Vettel praises Russian Grand Prix venue

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In the round-up: Sebastian Vettel has a tour of the Sochi venue for next year’s Russian Grand Prix.

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Vettel samples Russia’s new Sochi circuit (F1)

“I can already see it will be a fun circuit to drive in a Formula One car and the rest of the venue is very impressive.”

Bernie Ecclestone wants new five-year deal for troubled Bahrain GP (The Guardian)

“I feel they do a super job and we’re more than happy to give them a new contract for five years. I don’t see any problems.”

Stench of burning tyres leaves mark (The Telegraph)

“Ecclestone had few qualms about bringing the sport here in 2004, in the knowledge that the country’s grateful rulers were prepared to pay 26 million a year for hosting rights, and has brushed aside human rights concerns ever since by insisting that sport and politics should not mix. But such a defence has been difficult to reconcile during the past six days with the spectacle of opposition marches in Manama, and more violent clashes in outlying Shia areas.”

Trends in Bahrain (Joe Saward)

[Bahrain International Circuit chairman Zayed] Al Zayani said that he was encouraged by the increase in the three-day figure to 73,000 this year, mainly because a lot of them were corporate guests and he believes that confidence is returning.

Bahrain Grand Prix – epilogue (MotorSport)

Ecclestone: “You know I’ve been anti the 2014 engines since day one and we’re going to have a fuel economy run for sure so we’ll have to be very careful.”

Mercedes not that far off – Hamilton (BBC)

“I feel like we’re holding on by the skin of our teeth.”

Nico Rosberg message after Pole Position and P9 in the Bahrain GP 2013 (Nico Rosberg via YouTube)

Q&A: McLaren on driver rivalry (Autosport)

Sam Michael: “The team… has to accept that, in not imposing a team order on either of our drivers, despite our seeing on our pitwall monitors an increasingly intense battle unfolding between them, we weren’t adopting what you could term a ‘caution-optimised’ strategy.”

The Lady’?s Trophy (Red Bull)

Red Bull electronic support group leader Gill Jones: “It was my 177th race, so it took me a while to get there! For me, as a personal achievement, it’s brilliant, I’m really proud. I’m really pleased to be able to represent the team and also the department I work for – electronics – because I think we play a massive part in the team. Again, being female as well makes it special. So, yes, very proud.”

Tweets

Comment of the day

Chris on the variey of strategies seen in Bahrain:

I like that there’s a wide variety in strategy calls (two, three and four stops), but I still feel that four stops is just too much.

If they make the soft and/or super-soft compounds more durable, then I think we’d see one, two and three-stoppers, which is better, and slightly easier to follow as a viewer.
Chris (@Tophercheese21)

From the forum

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On this day in F1

The British Grand Prix has only been held in April on one occasion, which was on this day 13 years ago. Heavy rain turned the surrounding fields and car parks into quagmires, making life miserable for spectators and the following year the Silverstone race was back in its usual summer slot.

But weeks of rain prior to last year’s race caused a repeat of the problems. Many spectators were urged not to travel to the track on the Saturday of the race weekend and the track had to issue refunds to those who could not make it.

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Keith Collantine
Lifelong motor sport fan Keith set up RaceFans in 2005 - when it was originally called F1 Fanatic. Having previously worked as a motoring...

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117 comments on “Vettel praises Russian Grand Prix venue”

  1. I see a lot of 90 degree turns at Sochi.

    1. Phoenix 1991 is back!

    2. Yes, typical Russian design.

      1. Not a typical Russian design.
        Just another typical Tilkedrome

        1. JimmyTheIllustratedBlindSolidSilverBeachStackapopolis III
          23rd April 2013, 18:18

          That’s a bit harsh, as we all know in soviet russia track design tilke.

  2. Another street circuit…baaaahhhh

  3. Traverse (@)
    23rd April 2013, 0:12

    In the Rosberg Vlog, he holds the camera until 0:14 and then it magically levitates…SPOOKY!

