These are the only things that cannot miss from a typical Formula 1 circuit. The rest can be very different from one location to the other, keeping the clockwise direction of the race though. There can also be some cases when the race runs in the opposite direction, but this is not very comfortable for the drivers at all. They can get serious neck problems due to the enormous lateral forces generated by F1 cars pulling their heads in the opposite direction to normal. Corners like the high-speed Eau Rouge at Spa-Francorchamps, the Parabolica at Monza and the Tamburello corner at Imola have become very well known in their own right.



The circuit in Monaco, which is used for the Monaco Grand Prix, is the only real street circuit around. The rest of the circuits have only been built in the purpose of competition. The fame and the history of the Monaco race are the main reasons why the circuit is still in use, as it is thought not to meet the strict safety requirements imposed on other tracks. No wonder that the three-time World champion Nelson Piquet described racing in Monaco as "riding a bicycle around your living room."

The new Bahrain International Circuit, which was designed, like most of F1's new circuits, by Hermann Tilke intends to protect the safety of drivers, unlike the 1950s, when a driver was lucky to find a strategically placed bale of straw to absorb an impact. There are many large run-off areas, gravel traps and tire barriers in the modern circuits, in order for the risk of injuries due to crashed to be reduced. The tragic disappearance of Ayrton Senna and Roland Ratzenberger at Imola during the 1994 season, safety has been enforced even more in all circuits. The main idea is to best match the speed of a car with both the ability of the barriers to safely absorb the energy of a crash and also the available space to slow down in before reaching a barrier.

Redesigns of the Formula 1 circuits will always have the main goal of meeting the safety standards for the drivers.