{{Short description|Street courses used by motor races in downtown Detroit}} {{About|the 1982–1991, 2023–present course|the 1992–2022 course on Belle Isle|Raceway at Belle Isle Park}} {{Use mdy dates|date=April 2026}} {{Infobox motorsport venue | name = Detroit Street Circuit | location = [[Detroit, Michigan]], USA | coordinates = {{Coord|42|19|47.1|N|83|2|24.4|W|display=it}} | image = [[File:TrackMap Detroit-2023.png|class=skin-invert|250px]] | image_caption = Grand Prix Circuit (2023–present) | fia_grade = 2 | events = '''Current:'''<br />'''[[IndyCar Series|IndyCar]]'''<br />''[[Detroit Grand Prix (IndyCar)|Detroit Grand Prix]]'' (2023–present)<br />'''[[IMSA SportsCar Championship]]'''<br />''[[Detroit Grand Prix (IndyCar)#IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship|Detroit Sports Car Classic]]'' (2024–present)<br />'''[[Indy NXT]]'''<br />''Indy NXT by Firestone Detroit Grand Prix'' (1989–1991, 2023–present)<br />'''Former:'''<br />[[Michelin Pilot Challenge]]<br />''Detroit Grand Prix'' (2023)<br />[[Trans-Am Series|Trans-Am]]<br />''[[Detroit Grand Prix (IndyCar)#Trans-Am Motor City 100|Motor City 100]]'' (1984–1991, 2023)<br />[[Formula One]]<br />''[[Detroit Grand Prix]]'' (1982–1988)<br />[[Champ Car|CART]] ''[[Detroit Grand Prix (IndyCar)|Detroit Grand Prix]]'' (1989–1991)<br />[[Formula Atlantic]] (1983) | opened = {{Start date and age|1982|06|04}}<br />Re-opened: {{Start date and age|2023|06|02}} | closed = {{Start date and age|1991|06|16}} | miles_first = true | layout = Grand Prix Circuit (2023–present) | length_mi = 1.645 | length_km = 2.647 | turns = 10 | record_time = 1:01.9410 | record_driver = {{flagicon|USA}} [[Kyle Kirkwood]] | record_car = [[Dallara DW12]] | record_year = [[2023 Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix|2023]] | record_class = [[IndyCar Series|IndyCar]] | layout2 = Grand Prix Circuit (1983–1991) | length2_mi = 2.499 | length2_km = 4.023 | turns2 = 22 | record_time2 = 1:40.464 | record_driver2 = {{flagicon|BRA|1968}} [[Ayrton Senna]] | record_car2 = [[Lotus 99T]] | record_year2 = [[1987 Detroit Grand Prix|1987]] | record_class2 = [[Formula One|F1]] | layout3 = Grand Prix Circuit (1982) | length3_mi = 2.590 | length3_km = 4.168 | turns3 = 24 | record_time3 = 1:50.438 | record_driver3 = {{flagicon|FRA|1974}} [[Alain Prost]] | record_car3 = [[Renault RE30B]] | record_year3 = [[1982 Detroit Grand Prix|1982]] | record_class3 = [[Formula One|F1]] }}
The streets of [[Detroit]], in the [[U.S. state]] of [[Michigan]], hosted [[Formula One]] racing, and later [[Championship Auto Racing Teams]] (CART) racing, between the 1982 and 1991 seasons. The [[street circuit]] course was set up near the [[Renaissance Center]] and the [[Cobo Arena]], also including a small part of the [[M-1 (Michigan highway)|M-1 highway]], also known as Woodward Avenue. It is a flat circuit, with elevation ranging from {{cvt|577–604|ft|m|abbr=on}} above sea level.