    1. Papa Rosberg came to help ;)

  4. Nice to see a track almost entirely comprised of 90 degree corners.

    1. It’s almost like 90 % of the street-circuit entries in the track-designing contest thread.

      1. I think most entries in that are more inventive than Sochi, Abu Dhabi, Valencia or Singapore.

        1. @matt90 – But does inventive necessarily equal good?

          The Bahrain International Circuit has never been well-received. However, it does have the very creative Turn 9 and 10 complex. The braking point for Turn 10 is halfway through Turn 9, at the point where the driver is applying the most load to the steering wheel. It is very, very easy to make a mistake there. The corners are an inventive challenge for the drivers, and yet the circuit is still harshly criticised.

          When I look at Sochi, I see a circuit like Monza, turned up to eleven: it’s a series of high-downforce bends linked by low-downforce straights. And if you look at this picture, there is zero run-off in places (and when there is run-off, it’s at a minimum). Furthmore, it’s going to be run around a series of stadiums, so a lot of the corners are going to have blind apexes.

          1. I think Bahrain partly receives criticism because of the particularly awful couple of races a few years ago and the fact that the race has become contentious in recent years. Also, it being used as the season opener in 2010 and being considered by Bernie for the privilege again (whether seriously or not) angers people because it doesn’t have the setting and atmosphere of Australia. And therein lies another problem- the circuit has a unique setting, but it still manages to often look like just another Tilke circuit that’s been transplanted into the middle of a desert. This is one of my bugbears, that even the good/more interesting Tilke tracks all look rather soulless and very similar, often quite bleak in my eyes. For example, I wouldn’t consider China being removed from the calender, because of the regularity it provides great races, yet it doesn’t mean I like the circuit or setting.

            Maybe Sochi will turn out okay, but I don’t see Monza in it- there are too many short straights separated by similar corners, and that tight complex in particular (I think it’s turns 3 to 6) looks too slow and awkward. I see Singapore (which has a great setting, but I actually dislike the track of), Valencia, and Abu Dhabi in this very strongly. It looks to me, like with many Tilke tracks, that there’s a better circuit in there somewhere.

    2. So, never mind the unique aspects of the circuit, then?

      Ninety-degree corners only require a moderate amount of downforce. They’re more about mechanical grip than anything else. However, that giant 180-degree bend is going to require a lot of downforce, while those long straights are going to need very little downforce. Finding the right setup at Sochi will be tricky.

      1. PM defending the Sochi race, who would have thought ;) Seriously though, you make a good point about setup… but the circuit on first inspection isn’t exactly Austin is it? Still, they’ll be loads of fans there all being well so I’m looking forward to it.

      2. You’ve said that about Korea too though. My main issue is the awkward-looking complex of corners around the end of the lap, and the way that all the straights of equal length with very similar corner come all at once in between turns 5 to 11. You are right that the circuit has some nice characteristics (straights with kinks in and a long run to the first breaking zone), but I don’t think that necessarily excuses lazy design through a lot of it. Making a circuit which prompts difficult set-up choices is a nice idea, but I’d rather the circuit was more interesting instead. I wouldn’t be so bothered if this was an actual street circuit, but hasn’t the park been designed from the beginning with this in mind?

        To be honest, the more I look at it side-by-side with other poor modern tracks, it does look to be better. Perhaps I’m just a pessimist and Austin hasn’t been enough to stop me fearing the worst- just knowing it’s a custom circuit, packaged to look like a street-circuit, reminds me too much of Valencia and Abu Dhabi.

    3. The track reminds me of A1 Ring. No nonsense circuit. Lets hope to see thrilling races.

      1. @malleshmagdum You mean the Red Bull Ring ??

