Tempelhof Airport Street Circuit
Tempelhof Airport Street Circuit at a glance
- Location
- Berlin, Berlin
- Type
- street circuit
- Length
- 2.343 km (1.456 mi)
- Turns
- 15
- Direction
- counter-clockwise
- Surface
- asphalt (airport tarmac and access roads)
- Opened
- 2015
- Owner
- Tempelhof Projekt GmbH / State of Berlin (Tempelhof Airport site)
Track map and layout
The Tempelhof Airport Street Circuit is a temporary track laid out over the apron, taxiways and access roads of Berlin's disused Tempelhof Airport, one of the few Formula E venues built on airport tarmac rather than city streets. The current layout runs 2.343 km with 15 corners in a counter-clockwise direction, featuring long straights across the open apron mixed with a tight, technical infield section that runs directly beneath the canopy roof of the historic terminal building. The layout has been revised several times since 2015 as organisers have adjusted the balance between flat-out running and overtaking opportunities, most recently moving the start/finish straight to the opposite side of the apron for the 2024 season.
Configurations
| Layout | Length | Used for |
|---|---|---|
| Current layout (2024-present) | 2.34 km | 2.343 km, 15 turns; start/finish moved to the far side of the apron |
| Original layout (2015) | 2.47 km | 2.469 km, 17 turns; first Formula E configuration used at Tempelhof |
Events and race weekends
The Tempelhof Airport Street Circuit is the home of the Berlin E-Prix, a round of the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship held every season since 2015 (with a gap in 2016 while the airport served as temporary refugee housing). It is the only venue to have featured in every season of Formula E's history, and Berlin regularly hosts a Formula E double-header weekend, with a race scheduled again in early May 2027.
| Event | Series | When | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Berlin E-Prix | ABB FIA Formula E World Championship | May-July (varies by season) | double-header weekend; the only circuit to feature in every Formula E season |
Getting there and parking
Tempelhof Airport sits close to central Berlin, well inside the city's public transport network, with the Tempelhof U-Bahn station and several bus routes stopping directly at the site. Berlin Brandenburg Airport is the city's main international gateway, connected to the centre and on to Tempelhof by S-Bahn and regional rail.
- Berlin Brandenburg Airport (BER) · about 30 min drive
Parking
Limited parking is available around the former airport grounds; because Tempelhof sits inside central Berlin and is well served by U-Bahn and bus routes, public transport is the recommended way to reach the circuit on race weekend.
Use the U6 U-Bahn line to Platz der Luftbrücke or Tempelhof station rather than driving, as road closures around the circuit are extensive on race weekend.
Hotels and camping near Tempelhof Airport Street Circuit
Because Tempelhof lies inside Berlin itself, visitors stay in the city rather than in a dedicated circuit town, choosing from Berlin's full range of hotels a short U-Bahn ride from the venue. Rooms fill up for the Formula E weekend, particularly given Berlin's year-round popularity as a destination, so early booking is worthwhile.
Where to look
Neukölln, Kreuzberg and Schöneberg, all close to Tempelhof and well connected by U-Bahn, offer convenient bases; central Berlin districts like Mitte give a wider range of hotels a short train ride away.
Track days, driving experiences and lap records
The Tempelhof circuit is not open for public track days; it is assembled temporarily on airport apron and access roads for the annual Formula E weekend and does not exist as a drivable layout at other times. Tempelhofer Feld, the surrounding former airfield, is a public park used for cycling, walking and recreation, but the race circuit itself has no public access outside the event.
Lap records
| Category | Time | Driver | Car | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Formula E (current layout) | 0:58.648 | Pascal Wehrlein | Porsche 99X Electric | 2026 |
Spectator guide
The open apron setting gives Tempelhof unusually wide sightlines for a street circuit, with grandstands positioned along the main straight and around the tighter infield corners near the historic terminal building. The backdrop of the 1930s terminal, one of the world's largest buildings by floor area, gives the circuit a distinctive look found nowhere else on the Formula E calendar.
Seating
Grandstands line the main straight and the technical infield section beneath the terminal canopy; general-admission areas on the open apron offer additional viewing.
Best places to watch
Seats near the infield section under the terminal roof combine close racing action with the most dramatic architectural backdrop on the circuit.
Weather
- May-July (typical race dates): warm Berlin summer conditions, highs typically 20-25°C
History of Tempelhof Airport Street Circuit
Formula E comes to a Cold War airfield
Tempelhof Airport, one of Europe's oldest commercial airports and a symbol of the 1948-49 Berlin Airlift, closed to aviation in 2008 and was repurposed as Tempelhofer Feld, a vast public park. In 2015, Formula E, then in its debut season, chose the site for a street circuit built across the airport's apron and access roads, holding the first Berlin E-Prix on 23 May 2015 as round 8 of the championship's inaugural season.
A fixture of the Formula E calendar
Berlin quickly became one of Formula E's most important venues, missing only the 2016 season, when the airport buildings were pressed into service as temporary refugee housing during the European migration crisis and the race relocated. Since then Tempelhof has hosted the Berlin E-Prix every year, frequently as a double-header weekend, making it the only circuit to have featured in every season of the championship's history. The layout has been revised repeatedly, adjusting corner sequences and straight lengths to sharpen racing and overtaking, with a significant change for the 2024 season moving the start/finish straight to the opposite side of the apron.
Racing beneath a historic terminal
What sets Tempelhof apart from other Formula E street circuits is its setting: much of the lap runs across open airport tarmac, giving wider, faster sections than a typical city-centre circuit, before a tighter infield sequence threads directly beneath the sweeping canopy roof of the historic terminal building. The current 2.343 km, 15-turn layout continues to host the Berlin E-Prix each season, with the event scheduled to return again in May 2027, keeping Formula E's longest-running venue at the heart of the championship.
Frequently asked questions
Is the Berlin E-Prix still held at Tempelhof?+
Yes. The Tempelhof Airport Street Circuit remains the home of the Berlin E-Prix, with a race held there in the 2025-26 Formula E season and another scheduled for 8-9 May 2027.
How long is the Tempelhof Airport Street Circuit?+
The current layout, used since 2024, is 2.343 km (1.456 mi) with 15 turns, run counter-clockwise. Earlier configurations, including the original 2015 layout, were slightly different lengths.
Can the public drive the Tempelhof circuit?+
No. The circuit is assembled temporarily on airport apron and roads only for the annual Formula E race weekend and is not open for public track days at any other time.
Why is there a gap in Tempelhof's Formula E history?+
Formula E did not race at Tempelhof in 2016 because the airport's terminal buildings were being used as temporary housing for refugees during that period; the race returned in 2017.
What is the lap record at Tempelhof?+
The fastest official lap on the current layout is 0:58.648, set by Pascal Wehrlein in a Porsche 99X Electric during the 2026 Berlin E-Prix.
What was Tempelhof Airport before it became a race circuit?+
Tempelhof was one of Europe's oldest commercial airports and a symbol of the 1948-49 Berlin Airlift; it closed to aviation in 2008 and its grounds became the public park Tempelhofer Feld, part of which is used for the Formula E circuit each year.
Other tracks nearby
- AVUS · 10 km · historic circuit (defunct)
- Lausitzring (DEKRA Lausitzring) · 110 km · road course & oval
- Motorsport Arena Oschersleben · 153 km · road course
- Talkessel Teutschenthal · 158 km · motocross
- Sachsenring · 193 km · road course
- Autodrom Most · 217 km · road course
Facts checked against 3 sources including the official circuit website. Last reviewed 2026-09-11.