Banned F1 circuit allowed to host races again after law change

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Banned F1 circuit allowed to host races again after law change

The Swiss track was notorious as one of the most challenging in the sport

Chris Deeley Editor

Experienced sports writer covering F1 and other motorsports since 2023

Sunday 27 April 2025 16:57

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A Formula 1 track notorious for being incredibly dangerous could be restored to racing again and theoretically approved by the FIA after a long-standing law was changed.

Switzerland's Circuit Bremgarten was infamous for its bad lighting thanks to the trees lining the track, as well as its high-speed corners and changing surfaces.

The lack of sunlight coming through the trees also meant that the circuit took far longer than normal to dry in places after it rained, leaving drivers going from dry conditions in the sunshine straight into a wet track in the shade.

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The track held grands prix in the early years of Formula 1 and even before the championship's 1950 start, with Achille Varzi losing his life at the 1948 Swiss Grand Prix.

Infamous F1 track available for racing once again

In the end though, it wasn't even an accident at the track which caused its removal from the calendar. Instead, the 1955 Le Mans disaster at the Circuit de la Sarthe in France was the catalyst for a major change.

84 people were killed when Pierre Levegh crashed at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, including Levegh himself and 83 spectators when his car fell apart on repeated impacts with the ground, sending massive pieces of debris into the crowd.

Switzerland brought in a spectator racing sports ban which spanned the whole country in response to the tragedy, as did France, Spain, West Germany, and a number of other European nations. Many of those bans were lifted relatively quickly, but the Swiss position remained long after.

The law was relaxed somewhat to allow for a Formula E race in Switzerland (although not at Circuit Bremgarten) in 2017, before the ban was lifted altogether as recently as 2022, meaning that F1 can come back to the country and one of its most notorious tracks.

That being said...there will almost certainly never be another F1 race at Circuit Bremgarten due to the advancement of safety factors taken in Formula 1 and by the FIA over the decades that have passed since.

The track was closed after the Le Mans disaster too, so the abandoned layout would be in need of a major revamp of facilities and even a layout change should it ever be considered for a return. Still, the biggest hurdle for that revamp is now out of the way.

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