        1. The A1 Ring Österreichring :)

          Hate the name red bull ring

          1. I know right because it is own by red bull just like Thailand. Joe Saward apparently believes that there is a rumour going on that it will be Korea’s last either this year or next year with Thailand replacing them on the calendar. That’s not going to happen just like Argentina and Korea

          2. @william

            That’s not going to happen just like Argentina and Korea

            I’m sorry, what? You’re trying to prove that the Thai Grand Prix won’t happen because the Argentine Grand Prix didn’t happen and the Korean Grand Prix did happen?

          3. It is called Red Bull Ring now, I like the name A1 Ring Österreichring too. But everything here in Vienna is Red Bull. There is even a Red Bull school for kids.

          4. Red Bull school… oh man! Those poor teachers.

            Is it 100% gym class followed by mandatory detention for hyperactivity?

    4. And mostly all right turns too.

        1. @prisoner-monkeys
          I saying the exact opposite I want Thai GP to happen as I dont want Korea to be dropped from the calendar but I will like to see a return to Argentia but its up to Bernie

          1. I want Korea GP to be changed to new venue,

            Is 4 km too short for F1 race?

          2. It’s probably more up to whether they can stump up hundreds of millions of pounds for a race contract (public and/or private) and whether any of that can be made back (tickets, exposure, tourism). Korea will definitely finish, as it’s cheaper for them to settle the contract than hold more races and lose even more money! This does leave a gap for Russia and maybe Thailand to come in too once Russia has a better spot on the calendar. I wouldn’t hold on for Argentina as they are apparently being driven into the ground economically (but where isn’t at the moment, lol), so probably can’t afford it, and the president keeps harping on about the Falkland Islands to distract everybody (she’s doing well with that, IMO, but it’s not going to get her anywhere – the war saw to that. Might as well use the oil now that we’ve all fought for it – on both sides. Why not come to an agreement for the betterment of both sides by developing an oil industry there on both sides of the territory waters?)

      1. @aish Red Bull school? Thats a strange name for a school. I guess the kids are named Taurus, Aventador, Murcielago, Countach, Reventon, etc….

      2. *left turns

        1. Sorry, my mistake, thought it was anti-clockwise.

  5. Michael (@freelittlebirds)
    23rd April 2013, 0:32

    Sad situation for Rosberg – let’s hope he bounces back!

    1. OmarR-Pepper (@)
      23rd April 2013, 2:19

      And now, for no reason, Nico’s car will start to wither…
      DNF again after all?

      I am quoting myself. I wrote this when I knew Rosberg got the pole.
      I was not far from reality. He ended 9th.

      1. If terms of how he would feel, I’d say it’s even worse than a DNF.

  6. “The team… has to accept that, in not imposing a team order on either of our drivers, despite our seeing on our pitwall monitors an increasingly intense battle unfolding between them, we weren’t adopting what you could term a ‘caution-optimised’ strategy.”

    McLaren are either woefully stupid or blissfully naïve. They are still championing their methods despite the fact that they are anachronistic in 2013-spec Formula One:
    “We don’t employ team orders” Team orders are legal as Red Bull, Ferrari, Mercedes, Force India, Williams have demonstrated to varying degrees in recent races at the end of 2012/beginning of 2013.
    “We let our drivers race” Each driver has severely limited munitions and you are going to waste some of your resources on friendly fire? That’s mutual fratricide; how can two brothers fighting each other benefit the family in any way?
    “It’s good for the show” or variants Martin Whitmarsh’s responsibility focus should be 100% on achieving maximum results for McLaren, regardless of its effects on the show. Whitmarsh seems to willingly compromise his team for the benefit of the viewers; I don’t understand this behaviour, especially from someone who has experienced both losing and winning a championship by a single point.

    I know he is going to say it keeps both drivers happy (and that turned out to be incorrect also) but is happiness worth the risk of drivers taking each other out, damaging each other’s cars, losing ground to the cars in front, wasting tyre life and incurring additional pit stops? This strategy cost each driver at least 1-2 places in the grand prix. It may not sound a lot but these extra points could have yielded an extra 25% towards their constructors tally from the four fly-away races. McLaren, operationally, seem to consistently be a tier below the other top teams.

