F1 25 is filled with a variety of different tracks. There are narrow street circuits that punish you on the slightest of mistakes, such as Baku, Monaco, and Singapore. Fast-flowing tracks like Saudi Arabia and Canada test your precision, as do tracks with elevation changes that rely on good setups, like Austria and Spa.
These tracks wouldn’t be as difficult if you were in a GT car, but in an F1 car, where you are going 200+ MPH, the difficulty increases substantially. However, that’s what makes playing the F1 game so exciting: it’s the thrill of taking corners at fast speeds and pushing flat out on the straights.
If you want to test your skills, whether it’s on the controller or a sim, these are the most challenging circuits F1 25 has to offer.
Spa-Francorchamps (Belgium)
Let me start by saying that Spa is by far my favorite track in the game. Whether I am playing Forza Motorsport, F1, or Gran Turismo, I always take the cars out to Spa for a spin.
However, this is not an easy track, especially for beginners. The most difficult part of Spa is the length. It’s so long that it’s hard to keep a clean lap going smoothly, as one mistake will ruin your rhythm.
Turn 1 is a big one; you need a good exit out of it for the straight leading up to Eau Rouge. It’s also a turn you can easily get overtaken if you mess up. Similarly, the last chicanes at T18 and T19 are also very difficult. If you try to go fast, you can easily get your lap time deleted for track limits, and if you brake too much, you end up losing lap time. I can’t count how many times I have lost personal best lap times due to a mistake at the last chicane.
Sector 2 is also quite challenging; you have a mix of fast-flowing turns and heavy braking zones that require you to follow the perfect line for a clean lap.
But, credit where credit’s due, this is one of the most exciting tracks in the game. I can never get bored with taking Eau Rouge flat out.
Imola (Italy)
If I were to describe Imola in one word, it would be “precision”. To get a good lap time around Imola, you need to be very precise with everything. The throttle, your braking points, the racing line, pretty much everything. The track has gravel traps everywhere and is filled with technical turns. For example, Variante Alta’s curbs can easily throw you off if taken wrong.
It’s a narrow old-school track with little room for recovery. Sectors 1 and 2 are especially tough. You need to get the perfect exit off Turn 07 for a good Sector 2 time. Similarly, turns 11 to 15 will test your skill.
Imola is a track that doesn’t get a lot of love, especially because of the limited overtaking opportunities. But it’s still a fun and technical track once you learn it.
Miami (USA)
Miami is a track that a lot of people dislike in the F1 calendar. It’s mostly because it’s slowly becoming a celebrity fest rather than a race. However, after Lando’s first win in 2024 in Miami, the track has started receiving more love.
The biggest hurdle in Miami is that the track flow feels awkward. It’s really hard to get into the rhythm and be consistent throughout the track. There is also a lack of grip in slow corners like the chicane under the bridge (T14-T15).
Also, it’s a street circuit, which means it’s narrow and tight, so you can easily end up against a wall if you make a mistake.
Hungaroring (Hungary)
The Hungaroring is often called “Monaco without walls”. Sure, it’s not narrow or tight like some of the street circuits in the game, but the tight and twisty turns always keep you on edge. There is almost no breathing space; you go from turn to turn quickly.
Plus, it’s a very fast-flowing track, so you need to be good with your braking points and car positioning. Even small errors can result in heavy lap time losses.
In order to get a good lap time around the Hungaroring, you need to build up that rhythm. It’s rhythm-heavy, and it’s easy to lose momentum.
For example, Turn 1 is quite difficult to get a clean exit out of, and while you are recovering from that, you are already at Turn 2. Sector 2 is even nastier with all the twisty turns. You do get a bit of breathing space at the end of Sector 2. But the rest of the track requires sharp focus.
Las Vegas (USA)
If you look at the track layout image of Las Vegas, it doesn’t look too menacing. At least, that’s what I thought when I was thinking of trying this track for the first time. But it’s far from easy.
The challenging part of Las Vegas is the long, narrow, low-grip straights into very sharp braking zones. A slight misinput on the straights spins out the car easily, and you are also prone to easy lockups in the braking zones. For example, you have to brake down from 300KPH in order to make turn 14, Turn 5 and 17 are the same story.
