F1

New Abu Dhabi Layout

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  • #129098
    f1alex
    Participant

    Seeing as the organisers of the Abu Dhabi GP are changing the layout of the Yas Island circuit, what do you think it should look like?

    #164980
    Anonymous
    Inactive

    I can only think that changing a track after only two races held at it signifies that the original layout was really bad and that Tilke should’ve thought more before planning it.

    #164981
    f1alex
    Participant

    Yeah, I think there was probably more focus on designing a fancy hotel that straddles the track than there was on a half decent F1 track. Apparently they’re looking to stage the Motogp there too, so I think they should get the group of people that designed the new bit at Silverstone, as they did a great job in making a circuit that’s suitable for both cars and bikes, and make it exciting for both.

    This was a bit rushed, but how about something like this?

    http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=4414664

    #164982
    Doance
    Participant

    Obvious thing, take away that chicane before the hairpin. And they should plant some trees or something, the track looks so dull. F1 shouldnt even have races in the desert anyway, its not a good place for a race. Theres no soul on this circuit

    Basically I think they should try to make it more simple and flowing

    #164983
    Icthyes
    Participant

    The first thing they can do is move the start to the support pits, the F1 start/finish straight is appalling for first-corner action, everyone is too scared of crashing into the wall and there’s so little running time down to the corner.

    Get rid of the chicane before the hairpin.

    Make the chicane at the end of the first long straight more open and more of a sweeping section.

    Make the chicane at the end of the second straight (what would be Turn 1 in my scenario) a Bahrain-style first chicane.

    Alternatively, just run the whole thing the other way round and tighten any areas where the lack of run-off is a problem (i.e. current Turn 1 in reverse)

    #164984
    Ned Flanders
    Participant

    Sorry to be the party pooper, but I don’t think we should expect very much. I can see little more than the circuit being widened in places, or apexes moved slightly to make certain corners faster, or something minor like that.

    There are only so many places where the circuit could actually change. Realistically, the chicane before the hairpin isn’t going to be moved, because that would leave a huge braking zone into the hairpin followed by about metres of run off. They aren’t going to bypass the complex, or the chicane at Turns 8-9, because that would be a waste of several thousand grandstand seats.

    The only place which seems to have plenty of space to make major changes is at Turn 10, at the end of the second back straight. And the problem there is that the circuit is designed to run as close to the Marina as possible so the fatcats on their boats get as good a view as possible. Any changes at Turn 10 would take the track away from the sea.

    #164985
    f1alex
    Participant

    Meh, I guess any change is better than nothing, as it’s probably one of the most boring circuits on the calendar IMO, probably just ahead of Valencia.

    #164986
    TrueF1Grit
    Member

    In Autosport last month they said they are going to make changes at Turns 6/7, Turns 8/9 and Turns 11-14 only. And, I quote, to “improve the spectacle and safety”, so due to the run off area at turn 7 I can’t see there being a straight from turns 3-6… They said the main area they are looking at changing the most is turns 11-14.

    EDIT:

    Oops sorry! Didn’t click the link in the first post!

    #164987
    Icthyes
    Participant

    Depends Ned, if they included the optional sweepy bit after Turn 4 they could feed it straight into 6 and solve the run-off problem, as the drivers would have to brake pretty early.

    But I agree, nothing substantial is going to happen. Sector 3 is one of the worst on the calendar but you could never do anything as it’s designed around that hotel.

    #164988
    Prisoner Monkeys
    Participant

    This is how I’d do it:

    http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=4416567

    There are three major changes: 1) the chicane, 2) the switchback and 3) the bottom of the circuit.

    Let’s be honest here: with the wall so close on the outside of the hairpin and the grandstands right behind the wall, the cars are never going to go into that corner at speed. The chicane is likely to stay. But what I’ve done is reversed it (and added an extra corner to the reverse Eau Rouge). This will make both the chicane and the hairpin slightly faster than they already are, as well as give the drivers a little extra space bewteen the two to accelerate.