    1. I strongly disagree. I am not a McLaren fan in general, but on this point they are the example to be followed. Not using team orders and letting their drivers race is good for the show. Maybe they do lose some championships because of that, but still it is quite an admirable feat; in my viewing years, I saw McLaren, Ferrari, Williams, Renault and Red Bull set forth amazing machinery, which entirely dominated whole seasons. The only time that there was any real fight being done was when McLaren produced them, because of those rules you call anachronistic. Prost-Senna and Hamilton-Alonso were amazing to see, and that didn’t happen in the other teams (not since the early 90’s – I know Williams had good seasons in the 80’s, but I did not see them).

      1. +1.

        In my book, that’s called “fairness”

      2. FLIG, I loved these battles as well but these were all done on tyres which were geared for excellence. The Pirellis are designed to fail and don’t support such driving any more. You can’t fight like you used to as the tyres will give up. Look at Hamilton in Maylasia – tried to fight the Red Bulls and crawled slowly to the finish line; Jenson in Bahrain – tried to fight his team mate and ended up making an extra pit stop; Nico in Bahrain – tried to fight cars with better tyre management and ended up making an extra pit stop and almost dropping out of the points. Fighting is anathema to Pirelli F1; it’s sad but that’s the way it is.

      3. Which team received the most time on TV during the race?
        Which team is receiving the most amount of press after the race?

        F1 is not all about winning, unfortunately it’s also about money and sponsors.

    2. yes, but it’s general don’t attack McLaren because of one thingy.

    3. I can see where you’re coming from on that take, but the way I see it is Whitmarsh rather win without team orders. I think he believe the stars will align and that his good deeds by letting his people actually be race drivers is far more important than compromising the morals of racing, by telling one to pull over in favor of the other. He seems like the type that much rather win due to raw pace and a great driver, not favorites which is clearly the opposite of the more ruthless Ron Dennis.

      The only true issue I see is getting the team on the same page, they missed out on a great points haul already with Jenson, during a time that people and their team didn’t think 5th was even possible. The only reason it wasn’t was due to team error. This has been the trend of Mclaren for years now and that is the true issue. Drivers can race and be at the top but if the team isn’t holding their end, it doesn’t do all the much in the end.

  7. Chris (@tophercheese21)
    23rd April 2013, 0:50

    My first impressions of the circuit map were: Valencia.

    It has 2 straights that aren’t actually straight, and then a whole lot of corners that provide little if any challenge, most of which are just 90 degrees.

    1. The only saving grace could be if it’s actually got some decent gradients in it. But is it flat?
      And, what’s that smaller layout lower right on the photo?

      1. It’s a smaller layout :p

      2. @timothykatz – A short version of the circuit, a bit like Suzuka East.

    2. Rectangle Raceway

  8. Chris (@tophercheese21)
    23rd April 2013, 0:55

    On another topic,

    Is Bernie Ecclestone the biggest troll on earth?

    First he says he could see Bahrain being the first race of the season, and possibly be a night race (which would be incredibly dangerous, if the teams don’t feel safe after FP2, let alone night time).

    Then he says the Bahrain govt. are essentially a bunch of idiots for wanting to host the race.

    And now he’s flipped back saying he wants to sign it for another 5 years.

    I’ll tell you one thing, he is completely corrupted by money.

    1. Chris (@tophercheese21)
      23rd April 2013, 0:57

      He’d drop places like Spa and Monza in the blink of an eye if it meant hosting a race in a garbage tip if it meant more money in his pocket.

      1. And yet, despite a wealth of opportunities to do so, he hasn’t done it.

        1. That was intended to be a response to @tophercheese21

        2. I’m surprised he keeps giving an opportunity for the Nurburgring to be salvaged, but I’m glad he is doing so. Another cheaply offered race may help them find a buyer and secure the track’s future.

