The Autódromo Juan y Oscar Gálvez is a race track, built on marshy land in the heart of Buenos Aires. The circuit was constructed in 1952 as a public works project by Argentine President Juan Peron. It is the only track to host the Argentine Grand Prix, which ran 20 times between 1953 and 1998.
Circuit History[]
Circuit Layouts[]
The circuit is run clockwise, with several loops and extensions off of a rounded triangle. Since the track is built on reclaimed marshland, maintaining a smooth surface has been an issue, and the organizers did not seem to be interested in repaving the track each year.
Previous Layouts[]
Number 2[]
Circuito N° 2
The original course was Number 2. A simple lap around the triangle, with a very wide sweeping right hander, then after a short straight, a sharper right. A tight 180° led into a deviation along the back straight into the infield, and down to a wide 180° turn near the west entrance. All major races used this course until the 1960s.
Number 9[]
Circuito N° 9
When international racing returned to Argentina in the early 70s, it was originally on the new Number 9 circuit. The only changes were to shorten the leg out by the west entrance (which was now a wide spectator plaza) and tighten the left hander before the pits. This knocked more than half of a kilometer off of the lap distance.
Number 15[]
Circuito N° 15
Circuit Number 15 used much of 9, but partway through the first, sweeping righthander, it turned back left, making an irregular S-bend, heading around a large pond created from the old marshland. A moderate straight led into a wide, fast, double-apex righthander that turned more than 180°, then down the new back straight, which was almost a kilometer in length. A somewhat quick right-left chicane placed the cars back on the old circuit, just before the second righthander of the original triangle. The track length was almost doubled, and the average speed climbed by about 15%. But the extension greatly added to the bumpy surface, especially where the new joined the old, so the drivers were less than enthusiastic.
Current[]
The most recent circuit was a modified Number 6. Very similar to the early 70s Number 9, except for an irregular loop behind the pits. And the back straight loop used by all previous circuits had a new chicane at the exit, called the S de Senna.
Event history[]
The following is a list of Formula One events held at the Autódromo Juan y Oscar Gálves:
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Notes[]
| V T E |  Argentine Grand Prix
|
|
|---|---|---|
| Circuits | Buenos Aires (1953 - 1958, 1960, 1971 - 1975, 1977 - 1981, 1995 - 1998) |  |
| Races | 1953 • 1954 • 1955 • 1956 • 1957 • 1958 • 1959 • 1960 • 1961–1970 • 1972 • 1973 • 1974 • 1975 • 1977 • 1978 • 1979 • 1980 • 1981 • 1982–1994 • 1995 • 1996 • 1997 • 1998 | |
| Non-Championship Race | 1971 |
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