Hong Kong Central Harbourfront Circuit

Hong Kong Central Harbourfront Circuit at a glance

Location

Hong Kong, Hong Kong Island

Type

historic circuit (defunct)

Length

1.86 km (1.156 mi)

Turns

10

Direction

clockwise

Surface

asphalt

Opened

2016

Owner

formerly Government of Hong Kong (temporary street circuit; a shorter rallycross layout was used once in 2023, also no longer laid out)

Address

Central Harbourfront Event Space, Central

Track map and layout

The Hong Kong Central Harbourfront Circuit was a temporary 1.860 km (1.156 mi), 10-turn Formula E layout run clockwise on public roads along the Central waterfront of Hong Kong Island, immediately in front of the Central Star Ferry Pier and City Hall. Victoria Harbour sat on one side of the track and the dense Central and Mid-Levels skyline on the other, giving it one of the most visually striking backdrops in the championship's early years despite being one of the shortest and tightest circuits it used. A separate, shorter 0.802 km rallycross configuration was laid out once in the same area in 2023 for a World RX event.

Configurations

Events and race weekends

The Central Harbourfront hosted four Hong Kong ePrix races: the debut on 9 October 2016 (won by Sébastien Buemi), a season-opening double-header on 2-3 December 2017 (won by Sam Bird and Felix Rosenqvist), and a final race on 10 March 2019 (won by Edoardo Mortara). The 2019-20 event was cancelled amid the city's pro-democracy protests and never rescheduled, and the venue has since been dropped from the Formula E calendar altogether. A single World Rallycross round used a shorter layout of the same waterfront site in 2023.

Getting there and parking

The Central Harbourfront is one of the most accessible sites in Hong Kong, directly served by MTR and Star Ferry; there is no circuit infrastructure left, only the ordinary waterfront promenade, event lawns and piers used by the general public.

• Hong Kong International Airport (HKG) · about 35 min drive

Hong Kong MTR station (Island and Tsuen Wan lines) sits on the western edge of the old circuit footprint, and the Star Ferry pier used during the races is still in everyday use for the Central-Tsim Sha Tsui crossing.

Hotels and camping near Hong Kong Central Harbourfront Circuit

Central and the adjoining Admiralty and Sheung Wan districts offer Hong Kong's widest range of hotels, all within walking distance of the former circuit, with Tsim Sha Tsui across the harbour in Kowloon a popular alternative with harbour views back towards Central. There is no camping, RV or trackside accommodation associated with the site, which functions as an ordinary waterfront district and event space.

Where to look

Central and Admiralty for proximity to the harbourfront; Tsim Sha Tsui in Kowloon for harbour-view alternatives across Victoria Harbour.

Track days, driving experiences and lap records

There is no track-day, ride-along or public driving access; the circuit was a temporary street layout erected and dismantled around each Formula E or rallycross event, and no permanent racing facility exists on the Central Harbourfront.

Lap records

Spectator guide

There is no event to attend and no spectator infrastructure remaining; the Central Harbourfront Event Space today hosts markets, festivals and public events rather than motorsport, with unobstructed views across Victoria Harbour to Kowloon.

Weather

• Jun-Aug: hot, humid and prone to typhoons, highs around 31-33°C
• Dec-Feb: mild and drier, highs around 18-20°C

History of Hong Kong Central Harbourfront Circuit

A harbourfront debut for Formula E in Asia

The Hong Kong Central Harbourfront Circuit was laid out on the Central Harbourfront Event Space for the debut Hong Kong ePrix on 9 October 2016, giving Formula E one of its most photogenic settings: a tight, 1.860 km, 10-turn ribbon of closed public roads running past City Hall and the Central Star Ferry Pier, with Victoria Harbour on one flank and Hong Kong Island's skyscraper skyline on the other. Sébastien Buemi won that first race for Renault e.dams.

A double-header and a dramatic finish

Hong Kong grew into a fixture on the calendar, hosting the opening two rounds of the 2017-18 season on consecutive days, 2-3 December 2017, with Sam Bird winning race one for DS Virgin Racing and Felix Rosenqvist taking race two for Mahindra. The circuit's tight confines and harbourside walls made for close, incident-prone racing typical of Formula E's early street-circuit era. Edoardo Mortara won the fourth and final Hong Kong ePrix on 10 March 2019, driving for Venturi.

Protests, cancellation and removal from the calendar

Hong Kong was due to host again in the 2019-20 season, but the race was cancelled as the city was gripped by mass pro-democracy protests, with Formula E relocating the round to Marrakesh at short notice. The event was never rescheduled, and Hong Kong has since been dropped from the championship altogether. The waterfront site saw one further motorsport use in 2023, when a shorter layout hosted a round of the FIA World Rallycross Championship.

The Central Harbourfront today

With no permanent racing facility ever built, the Central Harbourfront Event Space has returned fully to its role as a public open space, hosting markets, festivals, art installations and harbour-view leisure use, with the MTR's Hong Kong station and the Star Ferry providing the same access points spectators once used for the ePrix.

Frequently asked questions

Other tracks nearby

• Zhuhai International Circuit · 63 km · road course
• Guia Circuit (Macau Grand Prix) · 63 km · street circuit
• Guangdong International Circuit · 176 km · road course
• Haitang Bay Circuit · 635 km · street circuit
• Penbay International Circuit · 650 km · historic circuit (defunct)
• Lihpao Racing Park · 704 km · road course