These Are the Cities You Want to See Host a Monaco-Style Street Circuit

“Detroit, by far.

“Now, I do not mean ‘best’ in terms of actual quality, I mean best in terms of excitement and extremeness.

“You have to dodge the potholes/craters/missing road surface all together or risk being shot into space, and if you take the wrong turn due to horrific signage, you end up on the bridge or tunnel to another country.

“What’s more extreme than that?”

Let’s get this one out the way first. Yes, Detroit does already host a street race around Belle Isle as part of the IndyCar season. But that didn’t stop a lot of you taking pot shots at its potholes.

So, maybe we need to see how an off-road racer gets on in the motor city?

Suggested by: mp81440

“I’d love one in center city Philadelphia.

“It’d work too, have Ben Franklin Parkway leading to the art museum as a split Pit straight, go down past boat house row on Kelly Drive, it’d be fantastic.”

Fantastic is exactly what we want from a street circuit, and passing a few cultural institutions is always a nice bonus.

Suggested by: @cfoley23 (Twitter)

“Easy, Pamplona, Spain. The Running of the Red Bulls!

“Really, the city is used to shutting down for a week for the Festival de San Fermin, so the citizens know how to handle it and all the drunken partiers that go along with it. The week-long festival attracts about a million visitors, so handling an F1 crown would be no problem.”

If a herd of angry bulls can charge through this Spanish city, surely a herd of angry race drivers would also be welcome? Maybe the race cars don’t chase a bunch of spectators though.

Suggested by: majordawlish

“LA or SD No question

“SoCal got some of the best scenic roads to drive on. Mountains and the pacific highway all in the same city.”

While the city-center of these Californian metropolises might be jammed up with traffic, it’s mountain roads offer a different story. Let’s see something twisting and turning through these glorious hills, right?

Suggested by: @_mastertiago (Twitter)

“San Francisco. Make sure it’s the hill country and particularly the historic ‘W’ road (whatever its name may be.) Monaco has those incredible altitude changes that really tests a vehicle’s handling.”

We did it, we found the perfect answer! Good job team.

Suggested by: David Fields

“Kuala Terengganu, Malaysia. Seaside views, a big bridge, some hilly roads, a Chinatown, and the old town part of it is packed af. I reckon that would be a good street race (totally not biased because I’m from there)”

Racing across a bridge sounds like a great idea. And, the mix of elevation and scenery would make a race around Kuala Terengganu a great site for everyone.

Suggested by: Anas Khairi (Facebook)

“With a radial pattern overtop a grid. With some ‘English’ (aka organic follow the earth as well) roads as well. Big international $ audience.

“The locals will not notice because someone is always blocking or closing the streets without notice anyway.

“Straights. Chicanes in a roundabout. Or shiiiiiii-canes. Hit rock creek park for some curves and narrows. Get a last lap near the RFK (roads would be fun)

“And they will still NOT match the speed of your standard Black C-Class with Maryland Tags.”

Not sure “the locals will not notice” 20 angry racing cars dropping into the center of Washington. But, I’m happy to trial this plan to see if anyone spots them.

Suggested by: futuredoc

“Tampa, FL. They could do a loop across the bay bridges. They were popular drag racing spots for our car scene like 15+ years ago.”

Another excellent suggestion involving another excellent bridge. Let’s make this happen! Just check there aren’t any Florida motorists behind the wheel when you head across the bridge.

Suggested by: @IAmGaroott

“Just throwing this one out because I’m feeling homesick today for my hometown.

“St. John’s Newfoundland.

“Lots of nightlife and the elevation change is epic not to mention everyone street in the downtown area is a curve of some proportion.

“And no racer needs to open his wallet to get a pint or ten on George Street.”

I find Newfoundland fascinating, so would be more than happy to cover the St John’s Grand Prix for Jalopnik whenever it does happen.

Suggested by: gdoughill

“Chicago for sure. Cars going 190 down Lake Shore, sound reverberating on the old Water Tower. If they could figure it out, going through Lower Wacker would be insane.”

NASCAR used to run the Chicagoland 400 in nearby Joliet. So, why not resurrect this old race in the heart of Chicago?

