Porsche guide to Europe’s top 5 racetracks

A Porsche Track Experience guide to Europe’s top 5 racetracks

Master the continent’s best circuits with the help of Porsche Track Experience experts

August 20, 2025 | 5 min read

Porsche Track Experience 911 RSR racecar on racetrack

Porsche Track Experience experts reveal their favourite European racetracks – and how you can maximise your potential on each one

Europe is home to some of the world’s most legendary and challenging racetracks. These circuits are not only historically significant, they also require the utmost concentration, technical skill and mental strength to perfect them.

Here, experts from the Porsche Track Experience reveal how to master five of the very best European racetracks – several of which are currently available to Porsche Track Experience participants – to help improve your lap times and get the most out of your track-driving skills.

1 Nürburgring Nordschleife • Germany • Welcome to the Green Hell

Porsche 911 racecar on the Nürburgring Nordschleife — Newcomers to the world-famous Nürburgring Nordschleife quickly learn why the circuit has earned the nickname of the ‘Green Hell’ Photo: Porsche

The Nürburgring Nordschleife – aka the ‘Green Hell’ – serves up more than 20 km of asphalt nestled amid western Germany’s Eifel mountain range. With 73 corners, the Nordschleife is one of the world’s longest, oldest and most challenging permanent racetracks. There are plenty of reasons why events here are regularly among the highlights for Porsche Track Experience participants. In particular, the alternation between uphill sections and dips, combination of tight corners and high-speed sections – as well as its frequently changing weather conditions – is why each lap of the Nordschleife is a unique challenge for any driver.

Acquiring and then implementing in-depth knowledge of this formidable track is essential. Particular attention must be paid to notorious sections such as the Karussel, a banked curve with concrete slabs that requires very precise line selection and an appropriate speed.

Perhaps most importantly, there are some corners on the Nordschleife that are approached blind so therefore require not only practice, but also courage to help you complete your perfect lap. One of them is the passage immediately before the Karussell. To be quick here, you should approach the slight left turn before the Klostertal curve from the right-hand side of the track before transitioning to the left. You then need to stay on the far left-hand side of the circuit in order to approach the right-hand bend towards the Karussell in the best possible shape.

2 Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps • Belgium • The Ardennes rollercoaster

A Porsche race car on the Spa-Francorchamps track — The high-speed sweep up to Eau Rouge at Spa-Francorchamps is one of the most formidable and famous corners in the world of motorsport Photo: Porsche

The Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps in the Belgium Ardennes is not only one of the most beautiful and fearsome racetracks on earth, it also thrums with racing history. The names of its corners and sections are imprinted on drivers and race fans alike – La Source, the Bus Stop chicane, Kemmel, Stavelot – but chief among them is the transition from Eau Rouge into Raidillon.

Put simply, Eau Rouge is one of the greatest tests in motorsport. This left-hand bend, which follows a dip and continues blindly uphill into the Raidillon turn, requires courage and precision, as cars travel at high speeds and almost on the limit of their grip.

In order to be fast at Spa, you need a deep understanding of the right tyre choice and aerodynamic settings, as some fast corners require high downforce. At the same time, efficiency is important for top speed on the straights. As well as all this to contend with, there’s also a kicker. Spa, like the Nürburgring – which is little more than 110 km (68 miles) east from here – is notorious for weather that can change in an instant. It requires drivers to be ready to adapt at all times in order to correct their racing line and braking points dynamically. To drive at Spa-Francorchamps is an unforgettable experience.

3 Silverstone • UK • The Temple of Speed

Porsche racecars on the Silverstone racetrack in England — Whether you’re a professional or amateur driver, the fast, flat and open Grand Prix circuit at Silverstone is a demanding and highly-involving racetrack Photo: Porsche

The Silverstone circuit in the East Midlands of England is right next to the Porsche Experience Center. Formerly a military airfield, today it’s one of the fastest and most technically demanding racetracks in Europe. With iconic sections such as Maggotts, Stowe, Becketts and Copse, Silverstone is a true test of the aerodynamics and stability of racecars at high speeds.

The challenge for all drivers is to find the right balance between aggressive attack and precise line management. The key moment for a perfect lap lies in the Maggotts-Becketts-Chapel transition – a series of turns that must be taken at high speed and as smoothly as possible. Like it fast? Then you’ll love the mighty test that is Silverstone.

4 Autodromo Nazionale Monza • Italy • A pure, high-speed challenge

Porsche driver Gianmaria Bruni standing on the Monza — For Porsche works driver Gianmaria Bruni, every corner and every straight at Monza is filled with memories Photo: Porsche

The racetrack at Monza in northern Italy is famed for its long straights and the legendary Curva Parabolica – a corner between two long, full-throttle straights that requires a perfect line and good timing when accelerating out of it. The Parabolica opens up towards the end, so you need to hit the accelerator fully early on in order to carry enough speed into the following straight.

Keys to a top lap time at Monza include driving skills, experience and the knowledge of when it’s most advantageous to overtake by using the slipstream of the car in front. Above all, it’s vital that you find a balance between courage and technical finesse on this historic circuit in order to complete your laps not just quickly, but also consistently safely.

5 Red Bull Ring • Austria • Short but very sweet

Porsche racecars at the Red Bull Ring in Spielberg, Austria — Austria’s Red Bull Ring circuit is characterised by comparatively few, but very fast, corners Photo: Porsche

Opened in 1969 as the Österreichring, the Red Bull Ring in Spielberg, Austria demands a high level of driving skills from motorsport enthusiasts of all levels. The course itself is relatively short and has a high average speed because there are fewer corners than many other circuits – even then, they are mostly fast ones. The racetrack’s 10 turns are anything but easy, while its changes in elevation – the circuit is set amid the breathtaking Styrian mountains – are particularly challenging, making nailing the apexes a true challenge.

The Red Bull Ring’s alternation between long straights and tight corners, which can require rapid but smooth braking from over 320 km/h (199 mph) down to around 70 km/h (43 mph), also requires plenty of practice. A particular test is acing the correct braking point before turn four, as it goes downhill here. Successfully negotiating the Remus turn is especially tricky too because its apex is difficult to judge due to its uphill configuration. The Red Bull Ring is a wild ride, whatever your driving level.

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