The Formula 1 calendar development threadFormula 1

[Lizard]

Bernie has suggested a night event on the streets of Seoul, but the organisers wouldn't have enough time to make it happen.

Does Bernie just want to ditch all the worlds circuits and just make an entire calender of street races?

I mean don't get me wrong I actually like street circuits but I also love places like Spa, Suzuka and Silverstone.

 

[CinnamonOD]

Maybe Bernie thinks that more street circuits = Cities = More people = More money

 

[prisonermonkeys]

Does Bernie just want to ditch all the worlds circuits and just make an entire calender of street races?

In this case, I think he recognised the general failure of the race in Mokpo and touted a race in Seoul as a means to get the race back up and running quickly and near to a (very) large potential audience.

 

[TenEightyOne]

Does Bernie just want to ditch all the worlds circuits and just make an entire calender of street races?

I mean don't get me wrong I actually like street circuits but I also love places like Spa, Suzuka and Silverstone.

I guess it costs less to set up a street circuit than to maintain a Grade-1 circuit all year long... would that be right? I have no idea

 

[prisonermonkeys]

It certainly costs more and takes longer to build a permanent circuit. The Koreans are limited in that they only have KIC, and that's in the middle of nowhere. The only real alternative is Inje Autopia, but that would need an upgrade. It's still in the middle of nowhere, but it's much closer to Seoul than KIC and Mokpo.

 

[aarror]

I can't see it happening. It's set for 1 week before the Spanish Grand Prix, which would make it a logistical nightmare. If it happens, I'd expect the date to change.

It also clashes with the WEC's Spa round, which might cause a few issues for Nico Hulkenberg.

 

[TenEightyOne]

It also clashes with the WEC's Spa round, which might cause a few issues for Nico Hulkenberg.

Now that's interesting.... hmmmmmm

 

[prisonermonkeys]

Hulkenberg's Force India contract would take priority. Unless Vijay Mallya was willing to let someone - Daniel Juncadella, maybe - take the seat for the weekend.

 

[CinnamonOD]

I can't see it happening. It's set for 1 week before the Spanish Grand Prix, which would make it a logistical nightmare. If it happens, I'd expect the date to change.

It also clashes with the WEC's Spa round, which might cause a few issues for Nico Hulkenberg.

Isn't Nico supposed to race exclusively at Le Mans?

 

[TenEightyOne]

Isn't Nico supposed to race exclusively at Le Mans?

I thought he was doing a WEC season but after checking it it seems it's only Le Mans... and Spa. That's according to this article at least, I think there's a bit of conflicting info out there. Maybe some from me

 

[CinnamonOD]

Thank you for correcting me, I swear he was supposed to only race in Le Mans...

:tup:

 

[niky]

Maybe Bernie thinks that more street circuits = Cities = More people = More money

Singapore is a good test case for this. Turning F1 races into multi-faceted events helps bring the sport to a wider audience.

The Singapore GP has been a premier party event in the region for the past few years... Seoul could do the same thing if they play their cards right.

 

[mister dog]

That's the old layout. This is the best image I could find on the official track site.

As you can see it's too '70's for modern showbizz/ jetset F1.

 

[prisonermonkeys]

Apparently nobody is more surprised at the reinclusion of Korea as the Koreans themselves.

But it has been suggested that the race was relisted to get around a rule that would have limited teams and drivers to four power units. If there are more than twenty Grands Prix scheduled, everyone gets a fifth power unit - even if the extra race is shelved.

 

[mustafur]

Hopefully they keep the Jeeps in check this time.

 

[TenEightyOne]

Apparently nobody is more surprised at the reinclusion of Korea as the Koreans themselves.

But it has been suggested that the race was relisted to get around a rule that would have limited teams and drivers to four power units. If there are more than twenty Grands Prix scheduled, everyone gets a fifth power unit - even if the extra race is shelved.

Ah, Seoul... Christian Horner?

 

[SVT Cobra GT]

Bernie explains why Korea was added to the '15 calendar and also claims that Bahrain GP organisers will decide if Qatar can host an F1 race or not.

http://www1.skysports.com/f1/news/1...ys-f1-is-legally-bound-to-race-in-south-korea


Also this is interesting;

http://www1.skysports.com/f1/news/1...man8217s-touch-as-cvc-looks-for-his-successor

 

[prisonermonkeys]

Joe Saward is suggesting that Korea's inclusion could be there to put pressure on Malaysia. Sepang was the first race in the Asian Expansion, but it has since started struggling relative to Singapore. Its facilities aren't great, and the event has struggled with tropical storms interrupting it, given the late start time. The Malaysian team - Caterham - has largely failed, and Petronas have demonstrated that they can get a better return on investment by backing Mercedes.

