Layout: Actual
When was the track built?
Yugoslavia has always been a key appointment in the motorbike World Championship, but when in 1977 Opatija circuit was finally considered too dangerous, the need for a new permanent venue was obvious.
The Grobnik racetrack was then built in 1978 and it hosted title motorcycle races until the 1990s, when the dated facilities and more financial struggles for the newly-independent Croatia forced it out of the scene.
Thanks to its interesting layout and to better condition for GP hosts, it will become part of the F1 database, but it will require improvements in the run-off areas and a pit building refurbishment.
When was its first Grand Prix?
It will be the first ever Formula 1 race on this racetrack.
It will rotate with the new Zagreb circuit for the final race spot, assigned to Croatia, in the F1 European Series calendar.
What’s the circuit like?
Once the safety improvements will be completed, the layout will be very interesting, with a challenging turn 2 braking zone after a short and fast bend.
The central part is characterized by the “double snakes”, before the final sector, almost completely straight.
Overtaking will be difficult, making mistakes very easy; set-ups will look for balance, drivers for extreme precision in high-speed corners.
Where is it located?
In Grobnik, with a private airport just on the other side of the road. Rijeka and Trieste airports are thirty minutes and two hours away respectively. (+ 45°22’57”, + 14°30’23”)
All Along The Racetrack 