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Ardius
Chicanes can be fun:
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I knew someone would bring this up. Seriously, what's better than that? Not much, as far as I'm concerned. Doing the downhill/opposite version (Mosport kart-track) is just as much fun!

TayTheDay
Cool, that's my old schoolmate Dave Hunter in the no 6 Marshall's car :)
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Very nice!

prisonermonkeys
From Lotus F1's Twitter updates:
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:lol:

Rossell2
Can't see Valencia returning from that if I'm honest.

Other then Mark Webbers flying lesson I can't remember a single good point about the races that have been held there. But thats just me.
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This. There's nothing really memorable about Valencia. I like the layout, as a hot lap track, but... It's just not a spectator's course.

MildAshers
Would be great if it (Imola) was announced as the 20th race. Won't happen though unfortunately :(
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( R.I.P. Ayrton Senna )
 
MrMelancholy15
I knew someone would bring this up. Seriously, what's better than that? Not much, as far as I'm concerned.
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There might not be much that's more fun than that, but allow me to answer your question with a question of my own: what's less fun than Turns 5 and 6 at Abu Dhabi?

I'd be interested to hear your response, given that you just said this not two hours ago:
MrMelancholy15
The first four corners are okay... But, the long straights, and then the "here, here's my ruler. Use it. Make the track as straight and square as a Cadillac Eldorado" section lacks so much! There's not a single corner that isn't a 90 degree corner. It's a boring track, with too much repetition.
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Chicanes are boring. They serve little purpose other than to slow cars down. Sometimes, like that corner at Knockhill or Eau Rouge at Spa, they can be interest.

Before you answer, have a read of this.
 
:lol: Someone put a chicane at Eau Rouge? Blasphemy!

But, I like the Imola layout. It's yet another good track for touring cars, but, as I said, it doesn't matter for F1, because F1 doesn't go there anymore.
 
MrMelancholy15
:lol: Someone put a chicane at Eau Rouge? Blasphemy!
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Sky-Eau-Rouge-1994-533x400.jpg


It's actually not as bad as it sounds imo.
 
SagarisGTB
The 1994 tire chicanes were god awful, it's best to just purge them from your own memory. Montreal, Barcelona, Spa and Estoril, all terrible.
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Finally, someone who unequivocally agrees with me - thank you! And you're from Canada, too; with MrMelancohy's proclamation that chicanes are good, I was beginning to lose faith in the Great White North.
 
Most chicanes are garbage. They are a necessary evil to ensure driver safety on older tracks, in most instances. In fact I don't understand why new circuits have chicanes in them. There are much better types of corners they could put in a section to slow cars down instead of a straight with a chicane in it. I assume it could be because of space constraints.

Not all chicanes are bad though. I liked the old Bus Stop Chicane at Spa before they changed it, but that is mostly because the old one was pretty fast. I think a longer run to La Source corner with greater braking distance would be better, but that is just me. I realize that having nothing between Blanchimont and La Source is unthinkable today for most people. :lol: So too is 4-wheel-drifting through chicane-less Curva Grande at Monza. Unfortunately, modern F1 cars can't do that there - too much grip - so a chicane is needed so Curva Grande isn't completely boring. (Well, it's still boring, :lol:, but at least it's safe now I guess)


As a side note: I find it pretty hilarious that Monza 1971 had one of the most exciting race conclusions in F1's history, and that they inadvertently assured that such a close race could never happen again with the chicanes they added in the following years. :lol: However, if there were no chicanes, we would have no Monza at all. Like I said, a necessary evil.
 
Grand Prix
There are much better types of corners they could put in a section to slow cars down instead of a straight with a chicane in it. I assume it could be because of space constraints.
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Like what? Hairpins? Sweepers? How long 'til the track looks like High Speed Ring gone wrong?


SagarisGTB
The 1994 tire chicanes were god awful, it's best to just purge them from your own memory. Montreal, Barcelona, Spa and Estoril, all terrible.
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prisonermonkeys
Finally, someone who unequivocally agrees with me - thank you! And you're from Canada, too; with MrMelancohy's proclamation that chicanes are good, I was beginning to lose faith in the Great White North.
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Yes. I agree with SagarisGTB, too.

