The Formula 1 calendar development threadFormula 1 



Couldn't think of a better place for this. The title is a little misleading. Not really a lap, or a track, but you get the idea.
 
This, by my estimation, is the route the car (I think it's driven by Razia) took:

http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=4655021

It's the same as the one Button and Petrov drove last year. The demonstration was to promote the sport in Russia ahead of the announcement of the Russian Grand Prix. A circuit layout incorporating that stretch of road was suggested:

http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=4655025

The roads of Moscow are unique in that they're super-wide. You can clearly see it in the video. The roads are in fact so wide that you could reasonably run the cars in both lanes of the circuit. The FIA is very hesitant to to this (especially after the disaster that was the A1GP race in Beijing), but the roads are wide enough in Moscow to do it because the Soviets used to parade missile transporters four abreast down the streets.

http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=4655030
 
It was Luiz Razia. It seems it would be an interesting choice for a street circuit. Obviously this is no go as the race is destined for Sochi.
 
Update on France.
Speed.com
Plans to revive the French Grand Prix are progressing, the sports daily L'Equipe reports.

The working group put together by prime minister Francois Fillon is reportedly working on a letter of intent to send to F1 chief executive Bernie Ecclestone.

The letter will outline the plans to alternate a race annually with Belgium's famous Spa-Francorchamps circuit, with the French edition to take place at Le Castellet.

L'Equipe said the letter will also propose a date for the French Grand Prix, a budget for the sanctioning fee payable to Ecclestone and outlines for sponsorships.

The report added that France's goal is to have a Grand Prix back on the calendar in late August or early September in 2013.
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Link

Not really sure how Paul Ricard will serve as an F1 course.
 
The circuit layout of Paul Ricard is ok, its just the absolutely ridiculous run-off areas ruin it.
I'm not sure its so great for spectators either, due to the size of said run-off areas.

The actual racing is normally decent enough there though.

I think I'd prefer Magny-Cours though, despite its dullness. There isn't really anywhere else the French GP can currently go.
 
I've been to Paul Ricard before. If it was 5 miles down the road it would be a truly epic circuit.

We were on holidays to France and we were going to a theme park. I've never seen a region with so many mountains(and I live in the most mountainess region in Ireland, a country with lots of Mountains) and the park itself wasn't on even ground. We were leaving and I saw the sign saying Circuit Le Casstellet-4KM so we headed towards it and every mountain just dissapeared and at the place the track was as flat as a snooker table.:yuck:

Seriously? 4 Kilometers down the road. The owners of the track mustn't be very nice.
 
Ardius
The circuit layout of Paul Ricard is ok, its just the absolutely ridiculous run-off areas ruin it.
I'm not sure its so great for spectators either, due to the size of said run-off areas.

The actual racing is normally decent enough there though.

I think I'd prefer Magny-Cours though, despite its dullness. There isn't really anywhere else the French GP can currently go.
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Perhaps they can make modifications for the Grand Prix. I'm thinking along the lines of decreasing the run off areas and building new seating stands closer to the track. Granted, they'd probably have to butcher a few of their alternative layouts, but I firmly believe it can be better than Magny Cours.
 
I'd be okay with the French GP, but alternating with Spa? Really? Why not Turkey if they renew their contract, or get rid of Valencia and make it the European GP?
 
TheBook
I'd be okay with the French GP, but alternating with Spa? Really? Why not Turkey if they renew their contract, or get rid of Valencia and make it the European GP?
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Bernie is secretly hoping that someday he can replace Monaco with Valencia, so that's not an option. :lol:

I agree it is kinda silly to alternate with Spa. Kinda makes sense in that the two countries are side-by-side. That's about it really.

If the French GP was at Rouen though I'd happily let them alternate between that and Spa. Having both of them on the calendar would be too much epic-ness.
 
TheBook
I'd be okay with the French GP, but alternating with Spa? Really? Why not Turkey if they renew their contract, or get rid of Valencia and make it the European GP?
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Because those countries aren't willing to alternate. Anyone who has been following the off-track history of Spa knows that the circuit is struggling financially. A race at Spa every year might be ideal, but the organisers simply cannot keep it up. And at the current rate, it could well sink the Belgian Grand Prix entirely. But by alternating with another circuit, the organisers will have two years to get their funding together, making it a much more viable long-term prospect than a yearly race. Having the Belgian Grand Prix every other year is much more attracting than having no Belgian Grand Prix. But because it's Spa, most fans are completely blind to this.
 
Just came across this.

Looks like Austin could be moved to the end of the 2012 to double up with Brazil. Bahrain has also been moved to the end to tie up with Abu Dhabi and Turkey has apparently been dropped. This is all provisional of course.
 
Will it ever happen? It would be a great spectacle, but I can't ever see it happening.
 
interludes, i've got a question for you. What are the possibilities of a GP going to Miami? I ask this because Miami would be very easily accessible for me, compared to anywhere else. A 2 hour flight, and I have a sister who lives in Miami. I know, FOM won't organize a GP in Miami simply because I can make it, but i'm curious about possibilities, and where a race could run?
 
Peter.
interludes, i've got a question for you. What are the possibilities of a GP going to Miami? I ask this because Miami would be very easily accessible for me, compared to anywhere else. A 2 hour flight, and I have a sister who lives in Miami. I know, FOM won't organize a GP in Miami simply because I can make it, but i'm curious about possibilities, and where a race could run?
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If they go to Daytona I will shoot myself. :D

Justin
Update on France.

