5 Of The World's Worst F1 Courses (According To Racing Fans)

Very few sports generate as much thrill as Formula 1. Seeing the fastest drivers in the fastest cars in the world going flat out for what's now 24 weekends a year remains arguably the greatest spectacle in all of motorsport, but there are a few important factors that determine whether that's achieved on a regular basis. The biggest talking point for modern F1 is that the cars themselves aren't great for wheel-to-wheel racing, which is certainly a fair argument. The new regulations are designed to help promote close action, so hopefully we won't need to have that discussion as often going forward.

Equally as important for generating competitive racing, though, are the tracks that they race on. As mentioned, F1 races at 24 different locations, with a wide variety of track styles present on the calendar. Before the season even starts, there are a few circuits that fans look forward to, for example, Silverstone and Interlagos. However, F1 has to follow the biggest and longest contracts to decide which tracks to race on, which aren't always best suited for the pinnacle of open-wheel racing. Fans of the sport don't hold back on their views of some of these circuits, and based on posts online, there's consistency regarding which ones are the most disliked. Looking at the wide array of posts on forum sites such as Reddit, here's a look at five tracks that are often a talking point for all the wrong reasons.

Even if NASCAR has remained at the top of American motorsport, Formula One has long had a presence in the U.S., hosting races at iconic tracks such as Indianapolis, as well as various street circuits like Dallas, Detroit, and, most recently, Las Vegas. While the Circuit of the Americas in Austin has been on the calendar since 2012, Vegas was introduced in response to the recent surge in popularity of the pinnacle of open-wheel racing. A year earlier, the Miami International Autodrome was constructed around Hard Rock Stadium.

As one of the hybrid street-style circuits, Miami incorporates quite a few different elements from established tracks, with Sector 1 full of sweeping fast turns, followed by a long back straight before the incredibly tight beginning of Sector 3. It might sound good, but the layout is restricted by the stadium grounds to a significant degree. Compared to the tracks it takes inspiration from, many fans feel that it's terrible for actual racing, with the flow constantly being interrupted. Reddit users go as far as to say the Miami Autodrome is "utterly soulless."

The Lusail International Circuit is one of the more unique venues for F1 at the moment, albeit for a different reason than any other track. First used in 2004, the Qatar track was designed for MotoGP. Of course, MotoGP bikes are massively different to control than an F1 car, with next to no downforce and an emphasis on rider balance and corner exits. As a result, the track features a variety of corners that are long and swooping on a MotoGP bike, promoting great side-by-side action. But for F1, the cars go through these sections so fast that it's a challenge to remain close to the car in front. 

In DestinationFormula1's collection of fan feedback, this was a big issue that fans had with the Lusail circuit. Hopefully, the upcoming 2026 regulations can help solve this by reducing the dirty air given off by cars, but we'll have to wait and see. Similar to Miami, users on Reddit use the word "soulless" again to describe the track, but with MotoGP often providing thrilling action here, it just doesn't seem to be as well suited for four-wheeled cars.

The second Middle Eastern track featured here, the Yas Marina Circuit, has hosted the final race of the season since 2010 and has been on the calendar since 2009. Over the years, we've been treated to some thrilling title deciders at the Abu Dhabi track, many of which have been some of the most memorable races of those seasons. However, it's not necessarily the track itself that generates the excitement, with fans often finding races at Yas Marina to be lackluster when there's nothing at stake.

For the 2021 season, changes were made to the circuit in a bid to improve racing, namely the removal of two of the stop-start chicanes in Sectors 1 and 2 that some fans felt completely ruined the flow of the circuit. But still, the main overtaking zones remain the two long straights, which start after two corners that modern F1 cars struggle to follow closely through. Outside of the racing itself, other fans are also critical of the track because of the lack of atmosphere. The Abu Dhabi GP is very much intended to be a spectacle, but it doesn't exactly match the feel you get at Monza, Silverstone, or Zandvoort, for example.

While other tracks on this list have been added to the sport quite recently, the calendar is also packed with venues that have essentially become staples of F1. Some of these tracks are ones that fans believe shouldn't ever be taken out, and the same can be said for all of them. The Spanish Grand Prix has taken place at the Circuit De Barcelona Catalunya ever since its introduction in 1991, and it instantly made a great impression with Senna and Mansell going wheel to wheel down the main straight. As F1 has developed over the years to become faster and faster, though, the track hasn't managed to keep up.

Circuit De Barcelona Catalunya has just about every corner type you could have on a modern circuit, which makes it no surprise that it's used extensively for testing. But for actual racing, the never-ending flow of corners creates what one Reddit user calls "stalemate racing." The removal of the final chicane has allowed cars to follow better down the straight, but in general, that's a pretty fair description. This is another track that'll hopefully reap the benefits of the smaller cars in 2026.

And now for, without a doubt, the most controversial track in Formula 1, Circuit de Monaco. The Monte Carlo street track is one of four current tracks that were used for the inaugural season back in 1950, alongside Silverstone, Spa-Francorchamps, and Monza. Due to this, the history that Monaco holds for F1 can't be denied. But because of how big F1 cars are now, the opportunities for overtaking are virtually non-existent. It's been like this for decades, though, with Mansell finding no way past Senna despite having much fresher tires in 1992.

Qualifying has always been Monaco's moment to shine. The constant risk of crashing makes it a thrilling watch, and drivers such as Fernando Alonso call it "one of the best moments of the season" when speaking to ESPN. On race day, though, fans think the street circuit is simply "not suited for modern racing," as one Reddit user puts it. For the 2025 race, two pit stops were made mandatory, but all that did was make drivers back each other up to open a pit window for their teammates. The heritage, combined with the challenge, makes it one of the races that drivers want to win more than most, but from the outside, the heritage is the only thing that keeps it on the calendar.