The Formula 1 drivers will once again visit 24 circuits next season, spread across all continents, with the exception of Africa. The season will once again kick off with the Bahrain Grand Prix. In the series ‘Forgotten Circuits’, we take a trip down memory lane and revisit some forgotten Formula 1 circuits. Today: Casablanca.
The owners of Formula 1 (Liberty Media) are keen to expand the Formula 1 calendar with a race in Africa, to truly make it a global championship. In this context, there has been talk of a return to Kyalami in South Africa, and the paradise island of Zanzibar also has Formula 1 ambitions. However, a piece of Formula 1 history also lies in North Africa, specifically in Casablanca, Morocco.
On the coast of the Atlantic Ocean, the Moroccan Grand Prix was held in 1958. At the time, it was the final race of the world championship. The 7.6-kilometer circuit essentially had the shape of a square and included a stretch along the long coastal road from Casablanca to Azemmour. Top speeds of 274 kilometers per hour were recorded on the long straight stretch. Spectators stood behind bales of straw along the track, and even free-roaming livestock could marvel at the fast cars.
Duel between Hawthorn and Moss
The battle for the world championship that season was between Mike Hawthorn (Ferrari) and Stirling Moss (Vanwall). Moss won the race, but because Hawthorn finished second, he clinched the world title under the watchful eye of the King of Morocco. The constructors’ title went to Vanwall. The race was overshadowed by a serious accident involving Stuart Lewis-Evans, who died six days later from the burns he sustained.
The layout of the circuit in Casablanca (1958)
