MotoGP 2027: Buenos Aires celebrates comeback with mega renovation

(Motorsport-Total.com) - Earlier this week, the MotoGP World Championship announced it would return to Buenos Aires in March 2027 after a 28-year hiatus. The agreement between the Argentinian capital, Grupo OSD, which previously organized the Argentinian Grand Prix in Termas, and Dorna will run for at least four years.

Ahead of the event, the street circuit, which celebrates its 73rd anniversary in October, will undergo a complete overhaul, both in terms of its infrastructure and layout. Many of the historic variants will be replaced with a new version specifically designed to meet modern international standards.

For the past ten years, Termas de Rio Hondo in the province of Santiago del Estero has hosted the Argentine Grand Prix and a total of nine MotoGP races between 2014 and 2025.

Two weeks ago, however, Dorna confirmed that the Argentine Grand Prix would no longer take place in Termas next year and on Monday officially announced the race's return to the capital, Buenos Aires.

The 2027 event will be the eleventh time that the Motorcycle World Championship will be held in Buenos Aires - after races in the years 1961 to 1963, then 1981, 1982, 1987 and later in 1994, 1995, 1998 and most recently in 1999.

"To accommodate MotoGP, we have begun redesigning this track together with the local team. We are pursuing a two-phase plan. Phase 1 is for MotoGP in 2027, Phase 2 for Formula 1. The goal is to obtain a full FIM Grade A license and a Grade 1 license for Formula 1," says Hermann Tilke, who is leading the redesign.

"But it's not just about the technical requirements like barriers, run-off areas, and so on. The track also has to be good and exciting. We designed it not only for the drivers, but also with the spectators in mind. Fan involvement is very important," adds the track designer.

Construction work will begin between October and November, with the focus in 2025 being on the paddock and general infrastructure. Work on the track itself will begin in January of next year.

According to the preliminary plan, the modernizations should be completed by November 2026, three months before the MotoGP race in Buenos Aires in March 2027.

The new layout in Buenos Aires in detail

The new layout will be 4,340 meters long for MotoGP and will be extended by around 500 meters for a possible Formula 1 race, with a final corner extending to the area of the city's current kart track.

"The layout will be virtually identical for MotoGP and Formula 1. Only two corners will be slightly wider for Formula 1, making the track a bit longer, but the design will remain essentially the same," explains Tilke.

The current start-finish straight remains unchanged and is expected to be an area where MotoGP bikes reach speeds of up to 320 km/h before entering a hard right-hander (Turn 1). This is the first major overtaking opportunity, especially shortly after the start of a race, and leads into a second left-hander, which is taken at around 90 km/h.

The drivers then accelerate into Turn 3, where speeds of around 230 km/h are reached. Turn 4 is a wide, fast 180-degree right-hander. Lean angle and tire temperature are crucial here. It transitions into a high-speed section with Turns 5 and 6, with speeds exceeding 250 km/h.

Turns 7 and 8 are then negotiated at a minimum of 130 km/h. This is followed by the left-hand turn 9, which offers another overtaking opportunity. From there, the car accelerates from around 90 km/h to 250 km/h through the fast turn 10, which leads into a triple right-hand combination: turns 11, 12, and 13.

Near the area currently known as "Ascari" we enter the back straight, another fast section where we again reach 320 km/h before braking into a new hairpin, which serves as the final corner.

Simulations show that lap times will be under 1:30 minutes, with an average speed of just under 180 km/h. The redesigned circuit will have a total of 14 corners: nine right-handers and five left-handers.