It’s also one of those tracks that is hard to build a rhythm on. The corners are mixed, and the cold conditions make it harder to get the tires up to temperature. Of course, you can control the conditions a bit when you are setting up the track, but it’s still an important factor.
Overall, Las Vegas tests your car control and braking, but apart from that, it’s much better than other street circuits like Baku or Singapore.
Suzuka (Japan)
Suzuka is one of those circuits that is extremely thrilling to watch because of the fast-flowing nature of the track, but challenging to drive in the game.
It’s a technical rhythm-heavy circuit. You need inch-perfect precision through the fast, flowing corners of this track. There is high mistake potential in the Esses and Degners; you can easily end up in the gravel if you are off line.
Apart from Sector 3, both Sector 1 and Sector 2 are challenging. Turns 3 to 7 are hard to get the rhythm down for. Then you have the technical turns 9,10, 11, and the sweeping Turn 12 that tests the grip of your tires.
Overall, it’s a circuit that will punish you heavily for even the slightest of mistakes.
Overall, Las Vegas tests your car control and braking, but apart from that, it’s much better than other street circuits like Baku or Singapore.
Singapore (Marina Bay)
Singapore is another classic, narrow, and tight street circuit. It also has 23 corners, which is a lot for an F1 track. A full 90-minute 61-lap race drains you mentally.
Singapore features many tight and narrow turns, with no run-off area. If you mess up, you end up damaging your car heavily. If you are playing with realistic settings, tire degradation is also high. The laps are long, which makes it hard to keep a good rhythm going.
Sector 2 is the most technical part of this track. From Turn 07 to Turn 12, you must be precise with your braking, gear shifts, and exits to achieve a good lap time. However, Sector 3 is where you will get a bit of breathing space. Apart from Turns 16 and 17, the rest of Sector 3 is quite easy.
Baku (Azerbaijan)
I personally had the most difficulty getting used to Baku. The track is filled with long straights into heavy braking zones. It’s very easy to lock up and end up against the wall. Not to mention, this is a street circuit, so it’s very narrow and tight. You pretty much have no room for mistakes.
Sector 1 features long straights into tight right-handers; you need to nail down your braking in these turns (T1- T3). But then starts the awful Sector 2. You have pretty much no grip through these slow and tight turns. The castle section, especially, is insanely tight with walls everywhere.
Even now, I have difficulty being consistent through Turn 7 to Turn 12. It’s really hard to find lap times in this section and very easy to end up against the wall.
Not to mention, the nightmare it is to find the perfect setup for your car. It’s difficult to find a balanced setup with low drag for straights and grip for the tight turns.
Jeddah (Saudi Arabia)
Saudi Arabia is a blindingly fast street track, with semi-blind corners and walls inches away. This track tests your confidence. There aren’t a lot of heavy braking zones apart from Turn 27 and Turn 1. You will be going through most of the corners on this track really fast.
It’s also a track where you need good exits to make the next turns. You need good car placement and throttle input to get good lap times out of this circuit. For example, the entire section from Turn 4 to Turn 10 is extremely fast, and there is no room for mistakes. You need a good exit out of Turn 4, or it will mess up your entire Sector 1.
The biggest problem with Saudi Arabia is that it has a lot of blind corners. Most of the time, you don’t know where the next corner is. This track relies heavily on muscle memory, and you need a lot of laps to get comfortable.
In short, Saudi Arabia is all about threading the car at 200+ mph through narrow bends.
Monaco (Monte Carlo)
Monaco is hands down the most difficult track in F1 25. There is absolutely zero margin for error. It’s a test of skill and precision as the Monaco requires perfect car control every lap.
Not to mention, it’s the narrowest and tightest circuit in the game. The only breathing space you will have is from Turn 1 to Turn 3, as it’s a straight. Apart from that, you have to be careful with every corner.
Starting with the chicane at T10 and T11. It’s the turns that I struggled with a lot during my first few runs on this track. Firstly, it’s downhill, and you are approaching from a DRS zone, which makes finding a good braking point hard. Then, you have to steer the car perfectly as it’s quite tight, especially the wall at the end of Turn 11.
Turns 15 to 19 aren’t easy either. They are slow and tight corners that require a lot of precision in braking and steering. Plus, you need a good exit off of T19 to finish off a good lap.
