Aintree wrote its name in the history books of motorsport when it hosted its first Formula One race in 1955.
The Liverpool circuit – famous around the globe for the Grand National horse race – went on to stage five World Championship F1 races as well as several non-championship races also known as the Aintree 200.
It holds huge historical significance at Aintree as this is where the British Grand Prix was held for a few years.
Sir Stirling Moss became the first driver to win his home race.
Sections of this historical circuit are in use today as it forms part of the service road used during the Grand National, supporting vehicles that follow horses and riders during the race.
While seeing a modern F1 race at Aintree sounds good, the reality is the track is not suitable for that type of racing anymore.
A spokesperson for The Jockey Club, which runs Aintree, said: “Modern F1 circuits meet extremely high safety, infrastructure and regulatory standards set by the FIA.
“Aintree in its current form does not meet these requirements.
“The layout, fun-off areas, barriers, medical facilities, and overall infrastructure would all require significant redevelopment to be considered viable for contemporary F1 use.”
Whilst Aintree is now mainly a horse racecourse, track days are still available.
It stages five car events and six bike events across the year.
More than 100 competitors come to compete and more than 1,000 spectators come to watch.
Only a small portion of the original circuit remains in use today, due to the popularity and scale of the Grand National, the site has been significantly redeveloped.
As a result, the motor racing circuit no longer exists as a complete continuous layout, only certain sections are intact.
If the circuit was to be redeveloped and facilities improved, it’s certainly possible a smaller series such as F1 Academy, GB3 or British F4 could come and race at the historic circuit!
(Featured image by Terry Whalebone, under creative commons)
