The Formula 1 calendar development threadFormula 1

[Cowboys965]

Really?

It's a mess. It looks like it was designed by someone who decided that if it looked good on paper, it would produce good racing. At least Hermann Tilke tries to come up with stuff that makes things interesting for the drivers.

It looks like whoever designs the IndyCar street circuits had some say in it's design.

 

[prisonermonkeys]

I do believe that mess of chicanery at the Baltimore pit entry is being fixed for this year.

 

[F1 fan]

That's been confirmed for some time.

Really? When? It's the first I've heard of it and the article is dated Friday.

 

[prisonermonkeys]

It was confirmed six weeks ago, but the article is in French.

 

[F1 fan]

Fair enough. I can read a little French but never thought of that.

 

[Endless-Wilso]

 

[prisonermonkeys]

The Daily Mirror's Byron Young reckons the Singapore circuit will be modified for next year, with the part around the cricket club - the part containing the Singapore Sling - to be removed. However, I don’t think that’s going to be possible. Despite having such a long timed lap, Singapore is actually only 5km long. Cutting out the section around the cricket club would probably shorten the circuit to under 3.5km, which is the minimum circuit length the FIA will accept.

 

[Lizard]

The Daily Mirror's Byron Young reckons the Singapore circuit will be modified for next year, with the part around the cricket club - the part containing the Singapore Sling - to be removed. However, I don’t think that’s going to be possible. Despite having such a long timed lap, Singapore is actually only 5km long. Cutting out the section around the cricket club would probably shorten the circuit to under 3.5km, which is the minimum circuit length the FIA will accept.

It would be a shame. I love the current layout makes for great races.

 

[peter_vod69]

It would be a shame. I love the current layout makes for great races.

I think it's the cars much more than the track. That "Singapore Sling" corner is just awful, nothing can go through there without looking clumsy.

 

[prisonermonkeys]

Ironically, Hermann Tilke's original design for the circuit - which was later modified by a consultancy firm to its current layout - actually had the cars going south down the Esplanade Bridge, turning right at that sharp corner where Massa nearly took out Senna, then heading back up across the Anderson Bridge and taking the Singapore Sling in the opposite direction to what the cars do now. Such a layout would mean that the chicane was unnecessary because the two corners after the bridge (which currently come before the bridge) would slow the cars down themselves:

It's by no means a perfect design, but Tilke did get a few things right.

 

[Liquid]

Now the Greeks want in, because nothing says "fiscal responsibility" like dealing with Bernie Ecclestone.

I like the look of the layout, very interesting looking circuit.

Really?

It's a mess. It looks like it was designed by someone who decided that if it looked good on paper, it would produce good racing. At least Hermann Tilke tries to come up with stuff that makes things interesting for the drivers.

I'm with pm on this one. It looks like someone went over an A-Z of Piraeus with a crayon. Plus, I'm not so excited about another street circuit. Singapore is lukewarm to me and we all know how Valencia is only good on the game.

 

[avens]

Ironically, Hermann Tilke's original design for the circuit - which was later modified by a consultancy firm to its current layout - actually had the cars going south down the Esplanade Bridge, turning right at that sharp corner where Massa nearly took out Senna, then heading back up across the Anderson Bridge and taking the Singapore Sling in the opposite direction to what the cars do now. Such a layout would mean that the chicane was unnecessary because the two corners after the bridge (which currently come before the bridge) would slow the cars down themselves:

It's by no means a perfect design, but Tilke did get a few things right.

Early Tiilke circuits are awesome and that's also the case with his current projects. Problem is they never end up being nowhere near like that because of safety concerns.

So it isn't Tiilke's fault but the current trend of everything has to be 100% safe, that killed lots of classic circuits. Very few still have a flow instead of chicanes after chicanes after chicanes.

 

[prisonermonkeys]

Thailand has agreed in principle to terms for a Grand Prix, with a proposal for a night race on the streets of Bangkok:

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/102873

 

[Rossell2]

Two night races? It should be restricted to one imo. Kinda makes it a bit more special.

 

[prisonermonkeys]

It's already one and a half - the second half of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix is run at night.

 

[m8h3r]

I wish they'd change Australia to a night race. So it coincides with the usual Europe race times. It's annoying having to get up at 5am to watch it.

 

[prisonermonkeys]

It's not possible. The Albert Park circuit is surrounded by wide, grassy run-off areas in most places. Any lights would be set a long way back from the circuit, which means more lighting would be needed. And the sheer number of trees around the circuit would create all manner of weird shadows.

Plus, the locals would complain. They'd be doubly unhappy if they found out that a night race was only introduced so that European audiences did not have to get up so early.