The circuit was reopened on June 2, 2023, for the [[Detroit Grand Prix (IndyCar)|IndyCar Detroit Grand Prix]] race weekend with a modified and shortened layout.<ref name='detroit_indycar_2023' >{{cite web|url=https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/detroit-city-council-approves-detroit-grand-prixs-downtown-move-starting-in-2023/ar-AAQhZGW|title=Detroit City Council approves Detroit Grand Prix's downtown move starting in 2023|website=msn.com|date=November 3, 2021|accessdate=November 3, 2021}}</ref>
==History== ===Formula One=== Created largely in an effort to improve the city's international image, the race meant that the United States would host three Grands Prix in the [[1982 Formula One season|1982 season]] (the other two US races, [[1982 United States Grand Prix West|Long Beach]] and [[1982 Caesars Palace Grand Prix|Las Vegas]], had been added to the schedule for similar purposes), the only nation in F1 history to do so until the [[2020 Formula One season|2020 season]], when Italy also hosted three Grands Prix: [[2020 Italian Grand Prix|Monza]], [[2020 Tuscan Grand Prix|Mugello]], and [[2020 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix|Imola]]. The inaugural [[1982 Detroit Grand Prix|Detroit Grand Prix]] saw [[McLaren]]'s [[John Watson (racing driver)|John Watson]] claim victory after starting in 17th place, then the lowest grid position for an eventual race winner on a street circuit. (Watson would break his own record at Long Beach [[1983 United States Grand Prix West|the next year]] by winning from 22nd place.)
1982 in Detroit would also see the last time to date (as of {{F1|2025}}) that a reigning World Drivers' Champion would fail to qualify for a Formula One World Championship Grand Prix. On that occasion it was [[Nelson Piquet]] in the [[Brabham BT50|Brabham]]-[[BMW M12|BMW]] turbo who, after numerous problems during initial qualifying, was in 28th position (only 26 cars would start), never got the chance to improve in final qualifying due to the final hour being held in wet conditions where lap times were at least 12 seconds slower.
The Detroit street circuit's place in Formula One history was assured when [[Michele Alboreto]] won the [[1983 Detroit Grand Prix|1983 race]] driving a [[Tyrrell 011]]. This was the last of 155 Grand Prix wins for the 3.0L [[Cosworth DFV]] [[V8 engine]], dating back to its debut at the [[1967 Dutch Grand Prix]] in the hands of dual World Champion [[Jim Clark]]. It was also the last of 23 Formula One race wins for [[Tyrrell Racing|Tyrrell]], who had won their first Grand Prix at the [[1971 Spanish Grand Prix]] with [[1971 Formula One season|that year's]] World Champion [[Jackie Stewart]] driving the [[Tyrrell 003]].
The race soon gained a reputation for being horrendously demanding and gruelling, with the very bumpy track often breaking up badly under the consistently hot weather. It was perhaps the single hardest race on both car and driver in Formula One during the 1980s, often producing races of attrition in which a large number of cars would retire due to mechanical breakdown or contact with the narrow concrete walls. Brakes and gearboxes in particular were tested to their breaking points—the drivers had to brake hard more than 20 times per lap and change gears around 50 to 60 times in one lap (cars still had manual gearboxes in those days), for 62 laps usually lasting around 1 minute and 45 seconds. At least half the field retired in each race; it was thus considered an achievement if a driver could even finish the race, let alone win it.
[[1984 Detroit Grand Prix|The 1984 race]], won by reigning World Champion Piquet, tied an F1 road course record by featuring 20 retirements. Shortly after the race, impurities were found in the water injection system of [[Martin Brundle]]'s Tyrrell, causing him to be stripped of his 2nd-place finish and Tyrrell (by then the only team still using the naturally-aspirated DFV) to be disqualified from the entire 1984 season. The race's five classified finishers (discounting Brundle) is beaten only by the [[1966 Monaco Grand Prix]].
By [[1985 Detroit Grand Prix|1985]], Detroit was the sole American venue on the F1 calendar—Las Vegas had been dropped after 1982, Long Beach switched to [[Championship Auto Racing Teams|CART]] for 1984, and a new event in [[Dallas Grand Prix|Dallas]] only lasted [[1984 Dallas Grand Prix|one year]] after the heat and deteriorating track conditions almost saw it cancelled on the morning of the race. That year saw [[Ayrton Senna]] take pole position, and he went on to enjoy substantial success at the circuit, winning the [[1986 Detroit Grand Prix|1986]], [[1987 Detroit Grand Prix|1987]], and [[1988 Detroit Grand Prix|1988]] races, as well as taking further pole positions in 1986 and 1988.
