Opinion – Miami, Madrid, Jeddah… enough of these “fake city tours”!

Valencia in 2008 and Sochi in 2014 in a way launched this trend which is sweeping across the Formula 1. One of them was built in a port, and the other around the 2014 Olympic Games facilities. These tracks had no gravel in their run-off areas, and especially walls were relatively close to the track. This created a "falsely urban" atmosphere for these circuits, with the aim of somewhat masking the nondescript appearance of their layout. Space constraints also explained the need to create curved straights, or collections of 90° turns, in order to be able to wind their way as best they could between the various buildings already present.

Aside from two editions, in 2012 for the Spanish circuit and in 2021 for its Russian counterpart, the Valencia and Sochi circuits have generally been conspicuous by their absence from the list of circuits offering thrilling races. They were more like processions, and while neither of these two tracks is currently on the calendar, they have been replaced in spirit by other new features. And given the first simulator lap of the layout of the next Madrid Grand Prix, Formula 1 has no intention of stopping there.

Miami, the least interesting circuit for Hamilton

This weekend, the world championship stops in Miami for the fourth time, at the Miami International Autodrome, which is unanimously opposed by both drivers and observers. Located around Hard Rock Stadium, home to the Miami Dolphins football franchise, the Miami Gardens circuit is clearly not a favorite among drivers. “It’s probably the circuit that I rank last on my list of favorite tracks.”, for example, complained Lewis Hamilton recently. The pilot Ferrari wasn't much more excited about the event itself, with its paddock right inside the NFL stadium.

Intended by Liberty Media as a showcase for its vision of Formula 1, and to capitalize on the success of the Drive to Survive series, the Miami Grand Prix seems to be nothing more than a communication effort, which isn't working terribly well. With a huge amount of stars and promotional operations (like the many special liveries we should see this weekend), Formula 1 is trying its best to sell its product, but once the Grand Prix has started, it's clear that the Miami GP is just another Formula 1 race, on a bland track that's interchangeable with many other circuits around the world. This criticism could also have been leveled at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas. The first edition in 2012 had indeed erased everything that made Grand Prix racing in the United States so charming. Needless to say, with its demanding track and unique atmosphere, the COTA has since made up for it...

Miami remains a PR exercise, sold by the official Formula 1 website itself as a street circuit. A street circuit that hosted the Evo Sessions earlier this year. Formula E, on infrastructure that seemed much more permanent than expected. The same can be said of the Jeddah circuit in Saudi Arabia, which is now on the GT World Challenge Europe calendar, hosting the final. These tracks ultimately bring together a lot of constraints, without many advantages. Yes, the city's roads don't necessarily need to be closed, since the circuits don't pass directly through them. On the other hand, the choice of locations still quite close to the city leads to space problems, which forces the organizers to choose the option of tracks surrounded by concrete walls, and the architects have to deal with these constraints when creating the layout of their circuit.

Same old story in Madrid?

The Jeddah circuit is an exciting place for drivers to race, especially during qualifying. But with concrete walls surrounding its many fast, blind corners, the potential for major crashes increases significantly. Mick Schumacher paid the price in 2022, and he was very lucky that no one was right behind him and could hit him when his Haas crossed the track. The Madrid circuit, which will arrive on the calendar in 2026, follows in the same vein as its predecessors. A walled layout, around IFEMA, with a 24% banked corner, designed solely to provide beautiful television images and maximize ticket revenue with 40 seats available in this curve alone. Sprinkle that with a few very tight turns, mandatory to avoid existing buildings, and the Madring has us as excited as Miami this weekend.

Thailand, in talks to host Formula 1 in the future, is planning to use the friendly Buriram circuit, where the MotoGP Not at all, a project for an "urban" Grand Prix in the capital Bangkok is under discussion. Unless there's the pleasant surprise of a true urban round, as is the case in Monaco, Baku, or Singapore, we expect to see a project identical to the recent arrivals. Modern Formula 1 cars have shown their strength on "traditional" circuits such as Silverstone, which offers us a beautiful spectacle every year. It would be a shame not to take advantage of the enthusiasm surrounding the category by continuing to favor these "easy" and inexpensive circuits. Indeed, a layer of asphalt and a few concrete walls are obviously less expensive than the complete development of a permanent circuit. The KymiRing in Finland can attest to this, the project having been built but never having hosted a MotoGP race, due to financial setbacks.

With several circuits having recently reintroduced the gravel traps they removed in the 2000s and 2010s, let's hope that the trend for "semi-urban" circuits will soon end.