    In the case of the switchback, there is nothing wrong with the left – the right is the problem. Because the right is there, the complex automatically favours the defending driver. What I’ve done is iron it out so that it’s now a left flick. It removes an overtaking point, but it also creates what I hope will be one of the ballsiest corners on the calendar and one that plays on the strengths and weaknesses of the Pirellis. The corner can be taken flat out … if you have fresh rubber. The older your tyres are, the more you’re going to have to brake to be able to take it. Hopefully, as drivers run on tyres in different conditions, this will play an important part going into the next corner.

    As for the bottom of the circuit, I’ve taken a slightly different approach. I couldn’t find any configuration that made things interesting with a hairpin, so I cut through the chicane with a tightening-radius left, made the far corner tighter and then changed the exit to be another long corner. The idea is to take three seaparate corners that all have their own individual racing lines, but if you were to string them together that way, it would be horrendously slow. The fastest line through this sequence is the most unorthodox, not until turns 12-14 at Sepang. The faster exit also makes the run up to the hotel a little more interesting; I made that ninety-degree right-hander a pair of open corners like the two before it. A bit of a rip on Istanbul, but there wasn’t much else I could do there. So I figured it would be best to make fast corners with next to no run-off.

    #164989
    wasiF1
    Participant

    Good news.I think many if not all Tilke tracks needs to be change.

    #164990
    Prisoner Monkeys
    Participant

    Really? Would you change Sepang, or Istanbul? Both of them are circuits the drivers really enjoy. And a lot of the feedback from Korea was very positive, too, simply because Tilke didn’t waste time with subtleties (the first sector is all about raw speed, the second is about a driver’s skill, and the third is about set-up).

    #164991
    Icthyes
    Participant

    I’d change them a little, especially Turkey’s first sector. Korea desperately needs changing in my view.

    #164992
    f1alex
    Participant

    PM, I think your layout’s pretty much spot on what they should do!

    About the other Tilke tracks, I think I’d probably leave Sepang alone, but I’d probably change Istanbul a little bit.

    Something like this: http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=4417505

    (Yes, I know I’ve kinda veered off topic a bit but oh well)

    #164993
    SouthAussie94
    Participant

    PM I think is pretty well spot on with Abu Dhabi. Personally I’d like to see a few more aero dependent corners put in there to even out the number of slower corners but I realise that it really isn’t possible without bowling the whole lot over and starting again.

    @f1alex why would you change Istanbul? It’s one of the better tracks on the calendar with a good combination of fast and slow corners mixed in with long straights, with these features spread evenly through the track.

    Look all at all the ‘good’ tracks. They mostly have fast corner, straight, slow corner, straight, fast corner, slow corner. This evens out car performance so that cars with different strengths can’t gain a massive advantage, with it being harder to gain a large lead. Look at Sepang, Turkey, Spa, Monza, and Brazil. They all follow this formula, with straights, fast corners and slow corners being spread evenly around the circuit.

    Now look at a ‘bad’ circuit; China, Spain, Suzuka. These tracks mostly have their fast corners all grouped together and their slow corners grouped together. This means that while the lap times may be similar Car A gains an advantage in the fast corners and loses it on the straights, while Car B gains an advantage on the straights and loses it in the fast corners. But because these two features are spread out each car uses its ‘strong’ area closing in on the other car but then by the time it’s done this it’s out of its ‘strong’ area and loses the ground it’s gained.

    Look at Turkey last year. The Red Bulls were strongest through the fast corners (Admittedly Turn 8 payed a major part in this), while McLaren were better on the straights. As these features are reasonably spread out, one car doesn’t gain a massive advantage on one part of the track so the cars stay relatively close.

    I know this is going majorly off topic but this has been on my mind for a while so I thought I’d put my idea out there.

    Hope you can make sense of it because it’s a bit all over the place..

    (When I say ‘good’ and ‘bad’ tracks I’m not talking about the quality of the track but the quality of the races they generally produce)

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