      2. + 1 And he would claim total ignorance of the bad smell.

      3. @tophercheese21 then he would say how stupid the race organisers are.

      4. Sure he would.

        Bernie dos not know what “priceless” means.

      5. @tophercheese21: Trollship requires intelligence with a mind over matter from all worldly possessions, it is an art. But not bullying, that’s not trolling. Bernie isn’t a troll but he is quite eccentric, to say the least. Shrewd businessman.

    2. @tophercheese21

      First he says he could see Bahrain being the first race of the season, and possibly be a night race.

      Then he says the Bahrain govt. are essentially a bunch of idiots for wanting to host the race.

      And now he’s flipped back saying he wants to sign it for another 5 years.

      I’ll tell you one thing, he is completely corrupted by money.

      Or he’s doing what he always does, and play games with the organisers to try and get them to give him what he wants them to give whilst thinking it’s all their idea.

      (which would be incredibly dangerous, if the teams don’t feel safe after FP2, let alone night time)

      You’re assuming the protests will continue for years to come. Where is your proof that they will?

      1. Chris (@tophercheese21)
        23rd April 2013, 11:15

        Or he’s doing what he always does, and play games with the organisers to try and get them to give him what he wants them to give whilst thinking it’s all their idea.

        I dont think he needs to play these games with the Bahrain govt. of all people. Because they’re essentially paying him just about anything he wants to hold the race, in order to project the image of peacefulness to the rest of the world that “hey, Bahrain doesn’t seem that bad”.

        He (Ecclestone) doesn’t need to waste his time doing things like that when Bahrain will pay him as much as he asks for.

        You’re assuming the protests will continue for years to come. Where is your proof that they will?

        Because the pro-democracy protests started in Feb. 2011, and as long as the dictatorship Monarch is in power, the protests will likely continue… For a long time, because it’s kinda difficult to overthrow a Monarchy that has all the money, power and military on its side.

        So yeah, i think the protests will be continuing for a long long time.

        1. What I think he meant was, that they could never have chosen to hold a race and no one would have bothered to report on Bahrain, as most people probably wouldn’t have heard of it otherwise. Which is true, to be fair. A lot of such stories never get reported in the media, because it is not well known about and hence not of enough interest.

        2. @tophercheese21

          Because the pro-democracy protests started in Feb. 2011, and as long as the dictatorship Monarch is in power, the protests will likely continue

          And yet, we’ve seen a significant downturn. In 2011, the protests were serious enough that the race was cancelled. In 2012, the protests were ongoing, but the race went ahead as planned despite the disruptions. And in 2013, there were protests, but the weekend went off without a hitch. In the past three years, the protests have gradually wound down.

          1. Chris (@tophercheese21)
            24th April 2013, 9:55

            @prisoner-monkeys
            Whilst the protests may be slowly dying down, Martin Brundle also noted that the security presence was highly increased at this years race.

            I still believe that the protests will continue for another couple of years, and we’ll be having this same conversation this time next year.

  9. The Sochi track reminds me of Abu Dhabi, especially with a slow right hander leading onto a straight-kink-straight, before the interesting semi-circle of a corner. Hopefully it won’t be as woefully boring to watch as most races in Abu Dhabi have been.

    1. Last years Abu Dhabi was an awesome Grand Prix with 2 SC periods and Seb Vettel nearly winning from pit lane and I think it due to Sebastian Vettel making boring races in 2011

      1. That’s why I said most. 2012 was great. 2011 was nothing exciting even though Vettel went out at the second corner, so that throws your theory out the window.

        2010 was painful to watch, such was the impossibility to overtake. 2009 was only made exciting by Kamui Kobayashi and a tussle between Webber and Button at the end.

