The Craziest F1 Tracks No Longer in the Calendar

#5 Nürburgring

The old Nürburgring-Nordschleife goes through a stunning landscape

Our list would not be complete without the old Nürburgring track. The modern Nürburgring we know was opened in 1984 to replace the dangerous and long old one. The longer version was drawn by engineers in only two years. The 'groundbreaking ceremony' was in 1925 and the track was officially opened in 1927.

The circuit was 23.8-km long then, including the legendary and dangerous Nordschleife (North Loop). The first Formula 1 world championship event was held here in 1951.

"Difficult to drive, easy to die," was how world champion Jochen Rindt described the old Nürburgring. Nordschleife had 160 corners and it tested the drivers as the track went up and down -- the elevation change was over 300 metres. The track was very dangerous and Niki Lauda had a near-fatal accident here in 1976. This marked the end of the old Nürburgring as a Grand Prix track. In a way, it also marked the end of an era in Formula 1.

Nick Heidfeld drove a Formula 1 show-run on Nordschleife with his BMW-Sauber in 2007.