But, in reference to modern chicanes, which can still be designed to be fun/interesting (given the right (non-engineer) designer.) As long as Tilke doesn't have his say in the matter, tracks with chicanes tend to be cool.

But, I'm with you on the 1994 chicanes, as well as the chicane at Lime Rock Park.

However, I do like the chicane variant at Mid-Ohio, because it always creates carnage. (Just imagine a Watkins Glen-style bus-stop-chicane leading into a very slow hairpin.) Everyone misjudges the braking point of the car in front, leads to some fun bumping/tapping/shoving/Kobayashi-ing/Montoya-ing.

(Kobayashi-ing = making an awesome pass)
(Montoya-ing = pushing everyone out of the way to make a pass)
 
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Like any other corner at all.

Chicanes are anti racing corners. They spread out the field, especially at the start of a race, and at some tracks, like Monza, becomes a joke as cars come to a complete stop and take turns to go through the first chicane.

There is no excuse for them on modern tracks which have run off factored into them from the design stage.

They are a necessary evil on older tracks that don't have that run off available.
 
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MrMelancholy15
Like what? Hairpins? Sweepers? How long 'til the track looks like High Speed Ring gone wrong?
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Yes, and also stuff like 90 degree bends, double apex hairpins and sweepers, and most importantly, S curves, the chicane's faster and generally more badass brother.

I can't count the number of times I have been involved in or watched a side-by-side racing moment in an S curve. Attacking drivers take a risk that their line will be faster. Defending drivers take a risk that their's will be better. No one really knows who will be ahead by the end of the esses, and that is exciting for driver and spectator alike.

Most chicanes tend to put the cars in single file and the racing is done either before or after it. I suppose it depends on how wide and smooth the chicane is, but when it becomes wide and smooth enough for side-by-side stuff, it's not really a chicane anymore.
 
*Yawn* Let me know when it's confirmed on the final 2014 schedule. Not saying it won't happen as I hope it does end up on the '14 schedule, but there have just been so may proposed or confirmed GP's lately that have never actually gotten anywhere even if they are confirmed by Bernie.
 
Well at least we know this time, with Tavo and the Slims behind this, they can get **** done, without needing any help from Bernie. But I know what you mean, I hate all these different plans coming up seemingly just so Bernie can get himself in the headlines every so often.
 
How would this fit in? There are 3 races now (apparently) planned for 2014 and I doubt F1 will have a 22 race schedule so what race(s) are on the chopping block?
 
Toronado
Wait. Now they plan on going back to Hermanos Rodriguez? What happened to the plans before to build a new track?
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Well here in México have been a lot of rumors, first was a new track in Cancún, then a Street circuit in Guadalajara, then a new track in Guadalajara and finished in an upgraded hermanos Rodrìguez track
 
Toronado
Wait. Now they plan on going back to Hermanos Rodriguez? What happened to the plans before to build a new track?
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There are still plans to do it in Cancún instead of Hermanos Rodríguez, but Hermanos Rodríguez is most likely to be the track they'll run if the Mexican Grand Prix takes place
 
Blitz24
How would this fit in? There are 3 races now (apparently) planned for 2014 and I doubt F1 will have a 22 race schedule so what race(s) are on the chopping block?
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It has to be 20 races under the most recent Concorde agreeent but I'm sure they'd be willing to extend it by 1 if the scheduling's right. There's a few two week gaps they could still fill and still have the longer vacation for Summer. It'll be easy if they just cut Korea as well.
 
Under the Concorde Agreement, the teams' unanimous consent is required to host more than 20 races in a season or if more than 60 percent of them are outside F1's traditional markets of Europe, the U.S. or Canada. The calendar is currently split evenly with 10 races held in these three regions and 10 outside. So unless the teams agree to increase the limit on the number of races, the introduction of the Mexican Grand Prix is likely to come at the expense of a race from the sport's historic heartland.
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