Before 1960, Brands Hatch operated as a 1.000-mile tarmac circuit that had been progressively developed from a pre-war grasstrack motorcycle venue. The original kidney-shaped layout was clockwise and entirely contained within the natural amphitheatre valley of the Kent countryside.
In January 1960, Kent County Council granted planning permission for an extension that would double the circuit's length. The new 2.650-mile layout — slightly longer than the current Grand Prix circuit due to a later realignment — used all of the existing track and added a new section by extending from Kidney Bend (later renamed South Bank) in a long uphill sweep out into the surrounding countryside before looping back via Hawthorn Bend, Portobello Straight, Westfield Bend, Dingle Dell, and Stirlings Bend, rejoining the short circuit at Clearways at much higher speed than previously.
The extension was ready for testing by June 1960 and debuted at the August Bank Holiday meeting, which attracted works entries from BRM, Cooper, Ferrari, and Lotus. The race, a non-championship Silver City Trophy Formula One event, was won by Jack Brabham in the works Cooper-Climax, with Graham Hill second. Record traffic jams were reported on the A20. Announcing the new track, promoter John Hall stated: "For the first time ever, Britain will have a Grand Prix track within 20 miles of London."
The Grand Prix circuit begins on the Brabham Straight, an off-camber and slightly curved stretch, before dropping sharply into Paddock Hill Bend with 8% gradients — one of the few overtaking spots due to the straight preceding it. After the hairpin at Druids and the downhill Graham Hill Bend, the circuit climbs through the Cooper Straight before ascending via the decreasing-radius Surtees turn onto the back straight.
The most significant elevation changes occur at Pilgrim's Drop and Hawthorn Hill, leading into Hawthorn Bend. A series of mid-speed woodland corners follows — Westfield, Dingle Dell, the blind Sheene Curve, and Stirlings Bend — before the circuit rejoins the short Indy layout at Clark Curve and returns to the start-finish line on the pit straight.
In 1976, a realignment of Paddock Bend slightly shortened the circuit to its current 2.433 miles (4.207 km). The bottom straight was straightened simultaneously and the pit facilities were expanded. Name changes accompanied the work: Pilgrims became Hailwood Hill, Bottom Bend became Graham Hill Bend, and Bottom Straight became Cooper Straight.
The British Grand Prix first came to the extended Brands Hatch circuit on July 11, 1964, in what was also designated the European Grand Prix. Jim Clark won in the Lotus 25 from Graham Hill and John Surtees. From 1964 onward, the race alternated annually between Brands Hatch and Silverstone until the circuit hosted its final British Grand Prix in 1986.
Among the 12 British Grands Prix held at the circuit, notable results include Jo Siffert's victory in 1968 — won in a Lotus 49B delivered new to the circuit on the first morning of the meeting, and entered by a private team rather than a works outfit — and Nigel Mansell's first Formula One victory in 1985. The 1976 race was controversial: following a first-lap accident that stopped the race, James Hunt was allowed to start in the spare McLaren, won, but was later disqualified by the FIA for not completing the first lap; Niki Lauda was declared the winner.
The noise restrictions imposed by the proximity of the extended Grand Prix loop to local residents mean that meetings on the full circuit are limited to a small number per year, typically for the British Touring Car Championship and British Superbike Championship. The venue is currently owned and operated by Jonathan Palmer's MotorSport Vision organisation. The 1.198-mile Indy Circuit, contained entirely within the amphitheatre, continues to host numerous smaller events each year.
The 1960 extension created the layout that defined Brands Hatch's international profile for more than two decades, establishing the circuit's reputation for dramatic elevation changes and challenging technical sections that produced some of Formula One's most memorable races.