The Kazan Ring Canyon is an FIA Grade 2 road course with impressive vertical changes along the way, designed by Hermann Tilke on the outskirts of Kazan, Russia. The circuit layout adapts to the natural elevation changes of the field, and its 2.15-mile (3.46-km), eleven-turn trajectory is covered by high-performance vehicles on an average lap time of 1:37.4. The location of Kazan deep into the continent means there are extreme seasonal variations in temperature. Winters are freezing and snowy, with 120 days of snowfall a year on average. Summers are hot and rainy, with temperatures near 40°C (104°F).

The Kazan Ring Canyon has eleven corners and runs counterclockwise, starting in its short front straightaway. Turns one and two combine to form a multi-apex corner leading into a fast straight that ends abruptly on the super-tight left-hand combination of turns three and four. Another fast-paced straight goes uphill to turn number five, where drivers plunge into a downhill snaking sector consisting of corners six and seven. The long back straightaway is next, where racers hit 200 km/h (124 mph) before the 90-degree corner eight. The last segment of the track goes up and down a hill, turning right at the end to re-enter the front straight at 160 km/h (99 mph).