Detroit Grand Prix

The Detroit Grand Prix first joined the IndyCar calendar in 1989. In the prior seven years, it’d served as a round for the Formula 1 world championship. The first iteration of the Detroit Grand Prix was a grueling, 18-turn course that was one of the slowest on the Formula 1 calendar. Due to the summer heat, the surface was uneven and stressful for both cars and drivers. More than half of the drivers often retire due to mechanical failures or mistakes that put their cars in the wall.

When IndyCar took over the event in 1989, a small change was made by eliminating the chicane along the front straight. Brazilian Emerson Fittipaldi won the first IndyCar race at the downtown Renaissance Center area that year during his championship season. Champion Michael Andretti won it in 1990, and Fittipaldi retook the top step in 1991.

Starting in 1992, the course moved to Belle Isle, a change many in Formula 1 had been calling for. The new circuit was shorter, with fewer turns but was immediately criticized by drivers for being narrow, slow, and lacking opportunities for passing. But unlike the priorcourse, it was much smoother. Three-time champion Bobby Rahal won the first race at the new circuit.

The race remained at the Belle Isle circuit through 2001 but with some changes. The layout changed in 1998 to eliminate a series of corners and allow for a competitive passing area. By 2001, complaints from drivers and fans over the deteriorating track conditions and lack of access came to a head. IndyCar (still CART at the time) did not renew a contract with Belle Isle after the 2001 race.

That changed in a few years. After the success of Super Bowl XL in Detroit, organizers saw an opportunity to bring the race back starting in 2007. The Belle Isle circuit was widened and revitalized. A park-and-ride system made it easier for fans to get to the island as well. Crowds were big at that 2007 race, and the event returned in 2008. But that ended due to the Great Recession, and IndyCar events in Detroit went on hiatus through 2011.

The event was revived once again in 2012 but as a doubleheader. There were two separate races on Saturday and Sunday, each with full championship points. It stayed this way through the event’s cancellation in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The doubleheader format returned in 2021 but was dropped for the 2022 race.

Starting in 2023, the circuit returned to the downtown Detroit area. The all-new circuit layout has nine turns along the 1.7-mile design and provides longer, wider straights for competitive racing. Organizers took lessons from the Nashville Street Circuit when deciding the new format.

Three drivers are tied with the most Detroit Grand Prix wins with three each: Brazilian Hélio Castroneves, six-time champion Scott Dixon of New Zealand, and two-time champion Will Power of Australia.