What's Your Ultimate Google Maps / F1 Mashup Street Circuit?

With people thinking about a London Grand Prix again, we want you to design your own street circuits and show us the results

Santander London GP

At present, closing roads in the UK for motorsport events can be tricky. But it's about to get easier thanks to legislation changes being debated in Parliament. This has got people thinking about an idea mulled over many times before; a 'London Grand Prix'.

It'd be a logistical nightmare to pull it off so it'll probably never happen, but it got us thinking: if we could have an F1 street race anywhere we wanted, where would it be? We came up with these three ideas by tinkering around with Google Maps to create our own dream circuits, which we've posted below.

1. 'The Plausible London GP' - Matt Robinson

London Grand Prix

London Grand prix

Rather than driving the cliched route, taking in all the usual sights like Big Ben and Buckingham Palace, I think a more plausible option is this: going around Hyde Park. A sort of cross between a city-based street circuit like Singapore and a park-based track like Montreal, it would see cars thundering down Park Lane, before scything through the picturesque park. With fewer major roads to close, it'd be (slightly) easier to implement, and the park would provide plenty space for grandstands.

2. 'The South African GP Take 2' - Adnan Ebrahim

Screen Shot 2014-02-28 at 16.12.59

Screen Shot 2014-02-28 at 16.11.57

Welcome to Africa! Again. You see, the South African Grand Prix was a regular fixture on the F1 calendar until 1993 when it unfortunately became too costly to run. With apartheid also a distant, ugly memory, I think it's time we returned to Cape Point. With scenic spectator views of Table Mountain, Monaco-esque tight turns in downtown Cape Town, and long downhill straights to the shore, this 3 mile course could prove to be a fast but unforgiving track. But one I'd love to see driven.

3. 'Portsmouth Harbour GP' - Darren Cassey

Screenshot 2014-02-28 at 16.16.51

Screenshot 2014-02-28 at 16

I wanted to take things back to my roots. I grew up just outside Portsmouth, and spent much of my youth down at the seafront. The city is steeped in naval history, and this high speed circuit would skirt the historic seafront. With HMS Warrior (above) looming over the grid, the cars would hit a 90 degree right before planting the throttle down the first straight. Further along, a high speed left rewards ballsy drivers who fancy a dive up the inside of the following right. Taking in a mix of modern University buildings and historic architecture, full throttle turbo engines would take in more high speed kinks passing Spinnaker Tower. This 170 metre structure's viewing platform would provide incredible views of the circuit.

Think you can do better? Post a screenshot of your route in the comments, plus a Streetview screenshot of a particular corner on the circuit. Try to keep the track at a realistic length, preferably under 3.5 miles. Go, go, go!

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