John Hugenholtz, the Dutch circuit designer responsible for several notable European tracks, designed Zolder in the early 1960s. The circuit's layout is characterised by its undulating terrain and a series of medium-to-fast corners, with the unofficial all-time lap record standing at 1:12.821, set by Sebastien Bourdais in a Panoz DP01 Champ Car during qualifying for the 2007 Belgian Champ Car Grand Prix.
Formula One came to Zolder in 1973, with the circuit hosting the Belgian Grand Prix on ten separate occasions through 1984. The race was shared with Nivelles-Baulers for two editions — 1972 and 1974, both won by Emerson Fittipaldi at that venue — but Zolder otherwise served as the primary Belgian Grand Prix host through 1982.
The circuit's most defining moment in Formula One history came during qualifying for the 1982 Belgian Grand Prix. Ferrari's Gilles Villeneuve, the Canadian driver who had become one of the sport's most beloved figures, collided at high speed with the March 821 of Jochen Mass. Villeneuve's Ferrari 126C2 was destroyed in the impact, and Villeneuve was thrown from the car. He died from his injuries shortly after. The tragedy sent shockwaves through the sport and the Belgian Grand Prix moved to Spa-Francorchamps the following year.
Zolder hosted the Belgian Grand Prix one final time in 1984, fittingly won by Ferrari driver Michele Alboreto carrying Gilles Villeneuve's number 27 on his car. Since 1985, the Belgian Grand Prix has been held permanently at Spa-Francorchamps.
Zolder also hosted the 1980 Belgian motorcycle Grand Prix as part of the FIM World Championship calendar.
After losing the Formula One race, Zolder continued as an active motorsport venue hosting a wide variety of series. The Deutsche Tourenwagen Meisterschaft (DTM) used the circuit from 1984 to 1994, and the successor DTM returned in 2002 and again from 2019 to 2021 before switching to Spa-Francorchamps in 2022. The Champ Car World Series held a Belgian Grand Prix at Zolder in 2007, with the FIA GT Championship also visiting that year. World Touring Car Championship rounds took place in 2010, 2011, and 2020.
In 2006, the track underwent safety adaptations ahead of a new wave of international competition. The Masters of Formula 3 event moved to Zolder from Zandvoort in 2007 and 2008. NASCAR Whelen Euro Series has hosted its season finale at Zolder since 2015. The 24 Hours of Zolder endurance race is an annual fixture, typically held in late August or early September.
The circuit has a notable dual identity as a cycling venue. The UCI Road World Championships were held at Zolder twice, in 1969 and 2002. The UCI Cyclo-cross World Championships took place at the circuit in 1970, 2002, and 2016 — the 2016 edition becoming notable for the first confirmed case of mechanical doping in elite cycling, when Femke Van den Driessche was found to have a concealed motor inside her bicycle. From 2009, Zolder has hosted an annual cyclo-cross round in December as part of the UCI Cyclo-cross World Cup. The UCI BMX World Championships were held at the circuit in 2015 and 2019.
Circuit Zolder operates under a general noise limit of 96 dB(A), measured at two points along the circuit — one shortly after Turn 4 (Bianchi) and one between Turns 7 and 8. These measurement points are marked with blue poles. During international test days and most major race weekends, the noise restrictions are typically lifted.
The circuit featured on the television programme Top Gear in 2008, in an episode that saw British presenters compete against their German counterparts from D MOTOR at Zolder.