The track was only moderately received by the drivers, and was especially disliked by world champions [[Alain Prost]] and Piquet. Despite his open dislike of the track, Prost did finish second in 1988, and third in 1986 and 1987 (all for McLaren). Piquet, who generally disliked street circuits (with the exception of the faster and more open [[Adelaide Street Circuit|Adelaide circuit]] in [[Australian Grand Prix|Australia]]), won at Detroit in 1984 and came second to Senna in 1987. Embarrassingly, Piquet hit the wall during practice for the 1988 race when he spun his [[Lotus 100T|Lotus]]-Honda into the wall coming out of turn 1. At the time, the Lotus had been carrying an onboard camera for some recorded laps.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=inR9uGzlLBM |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211221/inR9uGzlLBM |archive-date=2021-12-21 |url-status=live|title=Nelson Piquet crash - Detroit 1988 |publisher=Youtube.com |date=2009-08-03 |access-date=2013-12-27}}{{cbignore}}</ref>
The 1988 race, similar to the failed Dallas event, was extremely hot, and the circuit broke up very badly due to the intense heat and humidity. After the race, the drivers were far more vocal in their criticism of the track, with race winner Senna comparing driving on the crumbled surface to driving in heavy rain. 1988 subsequently proved to be the last F1 race in Detroit, as the sport's governing body [[FIA|FISA]] ruled that its temporary pit area wasn't up to the required standard for a World Championship race. The United States Grand Prix moved to [[Phoenix street circuit|another street circuit]] in [[Phoenix, Arizona]], while the Detroit event became a [[Detroit Grand Prix (IndyCar)|CART race]].
===CART=== Three [[Championship Auto Racing Teams|CART]] races were held on the track which was altered slightly with the removal of the unpopular chicane immediately prior to the pits. [[Emerson Fittipaldi]] won the first and last races and [[Michael Andretti]] won the second race; Andretti also won pole position for each Detroit race. The final race featured an unusual lack of attrition as nearly 3/4 of the drivers finished.
The race was not economically viable for the city, so the venue was changed to a temporary course on [[Raceway at Belle Isle Park|Belle Isle]] for the 1992 season. That event lasted until 2001 as a CART event and was briefly revived for the 2007 and 2008 [[American Le Mans Series]] and [[IndyCar Series]] seasons, and then again from 2012 through 2019. There was no race in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The race returned for both 2021 and 2022 with the race moving to a new location for 2023 (see next section for more details).
===IndyCar=== It was announced on November 3, 2021, that the [[IndyCar Series]] Detroit Grand Prix would move from the [[Raceway at Belle Isle Park]] back to the downtown circuit beginning in 2023.<ref name='detroit_indycar_2023' /> The new circuit is significantly smaller and features fewer corners than the original Detroit street circuit, with only two of the original circuit's corners being repurposed for the new circuit. Penske Entertainment president Bud Denker said that while bringing back the original circuit layout was considered, it was ultimately not used due to the higher costs of resurfacing the larger circuit, the impact closing the side streets would have on local businesses operating on the circuit, and having a negative effect on traffic in the area. This new circuit focuses mostly on Atwater Street and East Jefferson Avenue and only features ten corners compared to the twenty-two corners the original circuit had.