  10. OmarR-Pepper (@)
    23rd April 2013, 1:05

    Why are the new tracks designs based on Lego bricks? I know that a race being boring or exciting doesn’t depend on the shape of the corner by itself, but some variety can obviously help. New tracks are just much the same, except for the Texas one (which is actually “the same” for copying some features from other tracks).

    1. Why are the new tracks designs based on Lego bricks?

      Sochi isn’t. It runs around the Olympic Precinct, so it has to navigate its way around the stadiums.

      Besides, wouldn’t you agree that good racing is more a product of the cars and regulations than the circuits? Valencia, Abu Dhabi and Bahrain are all lambasted as terrible circuits – and all three have put on good races recently.

      You could probably have a calendar with twenty Spas or twenty Silverstones if you really wanted to – but it would get pretty boring pretty quickly.

    2. Todd (@braketurnaccelerate)
      23rd April 2013, 1:14

      The Russian circuit is a street-circuit, so it’s limited in what can be done. I was a bit upset at the design and wanted to blast Tilke for another boring design, until I read that it was a street circuit.

      1. OmarR-Pepper (@)
        23rd April 2013, 2:26

        @braketurnaccelerate So that proves the noly reason street circuits are spreading like fungus is they make Bernie’s pockets heavier and heavier. Dull layout, beautiful landscape, races going to the 2-hours limit.

        1. How about you wait until you see a race before you pass judgement?

          1. OmarR-Pepper (@)
            23rd April 2013, 13:59

            @prisoner-monkeys
            Starting in Monaco, Valencia, Abu Dhabi and Singapore are ALL (in my humble opinion) boring tracks. Even the “super race” in Valencia was boring for me. I pass… the race. Every time it comes the Monaco or Singapore GP I watch the 2 first laps and 2 final ones. It’s all I need to see, no matter who the winner is, they are boring for me.
            Call me a close-minded if you want, but this is a forum to say what’s on one’s mind.

          2. @omarr-pepper – I can understand that. But at least in those cases, you’re actually watching something of the race, even if it is the first two and the last two laps. Here, though, you haven’t even done that – you’ve judged the circuit on the basis of a line drawn on a piece of paper.

          3. OmarR-Pepper (@)
            23rd April 2013, 22:36

            @prisoner-monkeys oks, so let’s wait and see :)

      2. Ahm, @braketurnaccelerate, its a “street circuit” run entirely on purpose designed streets running in an Olympic facility. The only one limiting the way these roads lead are the designers of that facility and imagination (and the FIA rules, but COTA shows that does not have to be the limiting factor)

        1. Todd (@braketurnaccelerate)
          23rd April 2013, 7:51

          Yep. I only looked at the main picture that Keith had posted on this article, which now appears to be down. After I posted I actually went to the article and realized it’s basically a purpose-built circuit like you mentioned… :(

          1. yeah, pretty bad they were not able to come up with more than 90° corners really, although it might have been a bit different if they had had this planned for the facility right from the outset.

        2. …which sounds painfully similar to Valencia, and sections of Abu Dhabi.

  11. For some reason Sochi reminds of Long Beach.
    I bet whatever you want than that race is gonna be another Valencia.

    1. I bet whatever you want than that race is gonna be another Valencia.

      So, a race like 2012, then?

      1. One swallow doesn’t make a summer.

  12. OmarR-Pepper (@)
    23rd April 2013, 1:52

    San Michaels talking about the teammates clash:

    Martin, myself and everyone at McLaren – are happy with that. We hired Jenson and Checo because we wanted Jenson and Checo. They’re racers, and we want them to be racers. And the logical extrapolation of that statement is that we want them to race. And we want them to know that, too.

    Slap to Red Bull, Mercedes and others…
    But also, remember team orders, silly or wise, are legal, and if the teams want to use them, it’s for the sake of the team.
    However, the team can make bad choices too (Red Bull in Malaysia, or Ferrari not calling Alonso to the pits to replace the front wing) and drivers may not like them (you could hear an upset Kimi this weekend, claiming his medium tyres were still able to roll more laps).
    It’s always dangerous to have teammates on the edge of each other. It doesn’t end on a fist fight, but it can give a hard time to the team itself. Team orders can hide the purpose to have them at prudent distance of each other on the track.