Link

Not really sure how Paul Ricard will serve as an F1 course.
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Jesus. Surely the nation that brought motorsport into the world can conjure up at least one decent circuit that is worthy of F1 instead of having to rely on others?
 
Peter.
interludes, i've got a question for you. What are the possibilities of a GP going to Miami? I ask this because Miami would be very easily accessible for me, compared to anywhere else. A 2 hour flight, and I have a sister who lives in Miami. I know, FOM won't organize a GP in Miami simply because I can make it, but i'm curious about possibilities, and where a race could run?
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Homestead Motor Speedway is about 90 minutes south from downtown Miami. They used to host a street course in downtown Miami, from 1983 to 1995, but the costs of blocking all the streets and construction increased every year. It was moderately successful, but they built the permanent track since the land was cheap out there in the boonies. So they tried another downtown Miami course, which was too narrow, and wasn't a success; businesses hated having to close all their doors for a week from the commotion related to the event. I think it's probably tantalizing for Bernie, as Miami is a gateway to the Caribbean and South America, but weather is changeable, and it would have to be during March or October-November to have a chance of decent weather (i.e. no hurricanes). Indy cars also raced at the Tamiami Park circuit from 1985-88, but I've heard rumors in the past that it was also designed to support an F1 race...but it obviously never came to be. This "track" is merely the service roads around a large public park west of Miami (near Florida International University).

So will it happen? Not unless America suddenly goes ga-ga insane for F1 will it happen with the new Austin track, and suddenly Bernie wants a second race there. I doubt it, although street courses are suddenly interesting to him again, with Singapore and Valencia (Abu Dhabi is a glorified street course, don't kid yourself).

Bernie's wanted a New York Grand Prix very badly, to the point he held a spot for them during the 1983 Grand Prix season, which never made it very far. Don't forget that year also had GP races in Detroit and Long Beach, so Mister Ecclestone's always had a soft spot for the American market, seeing it has a vast untapped market for future F1 fans (statistically, yes...realistically, no). I mean, it's arguably become the Number 2 form of motorsport in the nation, which is in better shape than IndyCar and ALMS (which have a very small niche following), but still a long way back from the 800 pound gorilla called Sprint Cup. New York makes a big statement, that almost goes without saying...but then again, most city-dwelling New Yorkers don't really care much for anything more than stick-and-ball sports; that's not to say Watkins Glen wasn't instrumental in sports-car racing in America, and there aren't fans...but I get the idea that Bernie wants to pull off the event to show off to the rest of the world, rather than making it a world-class facility.

A couple of F1/CART race snippets...even a race around the World Trade Center (!)
http://www.grandprix.com/ft/ftmt001.html

Initial support, from the New York Times:
http://www.nytimes.com/1983/04/08/nyregion/queens-board-supports-grand-prix-plan.html

It does seem utterly bizarre to me that there's no French GP: She's essentially the birthplace of motor sport, the place where steam carriages where first created, and home of the pneumatic tire. I suppose I'm waxing historic...
 
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Peter.
interludes, i've got a question for you. What are the possibilities of a GP going to Miami?
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Zero. Now that the US Grand Prix has been established in Austin, Bernie has set his sights on a race in New York. It's New York or nothing.
 
Peter's point has really brought about the question "why the hell haven't I been to a Grand Prix?"

A plane ride to London is about an hour and a half IIRC and Silverstone isn't far away from London and I did have quite a few relatives living there, they're moving away now unfortunately but it still would be pretty easy on transport to get to Silverstone.

Also, possible but very highly unlikely while I'm still a teenager and having transport costs being paid by parents would be the Malaysian or Singapore Grand Prix. My uncle, who is rich from doing something with oil or something like that, has a house in Malaysia and has been to both Grand Prix, although I'd imagine getting tickets for the Malaysian one is a lot cheaper and easier.

PS. He went to the 2009 Malaysian Grand Prix, didn't like the fact it was a half-length race.:lol:
 
^Don't bother with Silverstone, go to Turkey (if its still on next year!) or Monza. You will find much cheaper tickets at other GPs.
I'd only recommend Silverstone if you really, really, wanted to go there or if you lived in the UK..or at least didn't need a plane to get there. Its quite expensive compared to some of the other GPs.

By far the cheapest recently is Turkey though. Unless of course we count the hill at Monaco - which is free!

You might be surprised to find that the nearest GPs are not always the cheapest.
 
It's like music festivals in a way. The British ones are quite overpriced and you can find good ones all over Europe, get a nice bit of weather and turn it into a little holiday if you like. Of course, the ultimate grand prix to go to would be spa. It's a bit more difficult to get there, but for a young guy in his teens, he could turn it into a veeeery good week/weekend away.
 
Pupik
It does seem utterly bizarre to me that there's no French GP: She's essentially the birthplace of motor sport, the place where steam carriages where first created, and home of the pneumatic tire. I suppose I'm waxing historic...
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There's currently no French Grand Prix because there is no support for it. And it doesn't help that France has very few circuits that could support Formula 1. Magny-Cours was unpopular with teams because it was very difficult to access (as The Red Bulletin once said, the circuit is located close to the town of Nevers, which when pronounced correctly, will tell you when everyone wants to come back).

There is, however, the taskforce put together by Francois Fillion (sadly, he is not related to Nathan Fillion). They're going to be putting forward a proposal to get the French Grand Prix onto the calendar in 2013, substituting with Spa.
 

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