Michel Leclère & Roelof Wunderink, 1975 US GP, photo by Christian Sinclair, CC BY 2.0.
If you have been following this series, you will remember how in Part 1 – The Legendary Tracks That Time Erased, we looked back at forgotten racing grounds lost to history, and in Part 2 – When Formula 1 Took Over the Streets, we revisited the wild days when the sport shut down city centers to race through narrow avenues.
Now, in Part 3, the focus shifts to something even more extreme — the circuits that were not simply difficult, but genuinely life-threatening. These were tracks where speed was king, safety was an afterthought, and only the bravest dared to push to the limit.
Below are some of the most legendary — and most dangerous — F1 circuits that defined the sport’s rawest era, which some of them are redesigned or not racing in F1 anymore, and some of them are gone forever.
Avus Berlin
It was never a normal race track, it was a stretch of Autobahn, with two long straights linked by banked corners so steep with looked like walls.
Cars hit terrifying speeds and the layout left no margin for error.
French driver Jean Behra lost his life in this circuit, F1 raced just once here, it was dangerous to compete here and now the track is abandoned and forgotten.
MORE INFO: AVUS FORGOTTEN CIRCUIT
Monza’s Old Oval
OLD MONZA: PHOTOS AND VIDEOS
Today’s Monza track is different to the original one, it was different in ’50s and 60s.
Drivers would rocket around steep banked corners with little grip and almost no protection.
It was eventually abandoned for safety reasons, but parts of the banking still stand like a ghostly reminder of an era when speed mattered more than survival.
Zeltweg Airfield Circuit
Before the Österreichring and Red Bull Ring, Austria’s first F1was held on an airfield in Zeltweg in 1963.
It was little more than a flat sprit of tarmac with cones and haybales marking the corners.
The lack of safety barriers made this track risky, and it was abandoned by F1.
Even so, Zeltweg remains a quirky, dangerous footnote in F1 history.
Rouen-les-Essarts
The legendary circuit in France, was breathtaking, fast downhill sweeps through forests with blind corners that tested the bravest drivers.
Despite its beauty, the track’s lack of safety features eventually saw it vanish from F1 calendar.
Today, parts of the old roads remains open to the public, carrying the memory of what once was.
Montjuïc Park
⚠️ Disclaimer: The Montjuïc street circuit in Barcelona, once part of Formula 1’s history,
is no longer in use for modern racing due to safety concerns. The video is a historic feature
and does not represent current F1 venues.
We shared this circuit also in the Part 2, it might have been one of the most scenic F1 venues ever.
After the accident in Montjuic Park back in 1975, this circuit was gone from F1 forever.
The Old Österreichring
The new circuit of Austrian GP is redesigned, but the old one was wide open, high speed rollercoaster set in the Styrian mountains.
Unlike the modern version, it had sweeping corners with little run off, meaning mistakes were punished harshly.
Safety concerns forced changes, but it was one of the fastest and most frightening circuits in F1 history.
Watkins Glen
The circuit in New York, was used by F1 from 1961 to 1980. Drivers loved its flowing layout but it was far from safe.
Despite upgrades, the track’s reputation was scarred and F1 eventually left after 1980, today the circuit thrives as a motorsport venue, but its F1 past remains bittersweet.
READ MORE: Watkins Glen Circuit
Zolder
We all know that Spa-Francorchamps is the icon of F1, but also Zolder hosted several grands prix.
It was tighter and less glamorous, but it came with its own dangers, in 1982, Villeneuve lost his life in this circuit during qualifying session.
The tragedies overshadowed its time on the calendar by the mid 1980s, F1 never competed here again.
Reims-Gueux
(INFO AND PHOTOS)
We also shared this circuit in Part 1, the track was used from 1950, the French Circuit.
Its long straights allowed slipstream battles that thrilled fans but terrified drivers.
Safety was virtually nonexistent, with straw bales and stone walls lining the track.
After 60s it became clear that Reims was too dangerous for modern F1 and it disappeared from the calendar.
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