    Anyway, i don’t like team orders and I enjoyed every second of Checo’s attack to Button.

    1. “Calm him down”… seems that someone was eager for a team order :)

      1. OmarR-Pepper (@)
        23rd April 2013, 16:00

        @jcost that was Button right? Yes, it was definitely a call for team orders

  13. You’re missing some chicanes Mr. Tilke…

  14. Traverse (@)
    23rd April 2013, 3:44

    I bet my 4 year old niece could draw a better race track lay out than that rehashed Tilke effort. Tilke has gotten too comfortable, he needs to either be threatened with the sack, or be forced to drink Redbulls until his bowels burst!! That’ll teach him for slacking off!! :)

  15. By my count it has 11 90-degree corners. According to Gary Anderson the Red Bull’s strength is in the way it negotiates 90 degree corners (see this article http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/formula1/22204087). It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to work out why Vettel is happy with that layout! :p

    1. Ha yes, it always seems Webber wins on the classic layouts, Vettel wins on all the Tilkedromes. So realistically, to beat Vettel to the WDC, you need a big lead going into the end of the season or a reliably quicker car.

  16. He would never drop places like Spa and Monza if Monza does go bring back Imola. We have got Thailand, Mexico and maybe Turkey joining the calendar either 2014 or 2015. He is also negotiating a return of Long Beach

  17. What a horrible layout. How can a layout like this pass scrutineering?

    1. @matthijs

      How can a layout like this pass scrutineering?

      Because there is no such thing as scrutineering for circuit layouts. In order to host a Grand Prix, a circuit must pass all the requirements for an FIA Grade-1 certification, but these requirements relate to things like circuit width and length, the size and shape of run-off areas (relative to the maximum speed on approach to the corner and the speed of the corner itself), the number and location of circuit access points for marshalls, and so on and so forth. Provided a circuit satisfies these requirements, it is elegible to hold a Grand Prix.

      Just look at some of the other circuits on the calendar: Monza has a terrible layout. It’s just a series of long straights broken up by chicanes. If that layout was proposed today, people would hate it. But Monza presents a unique challenge in that it has such a low downforce configuration, and it comes with the fastest average lap time of any circuit on the calendar. And that challenge it provides more than makes up for the boring layout. I see no reason why Sochi can’t do the same – it’s a high-speed street circuit with no run-off and no margin for error, and most of the corners are blind.

      1. @prisoner-monkeys

        Monza has a terrible layout. It’s just a series of long straights broken up by chicanes. If that layout was proposed today, people would hate it.

        I don’t agree Monza has a terrible layout and if more tracks like it were proposed – high-speed, low downforce circuits with few corners – I’d be all in favour. There are far too few tracks like it in the calendar.

        1. @keithcollantine

          There are far too few tracks like it in the calendar.

          And that’s what Sochi is: high speed, low downforce. Maybe not as low as Monza, but there’s only really one or two corners on the circuit that really require significant amounts of downforce. The rest of them – particularly the ninety-degree corners – will rely more on mechanical grip and traction.

          The point I’m trying to make is that we can’t judge the Sochi circuit based on a simple two-dimensional representation of the layout, because there is so much going on that we cannot actually see in those plans. For instance, the far end of the circuit goes around the Bolshoi Ice Dome, a stadium that will seat 12,000 people. Since the circuit is flat, all of those corners around the Ice Dome are going to be completely blind. Likewise that high-speed section at the end of the lap; it goes past the Iceberg Skating Palace, and the drivers won’t be able to see the braking marker for Turn 11 (the ninety-degree right-hander leading into the final sector) until they’ve passed it and reached the fastest section of the circuit.

