Isle of Man Street Circuit – Douglas

When was the track built?

The Isle of Man is synonym of motorbike racing since the beginning of the 20^th century, with both a street circuit in Douglas, stopped in 1953, and the legendary Tourist Trophy, still going yearly.
This heritage will be honored with one of the most imaginative projects of the new F1, a 6.8km street circuit starting on the Loch Promenade, designed by me.
It will challenge Montecarlo and Macau for the title of most difficult street course.
The pit area is on the promenade, with similar temporary garages used in the principality; only few stands in the port area, while most of fans will exploit the natural hill climb to enjoy the race.

When was its first Grand Prix?

It will be the first ever race on this racetrack.
It’s one of the seven circuits to rotate for two spots in the European Continental Series and one in the World Title F1.

What’s the circuit like?

Thanks to its length, that will contribute to make it iconic, it can be split into two parts: the first one, around the port and the marina and up to turn 13, can easily remind of Monaco circuit; drivers will have to focus more on being extremely precise rather than overtaking.
Roads are pretty tight, small bumps could upset cars and elevation changes are significant as well.
The second one, starting at the ultra fast Turn 14, is inspired by the Tourist Trophy, with many straights and high-speed sections followed by hard-braking points, where overtaking would be possible.
This section is also made more challenging by the constantly changing nature of the terrain that creates a flow of uphill and downhill bits while cars travel at high speeds through the houses of the island.
The steep downhill straight between Turn 19 and 20 will become one of the most recognizable traits of this track.
Low temperatures, unpredictable weather and winds could easily become a factor.

Where is it located?

On the streets of Douglas, Isle of Man, in the waterfront and marina area. The local airport, connected to the main British ones, is around 10km away. (54°09’08.9″N 4°28’40.1″W)