Suggested by: Bill Johnson (Facebook)

“Phoenix would be cool. Lots of wide straight streets for fast runs, combine that with our abundant mountain roads and you could have a really cool course. There actually was a Grand Prix here from 1989 to 1991, super neat.”

As F1 showed with its return to The Netherlands, motorsport is all about returning to familiar faces these days. So, why not run a race through the mountains surrounding Phoenix? That would be lovely.

Suggested by: dannyzabolotny

“We’ve got a killer hill climb spot here.

“Perfect for time trials. No homes or businesses in the area. A park, with a campground, and parking lot, for a staging area, starting line. Big turn around at the upper end.

“Room for several cars to park out of the way, to wait for the drive back down. Alternate routes for what little traffic there is

“Lots of turnouts for breakdowns, safety crews, spectators, concessions, and camera crews.”

This all sounds perfect, if only we knew where this guy was talking about!

Suggested by: Qyv Kife (Facebook)

“Naypyidaw, capital city of Myanmar. Forget the fact it was built by a crazy dictator to be a huge city center, and focus on the fact that they grossly overestimated the amount of roads they would need.

“So, their roads look like this. Imagine how much slipstream and passing they would have!”

Big wide roads lead to big wider overtakes. Let’s see race cars go six-wide down the streets of Naypydaw, please.

Suggested by: edu-petrolhead

“With Porsche entering F1, I could see an Atlanta race either on a street course or at Road Atlanta (if Porsche or someone else buys it and upgrades it to F1 spec). Porsche has a giant presence in Atlanta.”

It sounds like the stars are aligning for this fourth American F1 race. Well, if all the Porsche to F1 rumors are to be believed.

Suggested by: Mike Smith (Facebook)

“F1 in an exotic location, yet do-able, yet reachable for Americans? Hmmmmm.

“I’d want to lay out a course around Honolulu. Between the mountains, the tropical rain forests, and the beaches, surely they could lay out one helluva F1 course there.”

Sure, Hawaii might be more well-known for its prestigious spot on global surfing competitions, but that doesn’t mean it can’t branch out. I’m picturing a Formula E race on the streets of Honolulu that highlights the importance of protecting our coastlines.

Suggested by: the1969dodgechargerguy

“Should build a track in Stockholm around the waterfront.”

More racing around waterfronts! Maybe Monaco is onto something with its track around the iconic harbor.

Suggested by: David Rasthammar (Facebook)

“It will never happen due to the nimby’s & nimbobs, but I used to fantasize about a Boston Grand Prix. The loop between Storrow & Memorial Drives and the Mass Ave Bridge & either Longfellow Bridge or Leverett Circle would make a great track and venue.”

We can always dream, Philip. And a road race in Boston is a great dream to share.

Suggested by: Philip Möndellō (Facebook)

“There are three city-states in the world: Monaco, Singapore, and The Vatican. The Vatican is the only one without a Formula 1 race. I think the time is right for the Pope to up his motorsports game and arrange for the Vatican Grand Prix.”

Sure, the only car that regularly covers the cobblestones might be a Popemobile. But, that doesn’t mean The Vatican can’t be tempted to mix up its motorized offering to bring in more parishioners.

Suggested by: joeclaffeyjr

“Pittsburgh, PA.

“Stadium Circle to the North Shore:, river views, pedestrian access along the river, amenities and refreshments at PNC Park, Stage AE, and Heinz Field along with VIP sections in the Stadium club and concourses overlooking the course.

“6th Street Bridge along Fort Duquesne Boulevard in downtown, back across the 9th Street Bridge (leaving the 7th Street Bridge for pedestrian access to both sides of the river).

“Then a bit of Monaco with a trip down Lacock Street with room for bleacher on both sides. Left near the Rivers Casino, and back around.

“There could be pit space along Fort Duquesne Boulevard and a Start/Finish along that straight.”

You’ve got it all planned out, haven’t you? Can’t wait to see this track on the all-electric IndyCar 2030 calendar.

Suggested by: Patrick Boyle (Facebook)