69 years ago, F1 raced its craziest Grand Prix on an incredible 25 km circuit!
- Published on 18/08/2026 12:08
On August 18, 1957, F1 raced at the Pescara Grand Prix on the longest circuit ever used in the World Championship. A different era, for sure.
Today, Spa-Francorchamps and its 7.004 km almost seem gigantic on the F1 calendar. But on August 18, 1957, the drivers would probably have found the Belgian track a bit short. On that day, F1 arrived in Pescara, Italy, on a road circuit measuring… 25.579 km. Yes, more than 25 kilometers for a single lap.
The layout uses roads normally open to traffic, passes through several villages, and combines long straights, fast corners, and much more winding sections. All this with the safety standards of 1957, which means a few bales of straw and a lot of optimism.
A unique F1 race in more than one way
The 1957 Pescara Grand Prix remains to this day the only race counting towards the F1 World Championship held on this circuit. With its 25.579 km, it remains above all the longest track in the history of the championship.
In front of a massive crowd, estimated at around 200,000 spectators, the drivers only need to complete 18 laps. That still represents nearly 461 kilometers of racing.
Juan Manuel Fangio secured pole position in his Maserati, but it was Stirling Moss who quickly took the lead with his Vanwall. The Briton emerged victorious after nearly three hours of racing, finishing more than three minutes ahead of Fangio. Harry Schell completed the podium in a Maserati.
Pescara also has another astonishing feature: its gigantic straight imposes considerable speeds for the time. The circuit had even been equipped as early as the 1930s with a chicane intended to slow down competitors.
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Formula 1 will never return to race a round of the World Championship there. A 25 km circuit, villages crossed at full speed, and 200,000 spectators by the roadside: 69 years ago, F1 still felt fiercely like an adventure.
This page is translated from the original post "Il y a 69 ans, la F1 courait son Grand Prix le plus fou sur un incroyable circuit de 25 km !" in French.
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