Last night, Formula 1 announced plans to return to Las Vegas for the 2023 season. Responses were... mixed, with some fans just happy for more U.S. tracks while others declared it the worst track layout of all time. It’s certainly not the cleanest example of an F1 track, but is it the worst track in the history of racing? Surely we, the readers and writers of Jalopnik, can come up with worse.
There are a few ways to determine the truly worst track. You could argue that a good course, beset on all sides by nosy neighbors who dislike noise and lobby for strictly enforced sound limits, would be the worst due to its unrealized potential. Maybe the worst track just has a layout so boring, a particularly even-handed toddler could draw a better course.
Or maybe the worst track is one that drivers and teams feel genuinely unsafe participating, but can’t stop the race without risking imprisonment in the country. They say a clear mind makes for clean racing lines, so the ever-looming threat of mortal peril doesn’t seem like a great introduction to drivers’ pre-race prep.
The criteria for Worst Race Track Of All Time Ever, though, isn’t limited to those few options. If you can justify your pick, any track is fair game — even the one, true, perfect track upon which we can all unequivocally agree [ed. note: Except Blackstock], Watkins Glen International.
So what’s the worst track ever raced? Street circuits, road courses, ovals, even dirt tracks and rally stages are eligible for contention. Give us your least favorite tracks to drive or spectate, and we’ll collect our favorite responses tomorrow as a perfect guide for race organizers around the world.