New Circuits - Am I alone in thinking they are ****E?

[Alan Cherry]

Admittedly I have only seen them from an armchair perspective, but does anyone else think the latest batch of circuits are designed to treat spectators with total contempt ?
I had the good fortune to race at both Spa and the Old Nurburgring this year, and whilst not great for following a race from a spectators point of view ( although you can see quite a lot from Spa in the right places ) what fantastic circuits! The thing that really tipped me into writing this though was I managed to catch some of the final WSBK round on TV yesterday from a new circuit Portimao in Portugal. It (to me on TV anyway - with an in car lap) looks like a superb circuit - Why can't the man who designed this circuit do the new GP ones ? It just goes to prove it can be done .
Any comments/ other points of view ?

Alan ?

[Maxwell Murder]

I'd like to admit that I am one of the very few people who likes the new circuits and I'm not fussed about tarmac run-off either ( and on a side note - I love all the interesting aero on the current cars too )! I really don't think there's anything wrong with any of the current circuits, except for Catalunya. I do realise that some of the newer circuits don't produce much overtaking, but I love seeing the cars fly around them and I bet they're all a blast to drive around. I'm just hoping that next years regulations will produce some overtaking on these newer circuits.

[BootsOntheSide]

I'm sure if Portimao's design philosophy would work for car racing. It's very dependent on the riders being able to take different lines through the corners - being fast in one corner causing a rider to be slow in the next corner, which allows overtaking, but it wouldn't work so well with wider cars.

Still, I'd agree that the new tracks are pretty bland, with too many tight low-speed corners. Part of the problem is that they're all designed to fit in a very small space for economic reasons.

[johntt]

The problem with the new circuits is more to do with the cars than the tracks themselves.

Next year when the aero has been sorted we'll see which tracks are good and which are rubbish. The best way to tell how good a track is now is to watch Gp2 on it (especially with the car from last year).

Aesthetically Bahrain is awful (desert), as is Valancia (industrial estate). Singapore was great, Turkey is uninspiring. Malaysia I like, but I wouldn't keep it on the calender. China looks quite bland as well.

It will be interesting to see what China and Malaysia will produce next year with the new regs.

If I recall correctly Hermann Tilke designed Portimao.

[Alan Cherry]

Originally Posted by johntt

The problem with the new circuits is more to do with the cars than the tracks themselves.

Next year when the aero has been sorted we'll see which tracks are good and which are rubbish. The best way to tell how good a track is now is to watch Gp2 on it (especially with the car from last year).

Aesthetically Bahrain is awful (desert), as is Valancia (industrial estate). Singapore was great, Turkey is uninspiring. Malaysia I like, but I wouldn't keep it on the calender. China looks quite bland as well.

It will be interesting to see what China and Malaysia will produce next year with the new regs.

If I recall correctly Hermann Tilke designed Portimao.

With my spectators hat on, Valencia looked like there were grandstands in the middle of a short straight where you could just see cars rushing by in a straight line and that's it ! We may be able to watch the race ok on TV, but there is absolutely no reason why I'd want to actually go there and watch !
Mind you, although I enjoy driving at Silverstone, from a spectators point of view, that's pretty bad ! I Guess I'm spoilt by Brands being my local circuit

[zac510]

Some of the old tracks aren't that great either.

[Marbot]

It's not the tracks that are ****e! Every other series,bar none,seems to have a decent race,with overtaking,at the same track.Upteen tonnes of downforce with its own built in exclusion zone isn't going to provide good racing on a consistent basis even at the better tracks.

[chrisp2006]

theres no atmosphere at the new circuits, it's like racing in a car park, thats why you need Spa, Monza, Brands Hatch, Imola type circuits. Look at Brazil, ok the facilities aren't great but it puts on a good show.

[Ralf's Girl]

The newer tracks are all pretty bland and soulless. I don't mind Turkey, but Bahrain is pretty dreadful, and I'm not much of a fan of China or Malaysia either. Valencia looks like the chances of it ever producing a decent race are slim to non-existent. Mind you, some of the older circuits aren't up to much either - I'd ditch the Hungaroring and Barcelona faster than you can say "Hermann Tilke".

[Rockmunky]

Portimao looked like a great track, elevation, sweeping corners, blind crests, the lot. More like that!
Less of the 4 mile straights into 180 degree corners.

[Smokey 6 litre]

I enjoy seeing new circuits but i wish someone other then Tilke was given a chance.
Out of the ones he's created in recent times Turkey imo is the only one which really stands out.
I get the feeling that the inadequencies of Singapore were covered by the fact the race was exciting and it was floodlit.

[parkingjedi]

I was going to make poll about Tilke tracks: I dislike them, souless as someone said above, mind you, he he often given a flat piece of land to work with, no natural elevation changes like spa or even interlagos.
Monaco is interesting too for its elevation changes- Singapore and Valencia like most Tilke tracks are "too engineered and efficient" give me a track with passion anyday. Why cant Brands Hatch get brought up to scratch.
I also lament great lost great tracks like Osterreichring, kyalami, Zandvoort

Thank the lucky stars that suzuka cames back next year - fuji is very mediocre, Suzaka rocks! what a track.

Fingers crossed for Abu dhabi, somehow though I doubt it will be anything but standard Tilke.

[chrisp2006]

Osterreichring would have been great with a modern F1 car

[Jimmy Magnusson]

Originally Posted by parkingjedi

I was going to make poll about Tilke tracks: I dislike them, souless as someone said above, mind you, he he often given a flat piece of land to work with, no natural elevation changes like spa or even interlagos.

I see no reason to cut Tilke any slack. Fuji was a fantastic circuit, but he still managed to completely **** that up.

[westfieldbend]

Originally Posted by parkingjedi

Why cant Brands Hatch get brought up to scratch.

because palmer doesnt like wasting money?
World superbikes were ditched because they asked for too much money, no doubt F1 would ask for too much, and they would just destroy the circuit anyway!!!