Originally Posted by Purist
Just remove the Turn 5/6 chicane, and if need be, do the run-off under the grandstand thing like at the far end of that straight. Reducing the apex speed at that hairpin will hurt overtaking on the following straight, because the larger differential between minimum and maximum speeds from that apex to just before the braking zone will result in a larger spread in the physical gap between the cars after they exit the hairpin.
My other main adjustment would be to move Turn 8 just a bit closer to the Turn 7 hairpin, such that it would be 90 degrees if you drew a line from its revised position to the existing Turn 9. However, I'd bypass the existing Turn 9 with a right-hand sweeper leading smoothly into the left sweep of Turn 10. With the faster apex of the hairpin, speed on the first back straight shouldn't be greatly impacted, and the new 90-degree left at the end should still provide more than an adequate braking zone for overtaking. And then, with the quicker apex there, plus the bypass of the current Turn 9, the second stretch will be quicker, and the cars will enter that stretch closer together. This will make the slipstream significantly more effective and increase the potency of the braking zone at Turn 11 in terms of overtaking there.
As for the latter portion of the lap, I'd like to see some of the apexes softened slightly; there should be space there to do that. This will widen the usable line a little, and somewhat increase apex speeds to help reduce the visible accordion effect between cars as they go through Turns 12-21. I'd leave Turn 12 alone and just ease the apex of 13 to look more like 12; they're already pretty good for the over/under stuff, and I don't want that messed up. Easing Turn 14 would definitely help overtaking prospects into 17. I think 18 and 19 need reprofiling to ease 19, and get rid of that little extra kink. Then ease Turn 20, and reshape that apex curb late in Turn 21. That way, you get a good run out of Turn 18, through 19, through 20, and maybe have a somewhat realistic shot of doing something into Turn 21. Also, loosening Turn 21 ought to help overtaking into Turn 1 somewhat, by increasing the speed on the straight, and therefore the severity of the subsequent braking zone.
I hope that wasn't too long-winded, and that what I'm suggesting seems to make sense to at least some of the rest of you.
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