The circuit was designed by D3 Motorsport Development, the same Australian architecture firm responsible for the Surfers Paradise Street Circuit in Australia, acting as the local partner for MGP in Morocco. Groupe Menara oversaw construction on a route running along the Route de l'Ourika and Boulevard Mohammed, with the paddock positioned alongside the walls of Marrakesh's Royal Garden. More than 2,500 concrete impact blocks and extensive debris fencing were installed to create the track's boundaries on what is otherwise standard urban road infrastructure.
The original layout measured 4.545 km, configured as a flat, broadly oval circuit with a hairpin at one end and chicanes breaking up the long straights, running anticlockwise. This relatively simple geometry reflected the constraints of the street environment and prioritised spectator sightlines.
The third round of the 2009 WTCC season, held at the Marrakech circuit on 3 May 2009, was the inaugural international motor racing event in Morocco in 51 years. The WTCC's arrival in Africa was significant for the series' stated mission of expanding beyond its European heartland, and the Marrakesh round attracted strong media coverage as a novelty destination. The WTCC Race of Morocco continued in 2010 and then after a gap returned from 2012 to 2017, establishing Morocco as a consistent presence on the calendar.
In December 2015, organisers announced a comprehensive redesign of the circuit to increase challenge and racing quality. When the 2016 WTCC season visited, only approximately half of the original layout was in use, with the revised configuration replacing the relatively featureless oval character of the original track with a tighter, more technical layout better suited to the demands of modern touring car competition.
Following the transition from the WTCC to the World Touring Car Cup (WTCR) format in 2018, the Marrakesh circuit hosted the FIA WTCR Race of Morocco in 2018 and 2019 before leaving the calendar. The WTCR format, which typically ran three shorter races per weekend at each venue, was well-served by the street circuit's character, where the enclosed walls and limited runoff created intense and closely fought competition.
The circuit gained additional international prominence through Formula E, hosting the Marrakesh ePrix in 2016 and then repeatedly from 2018 to 2020 and again in 2022. Formula E's close-quarters street racing format aligned naturally with the circuit's compact, walled character, and the event in Marrakesh became one of the more distinctive rounds on the electric series calendar.
The Auto GP series raced at Marrakesh from 2012 to 2014. The FIA Formula Two Championship held a round there in 2010. In 2024 the TCR World Tour also visited, reflecting the circuit's ongoing suitability for touring car formats.
The Circuit International Automobile Moulay El Hassan occupies a unique position as Morocco's only permanent international motorsport venue of note and the country's gateway to top-level sanctioned motor racing. The discussion around a potential Formula One Moroccan Grand Prix, suggested by Formula One Group CEO Stefano Domenicali as part of an African expansion strategy, has included Marrakesh and Morocco more broadly as a candidate, citing the country's historical Formula One connection through the 1958 event and its attractiveness as a culturally rich destination. Whether such ambitions materialise, the circuit's existing track record in WTCC, WTCR, and Formula E establishes it as one of Africa's most internationally active motorsport facilities.