The Detroit Grand Prix was created to improve the city's international image. In the 1982 season, the United States hosted three Grands Prix in F1 history, a record only matched by Italy in the 2020 season. The inaugural Detroit Grand Prix saw McLaren's John Watson win from 17th place. The 1982 race also marked the last time a reigning World Drivers' Champion failed to qualify for a Formula One World Championship Grand Prix, which was Nelson Piquet in the Brabham-BMW turbo.
The Detroit Street Circuit secured its place in Formula One history when Michele Alboreto won the 1983 race driving a Tyrrell 011. This was the last of 155 Grand Prix wins for the 3.0L Cosworth DFV V8 engine, which debuted at the 1967 Dutch Grand Prix with Jim Clark race wins for Tyrrell, who won their first Grand Prix at the 1971 Spanish Grand Prix with Jackie Stewart driving the Tyrrell 003.
The race gained a reputation for being demanding and grueling due to the bumpy track and hot weather. It was considered one of the hardest races on both car and driver in Formula One during the 1980s, often leading to many retirements due to mechanical breakdown or contact with the narrow concrete walls. The 1984 race, won by Nelson Piquet, tied an F1 road course record with 20 retirements. Tyrrell was disqualified from the entire 1984 season after impurities were found in Martin Brundle's car. By 1985, Detroit was the sole American venue on the F1 calendar. Ayrton Senna achieved substantial success at the circuit, winning the 1986, 1987, and 1988 races, and taking pole positions in 1986 and 1988.
The track was not well-received by drivers, especially Alain Prost and Nelson Piquet. Despite his dislike, Alain Prost finished second in 1988 and third in 1986 and 1987 for McLaren. Nelson Piquet won in Detroit in 1984 and came second to Ayrton Senna in 1987. The 1988 race was extremely hot, and the circuit broke up badly. After the race, Ayrton Senna compared driving on the crumbled surface to driving in heavy rain. The 1988 race was the last F1 race in Detroit, as FISA ruled that its temporary pit area was not up to standard. The United States Grand Prix moved to Phoenix, Arizona, and the Detroit event became a CART race.
Three CART races were held on the track, with the unpopular chicane before the pits removed. Emerson Fittipaldi won the first and last races, and Michael Andretti won the second race. Michael Andretti also won pole position for each Detroit race. The final race had an unusual lack of attrition, with nearly three-quarters of the drivers finishing.
The race was not economically viable for the city, so the venue moved to a temporary course on Belle Isle for the 1992 season. That event lasted until 2001 as a CART event and was briefly revived for the 2007 and 2008 American Le Mans Series and IndyCar Series seasons, and again from 2012 through 2019. There was no race in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The race returned for both 2021 and 2022, with a new location for 2023.
On November 3, 2021, it was announced that the IndyCar Series Detroit Grand Prix would move from the Raceway at Belle Isle Park back to the downtown circuit starting in 2023. The new circuit is significantly smaller and has fewer corners than the original Detroit Street Circuit, with only two of the original corners repurposed. Penske Entertainment president Bud Denker stated that the original layout was not used due to higher resurfacing costs, the impact on local businesses, and traffic. This new circuit focuses on Atwater Street and East Jefferson Avenue and has ten corners, compared to the original circuit's twenty-two.
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