          None of this detail is shown in the maps, which are little more than a line drawn on a piece of paper. How can anybody reasonably pass judgement on the circuit based on that and that alone?

          1. @prisoner-monkeys

            that’s what Sochi is: high speed, low downforce

            It doesn’t look like a low-downforce track to me. Monza is 83% flat-out, no way are they going to be anywhere near that on this circuit.

            They only touch the brakes five times per lap at Monza, I reckon they’ll be on them at least twice as much around Sochi.

          2. It doesn’t look like a low-downforce track to me. Monza is 83% flat-out, no way are they going to be anywhere near that on this circuit.

            They only touch the brakes five times per lap at Monza, I reckon they’ll be on them at least twice as much around Sochi.

            The only corner that is really going to require any downforce is Turn 3, the giant left-hander. Most of the other corners are going to need mechanical grip and traction to navigate quickly.

          3. @prisoner-monkeys Let’s have this conversation again in 19 months when I’m proved right :-)

          4. also they look like fast 90 degree corners. so downforce will be more important than mechanical grip as it usually is.

      2. It reminds me of an indycar circuit… something like a cross between Toronto and St. Pete… let’s hope they have good marshalls!

        1. I think you’re absolutely spot on here @mildertduck ! Well, one of the street courses, it doesn’t resemble an oval much ;)

      3. I like that you defend Sochi, because you are right: we all jundge solely on a 2D map. But I’ve had enough of the geometrical layouts drawn by ruler and drafting compass. The best races are usually on fluent layouts such as Spa, Suzuka, Silverstone and Sao Paulo and the worst races are often on Tilke tracks. Learn from it, Hermann!

        1. @matthijis
          Hermann produces great tracks at times but it has to be F1 standard and look at the Korean circuit it is an elite track, Spa, Suzuka and Silverstone are also elite but Interlagos is terrible compared to Marina Bay and Bernie is right they need to move to Rio next year but now he insists on staying at Interlagos. If he is unhappy move to Rio and make them the home of Brazilian GP.

          1. I was talking about the layout, not about the facilities. Nobody on this forum will suggest that Interlagos has a horrible layout.

      4. OmarR-Pepper (@)
        23rd April 2013, 16:04

        I didn’t know Lesmo 1 and 2 were boring

  18. I am sure you forget my birthday every year on purpose now @keithcollantine ;)

  19. Another Tilkedrome?

  20. That Russian track design looks like a sickle, is the designer trying to hint at Russia’s history

    1. That is much likely, since the Chinese GP in Shanghai is inspired by the Chinese symbol for “Shang”

      1. Link was missing: bit.ly/14LGM6j

  21. Is the shape inspired by a Sickle!?

  22. Enough of this “Bahrain are a bad governement we shouldn’t be going there” NONSENSE.

    Sport and politics should not and do not mix. If we’re all so suddenly concerned about people’s human rights in the country hosting a GP we surely should be all gurning about China, America, Brazil, and even GREAT BRITAIN….(after all there was a British Grand Prix in 1972.)

    Grow up and get on with it.

  23. “I can already see it will be a fun circuit to drive in a Formula One car and the rest of the venue is very impressive.”

    What Vettel really wanted to say was:

    ” I can already see it … I am going to win..”

  24. ive spotted one positive from the sochi design: no hairpins! and no hairpins leading onto straights.

  25. is that rectangle part of the race course or is it just an area on the track? CONFUSED

    1. @ltsh Rectangle is a shorter variant, fits in/over the upper right corner of the whole circuit.

  26. are there any pictures showing the layout of the new jersey track yet?

    1. @rigi – There are plenty. They were unveiled when the race was first announced in 2011, and the circuit remains unchanged despite the delay. It even has its own Wikipedia page. Furthermore, someone has done a rough work-up of the circuit in rFactor, and posted it to YouTube, which really shows off the circuit’s elevation.

      1. @prisoner-monkeys – Thank you, great find!

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