Plans for the circuit date to 1967, with construction beginning in December 1969 as part of an ambition to establish Dijon as an automotive hub. The project was championed by François Chambelland, and developed with the involvement of drivers Jean-Pierre Beltoise and François Cevert, as well as motoring journalist José Rosinski. Despite chronic funding shortfalls and limited support from the city government, the circuit opened on 26 May 1972; Guy Ligier set the first timed lap, and the inaugural race for two-litre prototypes was held ten days later, with Arturo Merzario taking the win.
The first Formula One race at Dijon took place in 1974, run on the original 3.289 km layout. Lap times fell below one minute, creating serious traffic congestion between race leaders and back-markers. The circuit was therefore extended in 1976, adding length and reprofiling several corners to produce the 3.801 km grand prix circuit. F1 returned under this configuration in 1977.
The 1979 French Grand Prix at Dijon produced one of the most celebrated moments in the sport's history. In a battle for second place during the closing laps, Ferrari's Gilles Villeneuve and Renault's René Arnoux engaged in a wheel-banging, side-by-side duel over multiple corners that has been frequently cited as among the greatest exchanges in Formula One. Villeneuve ultimately took second behind his Ferrari-engined place and the race itself was won by Jean-Pierre Jabouille in the Renault — the first Formula One victory for a turbocharged engine.
In 1982 Dijon hosted the Swiss Grand Prix rather than the French Grand Prix, since the French race was held that year at Paul Ricard. Switzerland had banned motor racing following the 1955 Le Mans disaster in which 83 spectators and driver Pierre Levegh were killed, so the race ran on French soil under the Swiss name. Keke Rosberg won his first career Grand Prix in that race, driving his Williams FW08 four seconds ahead of Alain Prost's Renault RE30B. The outright unofficial all-time lap record for the circuit, 1:01.380, was set by Prost during qualifying for that same 1982 Swiss Grand Prix.
The final Formula One event at Dijon was the 1984 French Grand Prix, won by Niki Lauda in a McLaren MP4/2. Patrick Tambay secured the last-ever F1 pole at Dijon with a time of 1:02.200 in his Renault RE50 turbo, led for 47 laps, and finished second. Alain Prost set the race's fastest lap at 1:05.257, averaging 214 km/h (133 mph). Lauda's win that year contributed to his third and final World Championship.
After F1 departed in 1984, the circuit continued hosting a wide variety of series. The FIA GT Championship visited in 1998. Long-distance and sportscar events including the World Sportscar Championship had run at Dijon across the 1970s and 1980s. A renovation in 2001 included the addition of a go-kart track. The Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters appeared in 2009. Contemporary events include the Grand Prix de l'Âge d'Or classic meeting and Porsche Carrera Cup France rounds.
The long layout's fast sweeping bends place premium on mechanical grip and aerodynamic balance through medium- and high-speed corners. The undulating surface amplifies load variations across the lap, while the relatively short circuit length — under four kilometres — means compact racing with frequent lapping intervals in endurance formats. The outright unofficial short-circuit record stands at 0:58.790, set by Niki Lauda in a Ferrari 312B3 during qualifying for the 1974 French Grand Prix.