 

[Rossell2]

It's already one and a half - the second half of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix is run at night.

So yeah, why do we need two and a half night races?

 

[Pupik]

I wish they'd change Australia to a night race. So it coincides with the usual Europe race times. It's annoying having to get up at 5am to watch it.

Sure beats the 1am for the Australasian start times for the America's east coast.

It's pretty much the sole reason I use a DVR.

 

[Matty]

Sure beats the 1am for the Australasian start times for the America's east coast.

It's pretty much the sole reason I use a DVR.

No offense, but I would much rather those time then 5/6am.

Although I also like the feeling when you've gotten up and not managed to fall asleep before it's even started

So yeah, why do we need two and a half night races?

Because Charlie Sheen wants a new comedy show.

 

[Grand Prix]

I wish they'd change Australia to a night race. So it coincides with the usual Europe race times. It's annoying having to get up at 5am to watch it.

If I watched most of the races live, I would have to get up around that time for all the European races. For a while I actually did. Now I just record them and watch them later like a boss.

If anything, Bernie should make the European tracks host their races at a reasonable hour for North American audiences. We're the market he's trying to snatch up after all, with possibly two American races alongside the Canadian one.


All joking aside, there's a pretty good reason most races are held around noon, and that reason would be driver safety. A rather famous example is when Jean-Pierre Wimille was killed in a crash after, supposedly, being blinded by sunlight. Of course endurance drivers can get along with early morning and late dusk lighting just fine, but they are a bit of a different breed, to be fair. And of course, Bernie doesn't care about that either, because it gets in the way of European TV views, and money. So there we go.

 

[Pupik]

See, I don't mind the 8:00/9:00am start times...I can get on with my day, and it doesn't interrupt anything else. I'm getting too old for the all-nighters from 1-3am; I think the last time I did that was the 2005 Japanese GP.

 

[Grand Prix]

Yep, different time zones are going to favour some people and not others. I happen to live on the North American west coast, and most race start times are really screwed for me. You get used to it. Although the new start time of the Australian GP does annoy me I have to admit, it used to be one of the few races I could watch live at a reasonable hour.

 

[Akmuq]

For Singapore, would removing the Turn 10 chicane be an option and tightening the Turn 11 and Turn 12 chicane directly after it? That wouldn't allow the cars to go side by side on the bridge, but could still allow battling into turn 10.

 

[prisonermonkeys]

Nope. The Singapore Sling isn't there to slow the cars down when they go onto the Anderson Bridge. It's there because there isn't any room for run-off on the outside of that corner, and without the chicane in place, it would actually be a reasonably-quick corner.

 

[peter_vod69]

The solution then ought to be to bring the apex of the corner further forward to tighten it up a bit. Surely it would be much more elegant than the current arrangement?

 

[prisonermonkeys]

No, that won't work, either, because of the way the road normally curves.

 

[prisonermonkeys]

Now the Greeks want in, because nothing says "fiscal responsibility" like dealing with Bernie Ecclestone.

And now the money has been made available to them.

 

[Hun200kmh]

I simply don't understand. I know Portugal is also in a very bad shape, and thankfully we are a very peaceful country/people, enduring the crisis without any riots so far.

However, and even if we have Estoril and Portimão built and ready, something Greece doesn't ... I think that if any politician would come up with the crazy idea of hosting a F1 GP here ... we would be in for some serious civil unrest LOL

 

[Sanji Himura]

Your 2013 Formula 1 schedule. Posted in the European format of day first:

17/03 AUS Grand Prix of Australia
24/03 MYS Grand Prix of Malaysia
14/04 CHN Grand Prix of China
21/04 BHR Grand Prix of Bahrain
12/05 ESP Grand Prix of Spain (Barcelona)
26/05 MCO Grand Prix of Monaco
09/06 CAN Grand Prix of Canada
16/06 USA Grand Prix of Jersey (New York) *
30/06 GBR Grand Prix of Great Britain
14/07 DEU Grand Prix of Germany
28/07 HUN Grand Prix of Hungary
25/08 BEL Grand Prix of Belgium
08/09 ITA Grand Prix of Italy
22/09 SGP Grand Prix of Singapore
06/10 KOR Grand Prix of Korea
13/10 JPN Grand Prix of Japan
27/10 IND Grand Prix of India
03/11 ARE Grand Prix of Abu Dhabi
17/11 USA Grand Prix of USA (Austin)
24/11 BRA Grand Prix of Brazil

As we can see, if New York can get their act together, the USA will get two races next year, one there and the other in Austin. Any chance that one of them will be a prime time race for North American fans?