Red Bull Motorsports
Motoring
Take a trip around the most extreme corners in F1
We’ve travelled the world to find the most extreme corners on the Formula One calendar. From the fastest, toughest and trickiest to the most iconic, here are the best turns in F1.
Whether it's all-out speed or game-changing opportunities for overtaking, all race fans have their own ideas about what makes a thrilling turn. But there are corners which strike fear – or at least major irritation – into the hearts of even the most seasoned pros. Here we take a look at the turns that make the best racing drivers in the world quake in their Sparcos.
01
Most fan-friendly: T1, Circuit of the Americas, USA
There are multiple ways through T1 at the Circuit of the Americas
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Made up of sections modelled after some of the most iconic in F1 racing, the Circuit of the Americas is already a greatest hits of track design. But the great Texan track also features a classic of its own in its mighty first corner – T1, or 'Big Red' as the local call it. The cars charge up the start/finish straight, climbing up the hill to the highest point of the circuit before turning sharply looking for the apex of the left-hander. Unlike most circuits, there’s several lines of approach all of which can pay off with an overtake. It’s also one of the most fan-friendly tracks where spectators can drink in the action from the grandstands and enjoy a Taylor Swift concert after the Grand Prix.
According to Daniel Ricciardo: “It’s one of the best circuits we go to on the calendar for racing. You can pass in four different places. There are some tracks you struggle to pass on once, so to have four different opportunities, with the shape of the corners and the apexes - everything just creates a really good atmosphere that encourages you to battle.”
02
Most iconic: Eau Rouge, Spa-Francorchamps, Belgium
The mighty Eau Rouge seen from the top of Raidillon
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Monaco has glamour and prestige but Spa-Francorchamps remains the greatest all-round test of a racing driver. You could make a case for Pouhon or Blanchimont from this same vast circuit but Eau Rouge-Raidillon is the signature corner. The cars exit the start-finish line, round the hairpin at La Source and down to Eau Rouge at the bottom of the track, are looking for the apex as the track goes left at Raidillon as they pitch up steeply the climb up to the Kemmel Straight. Belgium is a home race for Max Verstappen and he’s a huge fan. “It’s an incredible corner. In F1 it’s easy flat out nowadays but the compression you feel going through there is insane. It’s definitely one of my favourite corners of the season.”
Belgium is a home race for Max Verstappen and he’s a huge fan. “It’s an incredible corner. In F1 it’s easy flat out nowadays, but the compression you feel going through there is insane. It’s definitely one of my favourite corners of the season.”
03
Most testing: T11, Bahrain International Circuit, Bahrain
Sebastian Vettel races under lights at the Bahrain International Circuit
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With its consistent weather, Bahrain is the go-to venue for F1 testing and frequently first race of the season, but despite its familiarity to the F1 drivers it can still be unpredictable and nowhere more so than this left-hander. Low-lying Bahrain is hit by strong crosswinds which can throw the cars off the racing line. While the surface is grippy, the humid desert air means there’s less downforce and the corner is at the end of a DRS zone, adding another element of aero to handle. If drivers enter the corner in good shape, they can keep their foot down through the whole corner launching themselves into the final section. But coming at the end of a DRS section, this is also a great overtaking spot where a late-braking driver can take a place – or just as easily lose a place if they’re off balance going into the corner.
04
Most G Force: 130R, Suzuka, Japan
130R is one of the high spots of the season for any F1 driver
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The show-stopping centrepiece of one of F1's toughest tracks, and a mainstay of motor-racing video games. 130R takes its unassuming name from its 130m radius, and this double-apex corner is one of the fastest and most-feared in racing. Drivers exit the Spoon Curve and hit a long back straight to approach 130R nearly flat out. Like Parabolica below, it’s one of the fastest corners in the calendar and rewards the bravest of drivers.
At the 2025 Japanese Grand Prix, Max Verstappen broke the track record to claim pole for the Japanese Grand Prix going on to take a superb win. Asked by a reporter what it was like to nail the perfect lap of Suzuka, he said: “If you want to drive the car, I can let you have a go. But I think you’re gonna poop your pants.”
