The circuit was built in 1960 by Jean Bernigaud and initially became home to the prestigious Winfield racing school (École de Pilotage Winfield), which produced notable drivers including François Cevert, Jacques Laffite, and Didier Pironi. After falling into disrepair in the 1980s, the circuit was purchased in 1986 by the Conseil Départemental de la Nièvre, which funded a comprehensive upgrade that brought it up to Formula One standards.
During the 1990s, the Ligier Formula One team and its successor Prost were based at the circuit and conducted much of their testing there, giving Magny-Cours an additional identity as a center of French motorsport infrastructure.
The circuit hosted the French Grand Prix from 1991, succeeding Circuit Paul Ricard as France's Formula One venue, until the event's cancellation after 2008. The circuit's remote location relative to any major French city, poor road access, and limited local accommodation were persistent criticisms, and attendances suffered as a result.
Several memorable Formula One moments occurred at Magny-Cours. In 1999, a sudden downpour interrupted the race; after a restart, most frontrunners encountered difficulties, allowing Heinz-Harald Frentzen to take a surprise victory in his Jordan. In 2004, Michael Schumacher employed an unprecedented four-stop strategy to win the French Grand Prix. Two years later, in 2006, Schumacher became the first driver to win any single Grand Prix circuit eight times, achieving that milestone at Magny-Cours. The all-time official lap record for the Grand Prix layout — 1:15.377 — was set by Schumacher during the 2004 French Grand Prix, with Fernando Alonso holding the unofficial qualifying benchmark at 1:13.698 from the same weekend.
In 2003, the circuit's final corner and chicane were modified in an attempt to improve overtaking, though the effect was limited. Formula One departed after 2008 and has not returned, with the French Grand Prix eventually moving back to Circuit Paul Ricard.
Magny-Cours is unusual among Formula One circuits in that many of its corners are modelled on and named after turns from other famous tracks worldwide. The fast Estoril corner (turn 3), the Adelaide hairpin (turn 5), and the Nürburgring and Imola chicanes (turns 7 and 12) all replicate characteristics of their namesakes. The circuit is notably flat, with minimal elevation change save for a small valley at the Estoril corner and a slight rise near the Lycee section. The layout offers few natural overtaking opportunities, with the Adelaide hairpin — reached at the end of a long straight — serving as the primary passing point.
Magny-Cours has maintained a long relationship with the Superbike World Championship, first hosting the series in 1991 and then becoming an annual venue from 2003 onward. The September slot, toward the end of the European leg of the calendar, means the French Round is contested in cooler conditions than the summer Formula One rounds once were. The circuit's smooth surface and well-defined braking zones suit Superbike machinery, and the French Round has consistently attracted competitive fields.
The Supersport World Championship and Supersport 300 World Championship also feature at Magny-Cours alongside WorldSBK. The Bol d'Or 24-hour motorcycle endurance race was held at Magny-Cours from 2000 to 2014 before returning to Circuit Paul Ricard.
Magny-Cours hosted the World Touring Car Championship from 2005 to 2006, international Formula 3000 from 1992 to 2004, and the GP2 Series from 2005 to 2008, maintaining a busy calendar of single-seater and touring car events during and after the Formula One era. The GT World Challenge Europe, FFSA GT Championship, and Porsche Carrera Cup France now form the backbone of the circuit's car racing calendar.
Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours stands as a circuit whose Formula One era is defined by memorable races but also by persistent criticism of its location and infrastructure. Its post-F1 identity has settled comfortably around the Superbike World Championship and a variety of French domestic series, positioning it as a durable regional circuit whose historical prestige remains intact despite the departure of the sport's top category.