Whats wrong with the new Fuji?

[Jimlaad43]

I have seen a lot of hate for the new Fuji Speedway in Japan.
Please explain why?
It is millions of times more better than Suzuka as you just can't overtake there. It was designed for bikes, so isn't to wide, and the straights either have a flat out corner in them, or a flat out overtaking spot.
No, Fuji has an enormous straight which makes overtaking (and racing better), as well as another long straight with a good braking point.

 

[GOTMAXPOWER]

Its 2 grand prix's were good but Suzuka usually creates a great race too, it would be nice to have both in place of a race like Bahrain but its most likely we'll see neither soon since Toyota (Fuji) and Honda (Suzuka) don't have the money to fund the races, especially now they have no direct involvment in F1.

 

[YellowG1]

I dont know how the F1 drivers feel, but the last portion of Fuji, from Dunlop to Panasonic, is about the least satisfying portion of racetrack in the entire game. I always enjoyed Suzuka a whole lot more than Fuji. Also, Suzuka with DRS should see a decent amount of passing this year.

 

[Lizard]

Susuka is ok for races but I hate driving it.

 

[homeforsummer]

If we're mainly talking about driving this track in GT5 here, why is this thread in the Motorsport section?

 

[tribolik]

From all the interviews I read in the F1 official site suzuka is actually one of the favorite tracks of F1 drivers and they never seem to mention Fuji... and in my opinion Fuji is rather boring, annd the slow chicane didnt make it any better... in fact Im a bit tired of Fuji - Ive played on it since Pole position, Checkered flag, etc...

 

[Pupik]

I dont know how the F1 drivers feel, but the last portion of Fuji, from Dunlop to Panasonic, is about the least satisfying portion of racetrack in the entire game.

Also can't speak for the drivers, but there's so many slow turns fed from other slow turns on the last third of the circuit that never really allows you to get into any sort of rhythm. Maybe it's interesting for drivers that like really technical circuits, or for road cars that can make more out of a slower-speed corner, but I prefer slow corners that are preceded by fast corners or higher trap speeds from straightaways. For some reason, lots of modern track design features this part of a circuit which is utterly pointless (however, there's a distinction to be made from artificially doing so and following the natural terrain). At least build up increasingly faster corners together, not pairing equally slow, or slower bends together.

 

[Ardius]

Nothing wrong with Fuji, I love it..though I generally like technical tracks. I used to hate Fuji, like a lot of people do. But after spending some serious time on GT5P practicing and testing setups as well as racing competitively, it grew on me.
The corner combinations create some great racing, pretty much you can do switchback-overtakes the entire lap because there are so many different lines you can take and different cars and drivetrains gain advantages in different parts of the track.

And contrary to what is said up there^ I think I've heard some F1 drivers speak favourably of Fuji in the past, I know Lewis Hamilton enjoyed his 2007 race there.

I personally think people tend to hate Fuji simply because they haven't raced it much..the same as Suzuka. They find it difficult to drive fast and make minimal mistakes and rather than attempt to grasp the challenge and practice, they rather give-up in frustration. It helps to have a little forced-practice by taking part in a competitive event at tracks like this, most of the time you can be surprised how much you can like a track if you just spend the time practicing.

Anyone who actively took part in the online racing a couple of years ago on GT5 Prologue would understand the enjoyment that can be found from both Suzuka and Fuji.

To answer the OP more directly though - overtaking isn't everything. Fuji isn't a great track just because it has a giant straight for overtaking on. You completely miss the point about what makes tracks fun. Suzuka is a better track because it has more interesting and flowing corners, it doesn't matter that overtaking is more difficult, the track itself is much more enjoyable to drive on and the challenge is more appreciatable than the wide, sweeping Fuji layout.
We could have circuits that comprise of two straights and two corners that would produce loads of overtaking - does that make them the best tracks? No. So why do you think Fuji is a better track just because overtaking is easier? Is the Daytona Oval the best track then? A circuit isn't defined simply by how much overtaking it produces, its just one of many attributes that can make circuits great.

 

[prisonermonkeys]

I think the only thing people really hate about the new Fuji is the last two corners. They're kind of tight, they're rather fiddly and the racing line is difficult to get right consistently.

The acres of run-off around the circuit take away some character, too.