the creation of the Detroit Street Circuit seemed inevitable. In the early 20th century, the city became the centre of the global automotive industry, earning it the nickname ‘Motor City’ – and what could be more fitting than motorsport in Motor City? In the 1980’s, it started with the Formula 1 – later followed by the IndyCar Series – whose drivers battled for hundredths of a second in the urban canyons of Detroit, spurred on by spectators lining the streets.
Over the decades, the layout and length of the Detroit Street Circuit have changed time and again. At one point, the street circuit was even relocated to an island – the centrally situated Belle Isle in the Detroit River, which is something of a Detroit equivalent to Central Park. But since 2023, the roar of the engines fills the streets of downtown Detroit again. On the circuit, which is now 2.736 kilometres long, BMW M Motorsport has been competing in the IMSA series since 2024, with Philipp Eng and Marco Wittmann finishing on the podium for BMW M Team WRT in the BMW M Hybrid V8 during the 2026 season.
THE FIRST MAJOR STREET RACE IN THE US.
THE FIRST MAJOR STREET RACE IN THE US.
In 1975, the year it was founded, the city in Los Angeles County hosted the Formula 5000 on the newly built Long Beach Street Circuit, followed by Formula 1 in 1976. The first IndyCar Grand Prix took place in 1984.
Partly thanks to the idea of bringing motor racing to the heart of Long Beach, the declining port city has become a vibrant tourist destination. This boom also led to changes in the layout of the Long Beach Street Circuit. Compared to the original layout, the number of corners has changed from 13 to 18 at one time; the current layout features 11. A lap measures 3.167 kilometres, and unaffected by all the changes, the sweeping arc of the Shoreline Drive has remained a familiar highlight for the drivers.
BMW cars have long enjoyed success on this street circuit. BMW Team RLL, led by Bobby Rahal, secured numerous podium finishes and three overall victories at Long Beach between 2009 and 2015.
Today, the Grand Prix of Long Beach is an integral part of the IndyCar and IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar championships. BMW M competes on the street circuit with the BMW M Hybrid V8 and the BMW M4 GT3 EVO.
A LAP TIME UNDER ONE MINUTE
A LAP TIME UNDER ONE MINUTE
As early as 1938, the first motorbike race took place on the initially unnamed circuit in Nuremberg, which was won by the German rider Georg Meier on a BMW 500 Kompressor. After the Second World War, in 1948, a car race was held for the first time around the Zeppelin grandstand – which had seen little glory up to that point – and it was a success. The circuit has been known as the Norisring from 1950 onwards – ‘Noris’ is borrowed from the Latinised form of the city’s name, Noriberga – and has gradually become one of Germany’s best-known racetracks. To this day, it remains the only German street circuit in professional motorsport.
The layout of the circuit has been altered repeatedly over the decades, but the distance has remained the same at 2.3 kilometres since 1972. Despite having only four main corners and lap times of under a minute, the circuit is renowned for wild racing inches from concrete walls, for extreme speeds on the straights and hard braking manoeuvres, including battles for position before entering the Grundig hairpin.
The ADAC Norisring Speed Weekend, featuring the DTM race, is the annual highlight on this street circuit. Besides the DTM, the event also features other racing series, a supporting programme with stunt shows, rides in race taxis and music concerts.
THE HOTTEST AND TOUGHEST LAP.
THE HOTTEST AND TOUGHEST LAP.
What looks like a glowing snake from the air is the Marina Bay Street Circuit, illuminated by 1,700 floodlights, during the Formula 1 night race in Singapore. It is internationally regarded as the fastest and most challenging street circuit. No other racetrack offers this extreme combination of numerous corners and significant bumps. Add sweltering temperatures of around 30 degrees Celsius and a relative humidity of 84 per cent and you know why some drivers described it as racing in a sauna.
The city circuit, which runs entirely on closed-off public roads, features numerous 90-degree bends as well as short straights, where speeds of up to 325 km/h are reached. The alternation between fast straights and tight corners demands the utmost concentration and driving skill from the drivers. The former ‘Singapore Sling’ left-right-left chicane– named after a famous cocktail – was replaced a few years ago by a simple left-hander.
It is like flying a helicopter around your living room
WHERE GLAMOUR TAKES CENTRE STAGE.
WHERE GLAMOUR TAKES CENTRE STAGE.
Monaco is synonymous with glamour, money and superyachts. And, of course, the adrenaline-fuelled Monaco Grand Prix, which continues to shape the history of motorsport to this day. Opened in 1929, the Circuit de Monaco is one of the most famous racetracks in the world. This historic circuit is considered a major challenge for drivers. The low average speed of 150 km/h on the 3.337-kilometre circuit belies the track’s true level of difficulty. For one thing above all else prevails on the Circuit de Monaco: the lack of space. There are almost no run-off areas; the narrow streets force drivers to hug the crash barrier to within millimetres in the corners, making overtaking almost impossible.
The short straight through the tunnel leading up to the Nouvelle Chicane is the only section of the circuit where drivers can accelerate continuously, and the speedometer dial approaches the 300 km/h mark. The record is held by Kimi Räikkönen, who was clocked at 300.9 km/h there in 2003. On the Monaco street circuit, therefore, is not so much about speed as it is about brains and nerves. Juan Pablo Montoya proved this in 2003. The Colombian started the race in third place and, thanks to a good strategy in his Williams FW25 – powered by the legendary BMW P83 V10 engine – drove to victory.
