The biggest category has some of the best circuits for spectating on the current calendar, including Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya and the Hungaroring, both of which benefit from a ‘natural amphitheater’ location that lends itself to viewing large parts of the circuit from most spectator areas, even General Admission. As well as better trackside views, another advantage of purpose-built circuits near large cities is, in general, a better quality of trackside infrastructure.
Having said that, there is quite some variation amongst the circuits in this category; the newer purpose-built circuits such as Circuit of The Americas and the three Middle Eastern circuits have much better facilities than the older ones such as Autodromo Imola, Circuit Zandvoort and Interlagos. Most circuits in this list, apart from the Hungaroring, COTA and the Middle Eastern venues, also have decent transport links from the closest major city. Staying in the city centre for these races is usually recommended; the only downside is that you will generally be travelling at least 30-60 minutes each way to get to and from the circuit.
Here’s our ranking of the nine purpose-built circuits near large cities on the 2024 F1 calendar: