Five more great tracks F1 should visit
Rockingham Motor Speedway - this is where I'd have the British Grand Prix
The Potrero de los Funes track in Argentina got a big thumbs up from everyone when I suggested it as a potential new venue for Formula 1.
What other circuits are out there that F1 is yet to visit that would make great additions to the calendar? Here’s five suggestions of mine, post your favourites below…
Road America, USA
There are plenty of American circuits that F1 should visit: Laguna Seca and Road Atlanta are both excellent circuits. But my favourite is Road America, often dubbed the Spa-Francorchamps of the States.
It’s not hard to see how it’s earned that name. It’s long, fast, flowing and supremely challenging. Keep an eye out for Carousel and the daunting Kink on this video lap with Bruno Junquiera (around the two minute mark):
(Here is the location of the track on MSN Virtual Earth.)
Rockingham (Sports Car Circuit), Great Britain
Built at the beginning of this decade, Rockingham is an oval track that was built to hold CART races before the series fell into financial trouble. The oval hasn’t been used for a proper, full-blooded motor race in years, which is a great shame. I first went to Rockingham two years ago during a test session in December, on a freezing cold, blue-skyed day. It was impossible not to fall for the place, which feels like it’s been torn from American soil and dropped into the middle of Northamptonshire.
I’d love to see F1 cars racing on ovals too, though I suspect a lot of other F1 fans might not like that idea. But Rockingham’s sports car circuit configuration as used by the British Touring Car Championship could be ideal. Spectators would have a magnificent view of the whole track, and I bet the racing through the banked first corner towards the hairpin would be great.
Rockingham Sports Car circuit track map (anti-clockwise)
Autódromo El Zonda Eduardo Copello, Argentina
Does Argentina build the best racing circuits? I thought Potrero de los Funes was fabulous, the long version of Buenos Aires is one of my all-time favourites, and here’s another exciting Argentinian track with lots of character.
I don’t know much about El Zonda other than it’s built in a ravine next to a mountain. But it looks seriously cool – I’m a sucker for tracks with crossovers. Bringing it up to F1 safety standards would cost a fortune. That said, the video below is from 1997, so it may have been upgraded since then.
Autódromo El Zonda Eduardo Copello circuit map (anti-clockwise)
Mount Panorama, Bathurst, Australia
The Potrero de los Funes track drew instant comparisons with Bathurst, home of Australia biggest motor sport event, the annual Bathurst 1000 Touring Car race.
The Mount Panorama circuit is one of a kind, though. First the cars climb a steep hill lined with concrete barriers, and the track gets even tighter and trickier as they pick their way back down the mountain. Then there’s the gigantic blast down the Conrod Straight, with a fearsomely fast kink at the end.
Having F1 cars race at Bathurst would be as unlikely as putting on a Grand Prix at the Bristol NASCAR oval. It would be spectacular though.
This video doesn’t show as much of the circuit – but there’s some vintage Murray Walker:
Mount Panorama circuit map (anti-clockwise)
Ascari Race Resort, Spain
This private facility does not host any racing series – it’s a place for rich boys to take their toys. The circuit is a gem though, designed by Klaas Zwart and including several corners inspired by designs on famous great tracks such as Spa. It’s very quick, as this video shows:
Ascari race resort map (clockwise)
What tracks do you think F1 should race at? Post your suggestions, links and videos below.
ajokay said on 28th November 2008, 23:44
This would be my ideal, 20-race F1 calendar:
1 – Brazil: Interlagos
2 – The Americas: Various
3 – USA West: Laguna Seca
4 – China: Macau Street Circuit
5 – Monaco: Monte Carlo
6 – Spain: Jerez
7 – European: Various
8 – Canada: Montreal
9 – USA Indy: Indianapolis Oval
10 – France: Le Mans Circuit de La Sarthe
11 – Britain: Silverstone
12 – Germany: Nurburgring
13 – Italy: Monza
14 – Belgium: Spa-Francourchamps
15 – USA East: Sebring
16 – Argentina: Potrero de Los Funes
17 – South Africa: Kyalami
18 – Pacific East Asia/Oceania: Various
19 – Japan: Suzuka
20 – Australia: Adelaide
yorricksfriend said on 29th November 2008, 2:00
Another note on Bathurst – a couple of times in recent years kangaroos have found their way onto the circuit, one time it had a happy ending – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Trr90QgxBnw and one time it – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rmGEvRFQcqU didn’t I remember in GP2 race a while back at Istanbul Bruno Senna hit a dog and it ruined his suspension – I can imagine a kangaroo could do a whole lot worse damage (sorry Keith for repost but the links were unclear the first time)
Daniel said on 29th November 2008, 5:20
about Bathurst, not much is said about the undulation, camber and gradient over he top.
especially Mcpilamy, reid, the dipper, the elbow, skyline. in my mind there the main corners, along with the chase.
Stealthman said on 29th November 2008, 9:37
The Adelaide Street Circuit should start off the season and Bathurst should finish it off! Two of the greatest tracks in Oz, and the world, beginning and ending a year of F1… Oh well… A guy can dream. :D
Matt said on 29th November 2008, 9:45
this is a good post, but i dont agree with any of the tracks, they don’t look built up enough, and to be honest im looking forward to specticals like singapore only not street circuit.
Daniel said on 29th November 2008, 9:58
id like to see F1 running on the V8 supercar configuration for Adelaide with the kind at turn 8, F1 cars at 310 km/h going through would be awesome.
Pingguest said on 29th November 2008, 11:13
There are a few more venues that Formula 1 should visit: Brands Hatch, Zandvoort and the Nordschleiffe.
Michiel said on 29th November 2008, 17:26
what a fabulous circuit is Bathurst.
I love it very much
andy said on 29th November 2008, 19:23
you could argue that we should be greatful for having the 4 best circuits in the world in F1 anyway :P
1. Spa Franchorchamps
2. Monza
3. Silverstone
4. Monaco
Keith Collantine (@keithcollantine) said on 30th November 2008, 10:04
MN – Would F1 cars be able to get around the hairpin at Macau?
Eric – Yes! Enna-Pergusa. Now there’s a bonkers track. Another one that goes around a lake too, like Potrero.
K –
This is a whole other debate. I think the idea of tracks you ‘can’t overtake’ on is largely redundant: most of the time the problem is the cars. A classic exmaple is the Circuit de Catalunya. When that came on the F1 calendar in 1991 there were no complaints about the difficulties of overtaking, but over the years as F1 cars became more aerodynamically sensitive it became a circuit you can’t overtake on. ‘Blame the cars, not the tracks’.
Matt – What do you mean by “not built up enough”?
Pingguest – Those are great circuits, I was trying to think of tracks F1 hadn’t been to before.
Andy – At least for one more year, then we’ll be down to three…
Terry Fabulous said on 30th November 2008, 10:59
Ajokey I love your list.
Wouldn’t it be grand if the calendar stopped off at the sacred sights of our sport. Sigh.
Think of this when we go to Bahrain again.
beneboy said on 30th November 2008, 11:59
The FIA GT race from Potrero de los Funes is about to be shown on Sky Sports Extra (noon in UK), only just spotted it on the channel guide but from the pictures it may be worth a look.
beneboy said on 30th November 2008, 12:14
ajokay
Nice list but I’d like a 22 race season so could we add Estoril: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aut%C3%B3dromo_do_Estoril,
and Zandvoort: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Circuit_Park_Zandvoort ?
I’ve wanted to see F1 at Le Mans and Macau for years, they’re great tracks and always give great races.
Although it’s unsuitable for modern F1 cars and marshalling would be a nightmare I’ve always wanted to see an F1 or GT race on the Isle of Man TT course
Fer no.65 said on 1st December 2008, 11:43
we have great circuits, yes
Sadly, the Zonda is quite old, dangerous and pretty small. I has JUST been upgraded since 1997, but still racing there is so exciting.
Potrero is a better option though…
Robert said on 19th August 2009, 2:16
K, I see no reason why F1 wouldn’t put on a great race at Road America. If any of the American tracks listed would pose problems for overtaking in F1, it would be Laguna Seca, as it’s just a tighter track with no extraordinarily long straights.
I would heartily agree with Road America and Bathurst from the original five.
I think Ascari Race Resort probably just has too many niggly little corners to really put on a good F1 race. Also, it has but two substantial flat-out sections.
El Zonda I think would be great for GTs, and maybe LMPs as well. I’m just not sure how F1 would handle it. There’s no denying though that the place is a great circuit. For international events, it’s definitely on the short side with a 2.016-mile lap. That would translate to a 95-lap F1 Grand Prix.
I sorry, but all I can say for Rockingham is hell no. The oval itself is fine for cars that are suited for that type of racing. There was some good action at the CART events there; the lap record was a bit under 26 seconds at an average of ~210mph. The infield, however, is painfully tight, and would be even more so for F1. The course you have defined would be slightly less than 1.94 miles to the lap, which is very short, and about half the corners are quite slow. There’s just no way I think it would make a decent F1 venue.
There has never been a “Grand Prix” on an oval for F1. Yes, I know that the Indy 500 counted in the World Drivers Championship in 1950-60. Modern F1 car, however, just aren’t designed for ovals (hitting concrete at 230mph), and I think one of F1′s hallmarks is having all its Grands Prix as road races. Having the wide variety of road courses, street circuits, and ovals has always been the purview of CART, and I think it should stay that way.