donington-nat

The circuit owes its existence to Fred Craner, a former motorcycle racer who had contested seven Isle of Man TT events and by 1931 ran a Derby garage and served as secretary of the Derby & District Motor Club. Craner approached John Gillies Shields, owner of the Donington Hall estate, to use the roads on his land for racing. The first motorcycle race took place on Whit Monday 25 May 1931 on the original 3.518 km unsealed layout. In 1933 Craner obtained planning consent to build a permanent track; the first car race followed on 25 March that year, and the inaugural Donington Park Trophy was held on 7 October 1933, won by the Earl Howe in a Bugatti Type 51.

The circuit expanded to 4.107 km for 1935, when the first 300-mile Donington Grand Prix was won by Richard Shuttleworth in an Alfa Romeo P3. For 1937 and 1938 the layout grew again to 5.029 km, and the German Silver Arrows dominated the Donington Grand Prix: Bernd Rosemeyer won for Auto Union in 1937 and Tazio Nuvolari won for Auto Union in 1938. The circuit closed in 1940 when the Ministry of Defence requisitioned it as a military vehicle depot. It was de-requisitioned in 1956 and approved for racing in 1957.

In 1971 local construction entrepreneur Tom Wheatcroft purchased the derelict park and funded a complete reconstruction of the track. He also established the Donington Grand Prix Exhibition in 1973, which grew into the world's largest collection of Grand Prix cars before its closure in 2018. Despite initial resistance from Leicestershire County Council, Wheatcroft successfully appealed and had the track ready by early 1976. The first post-war motorcycle meeting took place on 15 May 1977, followed by the first car meeting on 28 May 1977.

In 1985 the Melbourne Loop was added to increase the Grand Prix circuit to 4.020 km (2.498 miles), enabling the track to accommodate MotoGP. The shorter 3.149 km layout remained in use as the National circuit for most non-grand-prix events. In the late 1990s and 2000s the circuit hosted MotoGP, BTCC, British Superbike Championship, and the Superbike World Championship as routine fixtures.

Donington's only Formula One World Championship race was the 1993 European Grand Prix, held on 11 April 1993 in wet conditions. Ayrton Senna, starting fifth, used the opening lap to pass four cars and move to the lead in what the AtlasF1 website described as the "Drive of the Decade." He won by more than a minute from Damon Hill. A memorial to Senna stands in the grounds of the racetrack outside the Donington Collections. The circuit's unofficial all-time lap record — set during qualifying for that event — belongs to Alain Prost in a Williams FW15C at 1:10.458.

In July 2008 Bernie Ecclestone announced that Donington had secured a 17-year deal to host the British Grand Prix from 2010. A major redevelopment designed by Hermann Tilke was planned, including a new pit complex and an extended circuit length of 4.738 km. Donington Ventures Leisure Ltd (DVLL), led by Simon Gillett, held the 150-year lease from the Wheatcroft family but fell into severe financial difficulty following the 2008 financial crisis. By October 2009 the required £135 million in financing had not been raised; Ecclestone confirmed Silverstone would hold the British Grand Prix and DVLL entered administration in November 2009, with debts approaching £18 million. The circuit reverted to Wheatcroft family ownership in December 2009.

From 1987 until 2009 Donington held the British round of the Grand Prix motorcycle world championship. The circuit lost the event to Silverstone when Dorna agreed a five-year deal following the collapse of the 2010 F1 bid; in less than twelve months Donington had lost both its Formula 1 and MotoGP contracts.

Under Wheatcroft family ownership the circuit reopened in autumn 2010 after the abandoned redevelopment was reversed and the track restored. The inaugural Donington Historic Festival took place that year. In January 2017 MotorSport Vision acquired the circuit business and a 21-year lease until 2038, with significant subsequent investment in infrastructure including a new grandstand at Hollywood Corner, resurfaced paddock areas, and the Garage 39 restaurant. In April 2021 MSV also purchased the freehold of the Donington Hall Estate.

Today the circuit runs approximately 60 race days per year. Regular events include the British Touring Car Championship, Superbike World Championship, British GT Championship, British Superbike Championship, and TCR UK Touring Car Championship. DTM rounds were held at Donington in 2002 and 2003, with Jean Alesi winning both years for AMG Mercedes. The World Touring Car Championship visited in 2011, with both races won by Yvan Muller for Chevrolet. The Formula E championship and its teams also based their headquarters at Donington during the series' early seasons.

Among the official race lap records at the Grand Prix circuit, Ayrton Senna's 1:18.029 in the 1993 European Grand Prix stands for Formula One, and Félix Porteiro holds the Formula Renault 3.5 record at 1:18.424 set during the 2005 season round.