Comments on: Does F1 need more high speed tracks, should there be an oval race ?

By: Jack

Jack — Wed, 20 May 2009 21:14:04 +0000

You just don’t understand the speed at Indy and other IRL race tracks. Imagine 33 cars taking off and going into a left turn (not an Oval – It’s a left turn) at 220+mph This year 2009 is the closest field ever. The pole is 226+, last place is 221+. TV doesn’t do it justice unless you have HDTV . You have to be there to experience the speed, the garages, the drivers, the atmosphere of 300,000+ people. It’s amazing!

The speeds are crazy but not even as high as they used to be. The track speed record is over 236 mph. If you think 220 is fast, try 236mph when you have to make a left turn. To average 226 mph around a track that is a rectangle, not an oval, they have to go nearly 235mph down the long front and back stretchs that are 3/4 mile long. And they don’t lift going into the left turns. For the track record they were driving over 245 down the main straight. This year is going to be something great! You have at least 15 driver/car combos that are capable of winning this race. It won’t be a runaway like last year.

Hope you get to watch it. Better yet- come to Indy and see it LIVE!

By: Benalf

Benalf — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 03:43:08 +0000

You can find lots of good things in the new F1 circuits, like the ones Kotenok mentioned, not question about it, but the overall lap averages out the good things, with exceptions for sure. I don’t like the “chicane-zation” of classic circuits to “improve” safety. The first “turn” in Monza. the last chicane in Barcelona, the killing of Hockenheimring to mention a few. Try to keep the spirit of the classic tracks is as important as bringing fresh ideas in to add more variety, challenges worth to see and to test the new high-tech driver skills. I’d like to see new racetracks designed by different guys, people who thinks outside the “modern” F1 box. May be not an oval senso stricto but a very fast, challenging, safe circuit, in which if you make a mistake, you’re not gonna get killed, but you’re gonna loss time. I wonder what stuff exists between gravel traps and astroturf that keeps safety and race punishment worth to try…

By: Kotenok

Kotenok — Sat, 26 Jul 2008 10:53:16 +0000

From Tilke I do not think that bad, he had the aim to create things which were impossible to guess. Turn 8, at Istambul Park, turn 13 and 1-2 in Sepang, the entire track of Bahrain is a pursuit with some few opposite benches and level differences, Shanghai to me looks to be an attractive track, more fast straights and challenging corners with invisible apex , benched turn 13 is already a pursuit for the drivers Can look standard, but much more fan than a borring oval.
I think you should purpose your design, and lets see how it betters the ones of Herman Tilke But do not copy any Scalextric slot track!!! HEHE!

For me Catalonian track means something, and I do not see it that boring, just step in the circuit for once during a race and you’ll feel many emotions there, specially the sound of the crowd, which can be higher than the formula ones. In TV that race looks different than sitting in a grandstand, there are many difficult turns, like 1-2 or the single turn 9, only mans with courage open wide, take the apex, and run on the kerbs at full speed.
Although, Barcelona is a city with great attractive for visitors Not many circuits are located that near the cities, Albert Park, Gilles Villeneuve circuit, Interlagos, Monaco, Valencia street circuit and Singapore one. The other ones are located very far in the countryside, with few interesting spots surrounding the circuit. And also that does trouble to find where to stay (I guess Wolf could comment how comfortable is to arrive to a circuit with Tram in Melbourne).

By: benalf

benalf — Sat, 26 Jul 2008 03:12:03 +0000

Why not? We’ve so far, very slow circuits (monaco), Tilke, designed2pass (?) circuits, boring circuits (hungary, spain). The only exciting part of the USGP was watching the cars flat out on the banked last turn. May be not an oval but a 3-D (I mean, not flat) eight shape with, let’s say 6 high-speed turns, with a very exposed bridge where you can see cars going on both levels at the same time (a suzuka-improved version). An oval should not be a dangerous place, you don’t have to built concrete walls alonside and tarmac but a safety zone (flat) so if you leave the asphalt you’re gonna loose a lot of time getting back in the allowed zone. We need more circuit designer besides Tillke; it was a dissapointment to hear that Donington is gonna to hire him to extend the circuit(?). We don’t need standardization, we need variety. Let’s see what happen with Valencia and Singapore and see if we can start having options…

By: F1Wolf

F1Wolf — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 03:43:41 +0000

As I said even in my post, I do find ovals boring. But I would still like to see how would a Formula 1 race on oval look. For sure totally different than anything we are used to

I would really like to see it Even as a non-championship exhibition bloody fast race

By: cd

cd — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 16:39:47 +0000

Maybe I’m speaking from the fact I can’t turn on a television without seeing cars on an oval, but the reason I like F1 is that it isn’t oval racing.

I do miss true high speed tracks though, like the old Monza and Hockenheim.

cds last blog post..Mosley wins in court

By: Stew

Stew — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 13:55:45 +0000

That’s a good question. I do like a good high speed track, but unless they are ovals they don’t leave much opportunity to pass. We have enough of that already.

If another high speed circuit would be entertained, I would choose an oval. The F1 race at Indy had the final corner, but that was only a tease. I would love to see F1 cars run at Michigan or La. They are the fastest ovals, but Indy has prestige and so is much more attractive to F1.

It would be fun.

By: Kotenok

Kotenok — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 21:52:20 +0000

“I like tracks that challenge to make mistakes, and promote great over-taking maneuvres.”

That’s about Monte Carlo’s street circuit Only there you see stunning overtaking when it happens In such narrow track you only find one overtaking maneuver from Fernando Alonso in Merabeau in F1 history this year and in the same race such a mistake like hitting Heidfield and the problem of choosing the proper tires I think that of course is borring the tedious catwalk of famous people and their friends, but anyway, even if the race is slow, to see such fast cars in there allows us to notice how fast they’re.

By: Ben

Ben — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 16:12:09 +0000

I would like to see a longer higher speed race, but I don’t like the idea of it being all oval I think thats boring. I don’t like the Nascar tracks that only cause you to have to turn in one direction thoughout all of the race.
I think a race with a few fast curves in different directions, high-speed straight-aways and a few quick chicanes would be nice. I liked the Indianapolis race track as its not just oval.

As I don’t like oval tracks I don’t wish for the F1 rules to be more “oval friendly”, but I do like fast tracks.

Montreal is one of my favorite tracks, and Monza is a good change of pace to the rest of the callender. I like a season with a calender that offers a good variety of tracks.

I may be one of the only F1 fans who don’t actually like the slow Monte Carlo race. I think its one of the least exiting races of the season (unless you have rain)

I like tracks that challenge to make mistakes, and promote great over-taking maneuvres.

To me the over-taking battles is what makes the races the most exiting, and the crashes too….though I would ofcause never wish for a driver to hurt himself

By: F1Wolf

F1Wolf — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 09:44:29 +0000

from current tracks I consider only Monza to be a really fast track. Montreal is not bad too and perhaps offers much more exciting racing but it is not the raw speed.

I would somehow like to see at least once an F1 race where the cars go on full throttle almost non stop. no way for the engines to last more than one race but if all the drivers get 10 places penalty for next race for engine change, no harm will be done

Let’s see what Valencia will be like, getting close