Circuits

The longest and probably most dangerous circuit in Formula One history held just one championship grand prix in 1957. The layout consisted of two long straights joining the towns of Capelle, Monte Silvano and Pescara as well as a wild ride through the Abruzzo hills, a mile of which was on cliff-top roads with 500 foot drops to one side. The circuit was first used in 1924 and hosted regular non-championship races until it was closed in the 1960s due to safety concerns. Stirling Moss won the 1957 event driving a Vanwall in front of 200,000 spectators, after Ferrari decided not to participate in protest to the Italian government's proposal to ban road racing. Describing the circuit 40 years later in Richard Williams' The Last Road Race, Moss said of Pescara: "I thought it was fantastic. It was just like being a kid out for a burn-up. A wonderful feeling. What racing's all about."