Punta del Este Street Circuit
Punta del Este Street Circuit at a glance
- Location
- Punta del Este, Maldonado
- Type
- historic circuit (defunct)
- Length
- 2.785 km (1.731 mi)
- Turns
- 20
- Surface
- asphalt
- Opened
- 1981
- Owner
- formerly City of Punta del Este / Maldonado department (temporary street circuit; no longer laid out for Formula E)
- Address
- Playa Brava seafront
Track map and layout
The Punta del Este Street Circuit, also known as the Playa Brava Beach Circuit, ran along the seafront of the Uruguayan resort town of Punta del Este and was used in several configurations over nearly four decades. Its original 1981 layout was a 2.407 km, 12-turn course; it was lengthened for TC2000 touring car use to 2.650 km (21 turns) in 2007 and then 3.400 km (23-24 turns) from 2008 to 2010. Formula E used a shorter 20-turn seafront configuration, 2.808 km for the inaugural 2014 race and a slightly revised 2.785 km for 2015 and 2018.
Configurations
| Layout | Length | Used for |
|---|---|---|
| Original circuit (1981-1991) | 2.41 km | 12 turns |
| TC2000 circuit (2007) | 2.65 km | 21 turns |
| TC2000 circuit (2008-2010) | 3.40 km | 23-24 turns |
| Formula E circuit (2014) | 2.81 km | 20 turns; inaugural Punta del Este ePrix |
| Formula E circuit (2015, 2018) | 2.79 km | 20 turns; revised layout |
Events and race weekends
Before Formula E arrived, the circuit hosted Argentina's TC2000 touring car championship around 2007-2010. Formula E's Punta del Este ePrix ran three times: the inaugural race on 13 December 2014, won by Sébastien Buemi, who also won the 2015 running on 19 December 2015, and a final race on 17 March 2018 won by Jean-Éric Vergne. No motorsport event has used the seafront circuit since 2018.
Getting there and parking
Punta del Este is Uruguay's main coastal resort town, with the former circuit route along the Playa Brava seafront within easy walking or short taxi distance of the town centre and its hotels; there is no circuit infrastructure left to visit.
- Capitán Corbeta CA Curbelo International Airport (Punta del Este) (PDP) · about 15 min drive
There is nothing left to see of the circuit itself; Playa Brava is best visited today simply as one of Punta del Este's main beaches.
Hotels and camping near Punta del Este Street Circuit
Punta del Este is Uruguay's best-known beach resort with an extensive range of hotels and apartments, most within easy reach of the former Playa Brava circuit route, and is busiest (and most expensive) during the Southern Hemisphere summer from December to February.
Where to look
Punta del Este town centre and the Playa Brava/Playa Mansa seafront areas offer the widest hotel choice.
Track days, driving experiences and lap records
There is no track-day or ride access of any kind; the circuit was always a temporary street layout used for scheduled race weekends and taken down afterward, with no permanent racing facility remaining at Punta del Este.
Lap records
| Category | Time | Driver | Car | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Formula E (2014 layout) | 1:18.451 | Daniel Abt | — | 2014 |
| Formula E (2015/2018 layout) | 1:16.811 | José María López | — | 2018 |
| TC2000 (2010 layout) | 1:29.288 | José María López | — | 2010 |
Spectator guide
There is no event to attend and no spectator infrastructure remaining from the TC2000 or Formula E years; Playa Brava today functions as an ordinary Punta del Este beach and seafront promenade.
Weather
- Dec-Feb (when Formula E raced): warm Uruguayan summer, highs typically around 25-27°C; the 2018 race in March saw similar late-summer conditions
History of Punta del Este Street Circuit
A resort town street circuit
Punta del Este, Uruguay's premier beach resort on the South Atlantic coast, first hosted street racing in 1981 on a 2.407 km, 12-turn layout along the Playa Brava seafront. The circuit was used intermittently through the 1980s and into 1991 before falling quiet, part of a broader pattern of South American resort towns using their streets for occasional motorsport rather than maintaining a permanent facility.
TC2000 and the road to Formula E
The circuit was revived and substantially lengthened for Argentina's TC2000 touring car championship, running a 2.650 km, 21-turn layout in 2007 before extending further to 3.400 km with 23-24 turns from 2008 to 2010. That TC2000-era investment in the seafront route helped pave the way for the circuit's biggest moment: becoming a venue on the inaugural Formula E World Championship calendar.
The Formula E years
Formula E's Punta del Este ePrix debuted on 13 December 2014 on a 2.808 km, 20-turn seafront layout, with Sébastien Buemi winning ahead of Nelson Piquet Jr. and Lucas di Grassi, and Daniel Abt setting the circuit's Formula E lap record for that configuration. Buemi won again on a slightly revised 2.785 km layout on 19 December 2015. After a gap, Formula E returned once more on 17 March 2018, when Jean-Éric Vergne took victory and José María López set the fastest lap of the weekend. That 2018 race proved to be the circuit's last major motorsport event, and Punta del Este has not returned to the Formula E calendar or hosted comparable racing since, leaving Playa Brava as an ordinary beachfront once again.
Frequently asked questions
Does the Punta del Este Street Circuit still exist?+
No. It was a temporary street circuit along the Playa Brava seafront, used for scheduled TC2000 and Formula E race weekends and dismantled afterward; nothing remains to visit today.
When did Formula E race at Punta del Este?+
The Punta del Este ePrix ran three times: 13 December 2014, 19 December 2015, and 17 March 2018.
Who won the Punta del Este ePrix each year?+
Sébastien Buemi won in both 2014 and 2015, and Jean-Éric Vergne won the final running in 2018.
Why did Formula E stop racing at Punta del Este?+
No official reason for the circuit's removal from the calendar after 2018 has been widely publicised; the race was simply not included in subsequent seasons.
How long was the Formula E circuit?+
2.808 km (1.745 miles) with 20 turns for the 2014 race, revised slightly to 2.785 km (1.731 miles), still 20 turns, for 2015 and 2018.
Other tracks nearby
- Autódromo Víctor Borrat Fabini · 92 km · road course
- Autódromo Roberto José Mouras (La Plata) · 296 km · road course
- Puerto Madero Street Circuit · 315 km · historic circuit (defunct)
- Autódromo Oscar y Juan Gálvez (Buenos Aires) · 323 km · road course
- Autódromo Juan Manuel Fangio · 441 km · road course
- Autódromo Eduardo P. Cabrera · 459 km · road course
Facts checked against 3 sources including the official circuit website. Last reviewed 2026-09-11.