There is more to motorsports than Monaco. Many fixate on the more well-known tracks and completely miss out on the underrated gems.
Whilst Monaco, Monza and Silverstone may dominate the headlines, there are dozens of gorgeous, technical, and underappreciated tracks around the world that deserve more love from fans, teams and broadcasters.
Mugello
Mugello is Italy’s underrated masterpiece. With its fast corners, heavy elevation changes, and a rhythm drivers dream of, Mugello is often forgotten.
Despite MotoGP treasuring this specific track, other forms of motorsport tend to discard it, for example; Formula 1 previously raced at Imola and still has Monza on its schedule, but they are missing out on an amazingly underrated track.
Bathurst
Bathurst is the Mount Everest of motorsport – Australia’s Mount Panorama is certainly no joke. The street circuit turned mountain climb is narrow, deadly and legendary. Many people don’t even know about this track – can you imagine!
During the Bathurst 1000, it is especially crazy; it is as though Le Mans had a wild night out with Monaco.
Knockhill
Knockhill is small but mighty, a hidden gem in Scotland. Touring cars can bounce over the curbs like pinballs, and the rain turns it into a massive slip n’ slide.
This is definitive proof that a track doesn’t need to be flashy, have massive budgets or massive facilities to be a great and iconic one.
Many have never heard of this gem, but there are still some championships that still take place on the Scottish circuit such as British Touring Cars, Formula 4, Porsche Carrera Cup, British Superbike Championship and more.
Suzuka
Suzuka is a temple of technical work and precision. This is often considered the driver’s track and challenges every aspect of racing: skill, bravery, tyre set up and so much more.
Its iconic figure-of-8 layout makes it extremely memorable – it’s like racing poetry. Suzuka is many people’s favourite track; fans, drivers and teams, due to the atmosphere however, people skim past it as it is often skipped over not only for budgetary reasons for smaller-scale championships, but also due to the rise of tracks such as Shanghai, Sepang, and Marina Bay.
Why These Tracks Matter
Most of the time, tracks are known for their glamour and often kept in line-ups due to funding and money. However, there is more to what makes a good track than this; there is soul, history, drama and architecture.
The number of tracks reminds us that motorsports is global. It acts as a universal language as well as a community of millions.
Let us know your favourite underrated track below!