Detroit Street Circuit

The Detroit Street Circuit was a street course in the US state of Michigan. It was laid out in downtown Detroit close to the Renaissance Center and the Cobo Arena, and it also used a short section of Woodward Avenue. The track was flat, with its elevation ranging between 176 and 184 metres above sea level. It ran anti-clockwise and had 22 corners. The lap measured 4.168 km in 1982 and 4.023 km from 1983 onwards.

The race was created mainly to improve the city's international image. As a result the United States staged three Grands Prix in 1982, with Long Beach and Las Vegas the other two. John Watson won the first Detroit Grand Prix for McLaren after starting from 17th on the grid. Michele Alboreto won for Tyrrell in 1983, Nelson Piquet for Brabham in 1984 and Keke Rosberg for Williams in 1985. Ayrton Senna won for Lotus in 1986 and 1987 and for McLaren in 1988.

The surface was very bumpy and often broke up in hot weather, and the track was lined by narrow concrete walls. Drivers had to brake hard more than 20 times a lap and change gear around 50 to 60 times in cars with manual gearboxes. A lap usually took around 1 minute 45 seconds. At least half the field retired in every race, through mechanical failure or contact with the walls. In 1988 the drivers voiced strong criticism of the crumbling surface.

In 1985 Detroit was the only American venue on the calendar. The 1988 race was the last Formula One event there, and the circuit hosted seven World Championship races in total. FISA judged the temporary pit area to be below the required standard, and the United States Grand Prix moved to Phoenix. CART then ran three races on the Detroit circuit before the event moved to Belle Isle in 1992. IndyCar came back to the downtown streets in 2023 with a shortened layout of ten corners.