The Malaysian Grand Prix is up for renewal at the end of 2015, and so Saward suggests that Bernie is trying to put them in a position where they must decide what they want to do. A Melbourne-style parklands circuit in Seoul or a return to New Delhi have been floated as potential alternatives, with Sepang falling off the calendar and the more-popular Singapore Grand Prix cementing its position by picking up the slack.

It's a very sensible proposition (unusual for Saward, who us usually frothing at the mouth).

 

[CinnamonOD]

Korea has stepped out of the calendar, leaving the season at 20 races.

 

[prisonermonkeys]

That's a surprise.

Not that they did it, but that they did it so soon. My understanding is that if they are trying to manipulate the regulations to allow teams an extra power unit, then the twenty-first race has to be on the calendar onto the new year (or possibly when the season starts).

 

[prisonermonkeys]

The new Mexico City layout has been finalised:

http://www.formula1.com/races/in_detail/mexico_953/circuit_diagram.html

 

[ukfan758]

The new Mexico City layout has been finalised:

http://www.formula1.com/races/in_detail/mexico_953/circuit_diagram.html

All they had to do was just add lots of runoff to the corners and the old layout would have been fine (bar the parabolica thing)... Instead they had to butcher it with tight corners. Well, I'm glad to see F1 back in Mexico City anyway

 

[prisonermonkeys]

All they had to do was just add lots of runoff to the corners and the old layout would have been fine (bar the parabolica thing)... Instead they had to butcher it with tight corners. Well, I'm glad to see it back anyway

I think the new esses are an attempt to create multiple racing lines by forcing drivers to sacrifice one apex in order to perfect another.

As for the first half of the lap, it was good in the 1990s, but with downforce levels being what they are today, it would probably be pretty dull.

 

[mustafur]

That track is going to be fast, from turn 6 to 12 will most likely be flat, and then you got the massive front straight as well.

Only a couple of tight corners which wouldn't compromise a Low Downforce setup.

I'm liking this, next year the power units will likely be pushing over 1000hp so some crazy speeds will likely be achievable here.

 

[AbsoluteBarstool]

Looks like a load of crap to me. Especially the thing in the final complex. They should have just left that bit alone. They should have left the second chicane as it was as well.

EDIT:

I don't like the new Hermanos rodriguez.

it just looks so sterile, every corner has been tilkeized

What? That 🤬 looks like a badly drawn version of a Tilke version of Hermanos Rodriguez! He's drawn a 🤬 cock on it!

 

[prisonermonkeys]

Looks like a load of crap to me. Especially the thing in the final complex. They should have just left that bit alone.

They can't. There's no run-off on the outside of the Peraltada, and there's a major arterial road just beyond it. Given the high-speed entry to the corner, the worst-case scenario - a car becoming airborne, like Mark Webber's somersault in Valencia - could see an accident on the same scale of the 1955 Le Mans disaster, if not worse.

 

[Tornado]

Much, much less worse than I was expecting.

 

[Liquid]

Much, much less worse than I was expecting.

Agreed but it's not outstanding. We can do nothing but speculate until cars are going around the track.

The Korea thing has annoyed me though.

 

[AbsoluteBarstool]

They can't. There's no run-off on the outside of the Peraltada, and there's a major arterial road just beyond it. Given the high-speed entry to the corner, the worst-case scenario - a car becoming airborne, like Mark Webber's somersault in Valencia - could see an accident on the same scale of the 1955 Le Mans disaster, if not worse.

Well I don't see any excuse for ruining the esses. I know that there's a good deal of essage in Suzuka but we need smoother complexes in F1. Now I look back at the final corner, I do understand what was done but again, they could just have added a smaller chicane about 50 metres ahead of the thing to regulate entry speeds and leave the corner itself as it is.

Alas, I am a mere peasant and they are the undisputed experts of track design...

Agreed but it's not outstanding. We can do nothing but speculate until cars are going around the track.

The Korea thing has annoyed me though.

What's the deal with Korea anyway? I see that it's a TBA event but what are the circumstances surrounding it?

Is this me not reading the thread again?

 

[Tornado]

They can't. There's no run-off on the outside of the Peraltada, and there's a major arterial road just beyond it. Given the high-speed entry to the corner, the worst-case scenario - a car becoming airborne, like Mark Webber's somersault in Valencia - could see an accident on the same scale of the 1955 Le Mans disaster, if not worse.

Also, IIRC, the banking on the old turn basically led to a drop before the sand rather than the runoff being level with the outside.