THE WORLD’S LONGEST STREET CIRCUIT.
THE WORLD’S LONGEST STREET CIRCUIT.
Macau, about 60 kilometres west of Hong Kong: here, more money flows through the slot machines than in Las Vegas. But Macau is not just a draw for gamblers, but also for motor racing enthusiasts from all over the world – to gather for the Macau Grand Prix on the Guia Circuit. Then, Formula 3 cars, touring cars, motorbikes and GT cars race through the narrow streets of the world’s most densely populated city. Along the way, they navigate extremely tight corners that give the circuit that extra thrill.
The Melco Hairpin is particularly notorious, with a track width of just seven metres. Although Monaco’s street circuit is narrower overall than Macau’s, Macau is considered even more nerve-wracking. This is because, in addition to its impressive 22 corners, there are frequent long full-throttle sections on the straights, where drivers reach top speeds of up to 275 km/h. In addition, there is a shortage of few run-off areas, walls instead of kerbs, and a combination of blind crests and changes in elevation.
For BMW M Motorsport, Augusto Farfus secured first place on the circuit for the first time in 2018 behind the wheel of the BMW M6 GT3. This was followed in 2024 by a double podium, when Farfus and his team-mate Sheldon van der Linde took second and third place in Macau in the BMW M4 GT3.
BROOKLYN UNDER VOLTAGE.
BROOKLYN UNDER VOLTAGE.
With the New York skyline ahead of them and Staten Island in their rear-view mirror – that’s how racing drivers feel in New York. Between 2017 and 2022, Formula E races took place in the borough of Brooklyn. The Statue of Liberty rises out of the sea less than three kilometres from the Brooklyn Street Circuit. In the words of former Mayor Bill de Blasio, New York is the ideal venue for Formula E. From the 2018/2019 season onwards, the drivers of the BMW Formula E Team – making their debut that season – were able to see this for themselves.
Depending on the year, the temporary street circuit stretched between 1.947 and 2.373 kilometres, featured 14 corners and took the drivers along public roads in Brooklyn and through the port facilities around the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal – with the Manhattan skyline gleaming in the background. Following modifications to accommodate shipping traffic in 2023, the Brooklyn Street Circuit was no longer suitable for Formula E racing.
A TRACK WITH A VIEW.
A TRACK WITH A VIEW.
The Hong Kong Central Harbourfront Circuit was used for the Hong Kong e-Prix between 2016 and 2019 and was one of the most extraordinary street circuits of all time. With 15,800 inhabitants per km2, Hong Kong Island is, after Macau and Monaco, the most densely populated venue in the world of professional motor racing. Consequently, the circuit was narrow and twisty – including two genuine hairpin corners – and wound its way through the metropolis between the skyscrapers and over tram tracks. At 1.86 kilometres, it was also the shortest street circuit, which ultimately led to its withdrawal from the motorsport calendar. From 2020, the FIA stipulated a minimum circuit length of 2.2 kilometres, which proved impossible to implement due to Hong Kong’s dense urban development.
In 2019, the final year of the street circuit, BMW also took part in the Formula E Championship. BMW i Andretti Motorsport sent the BMW iFE.18 to the South China Sea for the occasion. This allowed drivers Alexander Sims and António Félix da Costa to experience the uniqueness of the Hong Kong Central Harbourfront Circuit before it was removed from the racing calendar.
THROUGH THE OLD TOWN AT 300+.
THROUGH THE OLD TOWN AT 300+.
Travelling at over 300 km/h through a beautiful old town? That’s exactly what happens once a year at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix. During the Formula 1 race, the Baku City Circuit takes drivers past numerous landmarks, such as the capital’s magnificent palaces, and along the picturesque seafront promenade on the Caspian Sea. The circuit has been used by Formula 1 since 2016. The city circuit, which is just over six kilometres long, opened in late 2014, shortly after which the Blancpain Sprint Series made a stop there, an event in which ROAL Motorsport also took part with the BMW Z4 GT3.
The Baku City Circuit is considered one of the fastest city circuits and consists of eight right-hand and twelve left-hand corners. Highlights include the tight Turn 8, which is just 7.6 metres wide, and the full-throttle straight between Turn 16 and Turn 1, which stretches for over two kilometres. The speed record on this section is held by Finnish driver Valtteri Bottas, who accelerated his Formula 1 car to 378 km/h in 2016. The Baku City Circuit has a literal low point, too: at 28 metres below sea level, its start-finish straight is the lowest point on the Formula 1 calendar.
THE STUFF OF LEGENDS.
THE STUFF OF LEGENDS.
Street circuits have a unique feature that permanent circuits can hardly match: they bring motorsport right into the city and allow spectators along the entire route to be right in the thick of the action. A race against the backdrop of Singapore’s skyline, along the city walls of Baku or through the streets of Monaco creates images that are instantly recognisable around the world. For the audience, whether watching live or on television, this makes for a particularly memorable motorsport experience.