==Layout history== {{Gallery | title = | align = center | footer = | style = text-align:center; | mode = packed |File:Downtown Detroit Street Circuit (1982).svg |Grand Prix Circuit (1982) |File:Downtown Detroit Street Circuit.svg |Grand Prix Circuit (1983–1991) |File:TrackMap Detroit-2023.png |Grand Prix Circuit (2023–present) }}
==Winners== ===Formula One=== {{main|Detroit Grand Prix}}
===CART=== {{main|Detroit Grand Prix (IndyCar)}}
===IndyCar=== {{main|Detroit Grand Prix (IndyCar)}}
==Lap records==
As of May 2026, the official fastest race lap records at the Detroit Street Circuit are listed as:
{| class="wikitable" !Category!!Time!!Driver!!Vehicle!!Event |- ! colspan=5 | Grand Prix Circuit (2023–present): {{cvt|1.645|mi|km|abbr=on}} |- | [[IndyCar Series|IndyCar]] || '''1:01.9410'''<ref>{{cite web |title=2023 Detroit Grand Prix Event Summary |url=https://motorsports.nbcsports.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2023/06/indycar-eventsummary.pdf |date=4 June 2023 |access-date=5 June 2023}}</ref> || [[Kyle Kirkwood]] || [[Dallara DW12]] || [[2023 Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix|2023 Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix presented by Lear]] |- | [[Indy NXT]] || '''1:05.5533'''<ref>{{cite web |title=2025 Detroit Indy NXT |url=https://www.motorsportmagazine.com/database/races/2025-detroit-indy-nxt/ |website=[[Motor Sport (magazine)|Motor Sport Magazine]] |date=1 June 2025 |access-date=9 June 2025}}</ref> || [[Lochie Hughes]] || [[Dallara IL-15]] || [[2025 Indy NXT|2025 Indy NXT by Firestone Detroit Grand Prix]] |- | [[LMDh]]|| '''1:05.874'''<ref name='2024_detroit_imsa'>{{Cite web |title=2024 Chevrolet Detroit Sports Car Classic - Race Official Results (1 Hours 40 Minutes) |url=https://imsa.results.alkamelcloud.com/Results/24_2024/09_Detroit%20Street%20Course/01_IMSA%20WeatherTech%20SportsCar%20Championship/202406011510_Race/03_Results_Race_Official.PDF |publisher=[[IMSA|International Motor Sports Association (IMSA)]] |date=5 June 2024 |access-date=5 June 2024}}</ref> || [[Nick Tandy]] || [[Porsche 963]] || [[2024 Chevrolet Detroit Sports Car Classic]] |- | [[Le Mans Hypercar|LMH]]|| '''1:06.996'''<ref name='2026_detroit_imsa'>{{Cite web |title=2026 Chevrolet Detroit Sports Car Classic - Race Results by Driver Fastest Lap |url=https://imsa.results.alkamelcloud.com/Results/26_2026/11_Detroit%20Street%20Course/01_IMSA%20WeatherTech%20SportsCar%20Championship/202605301610_Race/06_Fastest%20Lap%20By%20Driver_Race.PDF |publisher=[[IMSA|International Motor Sports Association (IMSA)]] |date=30 May 2026 |access-date=1 June 2026}}</ref> || [[Roman De Angelis]] || [[Aston Martin Valkyrie AMR-LMH]] || [[2026 Detroit Sports Car Classic]] |- | [[Group GT3|GT3]] || '''1:09.848'''<ref name='2026_detroit_imsa' /> || [[Alexander Sims (racing driver)|Alexander Sims]] || [[Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R]] || [[2026 Detroit Sports Car Classic]] |- | [[Trans-Am Series|Trans-Am]] || '''1:13.323'''<ref>{{cite web |title=Trans Am Championship Presented by Pirelli - Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix Presented By Lear - June 2nd-4th 2023 - The Big Machine Spiked Coolers TA2 Series Round 6 - Race 2 Official Results |url=http://gotransam.cdn.racersites.com/assets/TA2%20Race%202%20Official%20Race%20Results.pdf |date=20 June 2023 |access-date=1 July 2023}}</ref> || [[Connor Zilisch]] || [[Chevrolet Camaro (sixth generation)#Motorsports|Chevrolet Camaro Trans-Am]] || [[2023 Trans-Am Series|2023 Detroit Trans-Am round]] |- | [[SRO