05
Most rewarding: Maggotts-Beckett, Silverstone, UK
Direction changes at fast, flowing Silverstone
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Maggots/Beckett is widely considered the most demanding and technical turn combo in racing, but Silverstone is such a fast, flowing circuit it’s hard to consider sections in isolation. We could start one corner back and say Copse-Maggotts-Beckett because the entry to the complex comes off the huge sweeping Copse corner. Nail the entry and the car will stay planted through a fast left, fast right, before forcing a double downshift into another fast right at the exit. It’s taken almost flat out while providing a complete workout for the drivers’ neck muscles. The exit brings you straight into the run up to the Chapel Curve and onto the Hangar Straight – so maybe we should make that Copse-Maggotts-Beckett-Chapel.
Jolyon Palmer: "Maggots and Becketts are pretty much one corner now because your foot is nailed down throughout. The end is not quite flat, but you’re happy to compromise there to get on the right part of the track for the exit."
06
Most physical: Campsa, Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, Spain
Campsa at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya is a test of nerve
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A full-throttle sixth-gear right-hander, this rollercoaster of a corner mixes punishing torque with sensory deprivation. Campsa kicks off with a completely blind entry, then switches from a steep uphill section to a sharp downhill exit, which makes it easy for drivers to misjudge their egress and run wide onto the astroturf.
According to Mark Webber, a winner there in 2010: "G-force makes it feel as though your body is being squeezed. In a fast corner, the G-force comes on laterally as we go around, so your ribs, hip and neck get squeezed into the edge of the seat. The force comes on slowly and peaks in the middle of the corner. But when you hit the brake pedal, the G-levels soar up and down. That feeling is completely different. You hit the brakes very, very hard, so the G force is extremely high but goes away quickly."
07
Most beautiful: T3, Red Bull Ring, Austria
The stunning views from the top of the Red Bull Ring
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A fan favourite, the Red Bull Ring is built on the side of a mountain thick with pine trees and dotted with campsites. It enjoys a commanding view across a vast plain host town of Spielberg far below. Drivers exit the start-finish straight, turn sharply to the right and begin the chase up the hill to T3 – the high point of the circuit. At the exit, your DRS will open giving you a great opportunity to pass before the technical section as the track brings you back down the mountain to the start-finish straight. If you’ve packed a camera, T3 is the perfect spot for a selfie with the mountains on one side and the rolling Styrian countryside on the other.
According to Max Verstappen, a five-time winner on the circuit: “The Austrian Grand Prix is always a special one. It is of course the home of Red Bull, so we have a good following of Austrian fans and also a lot of Dutch.”
08
Most rapid: Turns 21-22, Jeddah Corniche Circuit, Saudi Arabia
Jeddah Corniche: The fastest street circuit in F1
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Finally, we come to a chicane – normally spectacular and hugely fun for drivers, this particular chicane is the scariest in F1 and forms the most challenging part of the championship’s fastest street circuit. Turn 21 at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit is a blind entry left-hander, taken in sixth gear, with a wall on the left, before a quick sweep to the right. In 2021 when the track made its debut in F1, both Charles Leclerc and Mick Schumacher felt the wrath of this chicane. Changes were made in 2023 to reduce entry speed and to widen the section but it remains a stern test even for the world’s greatest drivers.
09
Most bankable: Hugenholtzbocht, Zandvoort, Netherlands
Extreme banking at Zandvoort
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Zandvoort is a tight and twisty circuit lying beside the blustery North Sea. It’s wall to wall with the Orange Army of Max Verstappen fans who fill the grandstands. The oddest corner on the most eccentric circuit of the season must be the high-speed left-hander, Hugenholtz. It features 18-degree banking allowing cars to take a wide, high entry, or tight, low entry with the aim of getting ahead of your rival before you converge at the exit. Named after the track designer Jon Hugenholtz, who also designed Suzuka, it suits Max Verstappen’s all-action driving style perfectly as he’s roared on from the stands in the sands. According to an interview with Dutch media, Max would like the Scheivlak Corner to be named after him one day.
Three-time Dutch Grand Prix winner Max Verstappen says: “The track is really cool – especially Turn 3 where the banking is amazing. I didn’t expect the banking to be that big but it’s really cool to drive an F1 car on. The last corner is… also pretty banked and with the new cars and DRS open through there it will be a good challenge and a lot of fun.”
10
Most historic: Parabolica, Monza, Italy
Monza is the Temple of Speed
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And for the big finish, where else than the Temple of Speed’s long, sweeping final corner, Parabolica – now renamed Curva Alboreto. Conquering the final turn on a lap of F1’s fastest circuit demands full commitment and nerve. Running with minimal downforce, the cars are skittish, relying on their tyres to maintain grip to keep them on track as they steadily increase the horsepower as they come through this long corner.
