Automotodrom Grobnik
4,168 metres in the hills above Rijeka, since 1978
Automotodrom Grobnik opened in 1978 in the hills above Rijeka, with Kvarner Bay below. Formula 3 and World Superbike have raced here; in May 2026 it hosted Year One of the Grand Prix of Croatia.
The circuit, drawn
18 turns, anticlockwise
- 5Riječki
- 7Šikana
- 9Lakat
- 15Zagrebački
- Start / finish
- Turn with a grandstand
- Direction of the lap - 10 left, 8 right
History
Automotodrom Grobnik opened in 1978, 15 km from Rijeka on the Grobnik plain, and was laid into the natural terrain: rolling ground and changes of elevation.
Over the decades it has hosted rounds of the European Formula 3 Championship, the World Superbike Championship and the European Touring Car Championship, and national series every season.
The fast sweepers of the middle sector and the changes of elevation test car and driver. The sea is close and the weather can turn within a weekend: Year One's Saturday ran in the rain, Sunday in the sun.
Key corners
Turn 1 - into "Ciljna ravnina"
The first braking zone, at the end of the start-finish straight, with a grandstand. Drivers arrive at top speed and brake for the right-hander that opens the technical western part of the lap. A key overtaking spot.
Turn 5 - "Riječki"
The tight hairpin at the top of the circuit and the slowest point on the lap. After climbing through Turns 3 and 4, drivers brake hard into this 180° turnaround. Getting back on the power early is critical as it feeds into the long downhill run through "Lijevi".
Turns 7-8 - "Šikana" / "Lijevi u Rupu"
A technical sequence at the lowest part of the circuit: the right-hand "Šikana" demands precision on entry, then "Lijevi u Rupu" (literally "left into the hole") drops into a dip that unsettles the car.
Turn 9 - "Lakat"
The "Elbow" - a tight corner at the bottom of the circuit that transitions from the technical section into the faster middle part of the track. A strong exit here sets up the run through "Desni" and onto the "Zagrebački" straight.
Turns 15-16 - "Zagrebački 1. dio" & "2. dio"
A fast left-hand complex at the far end of the circuit, taken in quick succession, with a grandstand on Turn 15. A clean exit from the second part carries speed all the way onto the main straight.
Turn 1 - into "Ciljna ravnina"
The first braking zone, at the end of the start-finish straight, with a grandstand. Drivers arrive at top speed and brake for the right-hander that opens the technical western part of the lap. A key overtaking spot.
Turns 7-8 - "Šikana" / "Lijevi u Rupu"
A technical sequence at the lowest part of the circuit: the right-hand "Šikana" demands precision on entry, then "Lijevi u Rupu" (literally "left into the hole") drops into a dip that unsettles the car.
Turns 15-16 - "Zagrebački 1. dio" & "2. dio"
A fast left-hand complex at the far end of the circuit, taken in quick succession, with a grandstand on Turn 15. A clean exit from the second part carries speed all the way onto the main straight.
Turn 5 - "Riječki"
The tight hairpin at the top of the circuit and the slowest point on the lap. After climbing through Turns 3 and 4, drivers brake hard into this 180° turnaround. Getting back on the power early is critical as it feeds into the long downhill run through "Lijevi".
Turn 9 - "Lakat"
The "Elbow" - a tight corner at the bottom of the circuit that transitions from the technical section into the faster middle part of the track. A strong exit here sets up the run through "Desni" and onto the "Zagrebački" straight.
Lap records
The fastest laps on the 4,168 m layout
Onboard lap
A full lap of Automotodrom Grobnik from the driver's seat: every corner, crest and straight.