GT4|GT4]] || '''1:15.352'''<ref>{{cite web |title=2023 Chevrolet Detroit Sports Car Classic - Race Official Results (1 Hours 40 Minutes) |url=http://imsa.alkamelsystems.com/Results/23_2023/11_Detroit%20Street%20Course/01_IMSA%20Michelin%20Pilot%20Challenge/202306031610_Race/03_Results_Race_Official.PDF |publisher=[[IMSA|International Motor Sports Association (IMSA)]] |date=7 June 2023 |access-date=10 June 2023}}</ref> || [[Scott Andrews (racing driver)|Scott Andrews]] || [[Mercedes-AMG GT#AMG GT4 (2017–present)|Mercedes-AMG GT4]] || [[2023 Michelin Pilot Challenge|2023 Chevrolet Detroit Sports Car Classic]] |- ! colspan=5 | Grand Prix Circuit (1983–1991): {{cvt|2.499|mi|km|abbr=on}}<ref name='detroit_msportmagazine' >{{cite web |title=Detroit - Motor Sport Magazine |url=https://www.motorsportmagazine.com/database/circuits/detroit/ |website=[[Motor Sport (magazine)|Motor Sport Magazine]] |access-date=28 May 2022}}</ref> |- | [[Formula One]] || '''1:40.464''' || [[Ayrton Senna]] || [[Lotus 99T]] || [[1987 Detroit Grand Prix]] |- | [[Championship Auto Racing Teams|CART]] || '''1:46.004'''<ref>{{cite news |title=1990 Detroit Grand Prix |url=https://www.motorsportmagazine.com/database/races/1990-detroit-grand-prix/ |website=[[Motor Sport (magazine)|Motor Sport Magazine]] |date=17 June 1990 |access-date=28 May 2022}}</ref> || [[Michael Andretti]] || [[Lola T90/00]] || [[1990 CART PPG Indy Car World Series|1990 Valvoline Detroit Grand Prix]] |- | [[Indy NXT|Indy Lights]] || '''1:52.744'''<ref>{{cite web |title=1989 Detroit Indy Lights |url=https://www.motorsportmagazine.com/database/races/1989-detroit-indy-lights/ |website=[[Motor Sport (magazine)|Motor Sport Magazine]] |date=18 June 1989 |access-date=28 May 2022}}</ref> || [[Ted Prappas]] || [[March Engineering#Car designations|Wildcat]]-[[Buick V6 engine|Buick]] || [[1989 American Racing Series season#Detroit race|1989 Detroit Indy Lights round]] |- | [[Formula Atlantic]] || '''1:55.558'''<ref>{{cite web |title=Detroit, Kroger Centennial 100 at the US Grand Prix, June 4 Juin 1983 |url=http://www.autocourse.ca/archives/usa/fatlantic/1983-fatlantic.htm |date=4 June 1983 |access-date=3 June 2022}}</ref> || [[Michael Andretti]] || [[Ralt RT4]] || [[Formula Atlantic|1983 Kroger Centennial 100]] |- | [[Trans-Am Series|Trans-Am]] || '''2:01.538'''<ref>{{cite web |title=Trans-Am Detroit 1988 |url=https://www.racingsportscars.com/race/Detroit-1988-06-19.html |date=19 June 1988 |access-date=28 May 2022}}</ref> || [[Pete Halsmer]] || [[Merkur XR4Ti]] || [[1988 Trans-Am Series|1988 Detroit Trans-Am round]] |- ! colspan=5 | Original Grand Prix Circuit (1982): {{cvt|2.590|mi|km|abbr=on}}<ref name='detroit_msportmagazine' /> |- | [[Formula One]] || '''1:50.438''' || [[Alain Prost]] || [[Renault RE30B]] || [[1982 Detroit Grand Prix]] |}
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links==
{{IndyCar Series racetracks}} {{IMSA SportsCar Championship circuits}} {{Indy NXT racetracks}} {{Formula One circuits}} {{IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge racetracks}} {{Trans-Am tracks}} {{Atlantic Championship circuits}} {{Champ Car tracks}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Detroit Street Circuit}} [[Category:History of Detroit]] [[Category:Motorsport venues in Michigan]] [[Category:Formula One circuits]] [[Category:Champ Car circuits]] [[Category:Trans-Am tracks]] [[Category:IMSA SportsCar Championship circuits]] [[Category:United States Grand Prix]] [[Category:Detroit Grand Prix (IndyCar)]] [[Category:IndyCar Series tracks]] [[Category:Indy NXT tracks]]