Have Your Say: Should F1 Drivers be Involved in Circuit Design?

[DND]

The offered to help "fix it".Anyway, i'm all for it, won't make tracks any worst imo.

Move it about 800 miles north to Barber would be the fix. These street venues are the worst, only saving grace for Monaco is the history.

 

[motoliser]

its ok, but it makes no diference to me! Take rally for example, the roads were not designed for race purpose and yet they are so much fun. I sugest getting back to old tracks and make them useful for todays race!!! Monaco still is my favourite track, dont like this "area 51" trend, it just looks dull and empty.

 

[ChaosZeroJK]

Somebody tell Hamilton that it already happens, it's just that nobody cares about his opinion. There was a feature interview a few years back that aired on SkySports which had Vettel confirming that Tilke went to him (he was the reigning WDC at the time) to ask for help with designing the optimal layout for Singapore and that Tilke often asks other drivers aswell for their imputs when he's designing a new track.

 

[paracletus]

A next-gen track designed by Daniel Kivyat, Pastor Maldonardo & Verstappen would be most epic.

 

[josap11]

Well it would be fun to have drivers give input on the tracks but maybe it would be even better to ask the fans to give input. Why not have some kind of a competition asking fans to design a track. That might give some interesting results in even more interesting locations most people would never have thought of.

You can then create the top tracks virtually and have some drivers and professionals give their opinion and pick a winner that might be built and used in the real championship.???

 

[BP]

I'll say part of what I said in the previous thread about the proposed Miami GP:

I'm not saying Formula 1 drivers have the engineering expertise to do the actual design work, but some consultancy would be nice (assuming that Tilke (or whoever will design Miami GP) hasn't consulted with other prominent drivers for this track or previous designs). However, I do think that getting consultancy from a driver currently associated with a currently participating team could be a conflict of interest. For example, Lewis Hamilton and Niki Lauda shouldn't be consulted since they both have ties with Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team, even though I think drivers of their caliber (Lauda especially) would have very interesting things to bring to the table.

In regards to this:

Miami's design from Hamilton was -ok- But it could be improved.

Please read the story properly before posting. Hamilton didn't help design that proposed track layout...he saw it just as you're seeing it and thought it needed more work, and offered to help improve it. But I stand by my original statement: Lewis shouldn't help with those things at this point in his life due to conflict of interest.

 

[Frank van der Heide]

Nah, drivers should not have a say in how a track is designed. But the suggested Miami track definitely needs some more work/thought ;-)

 

[slowcrash101]

As far as giving feedback on what kind of corners they'd like to drive sure, as far as designing the run off areas, or the actual corners, or what part of the city to use, maybe leave it to those with experience.

 

[Paul Minnaar]

All Herman Tilke designed tracks should be destroyed. They are boring and have zero character. I have drawn tracks that are far more interesting and made for good real racing. Tilke has made a fortune off F1 and the host countries budgets. Stinks !

 

[slowcrash101]

All Herman Tilke designed tracks should be destroyed. They are boring and have zero character. I have drawn tracks that are far more interesting and made for good real racing. Tilke has made a fortune off F1 and the host countries budgets. Stinks !

What makes COTA boring with zero character? China? Bahrain? I get that Baku is not a good hot lapping circuit but it has good racing. Some F1 tracks are horrible for racing but good for hot lapping, for instance Hungary sucks for F1 racing but it's an awesome track to drive. There are countless other examples of this.

 

[Dave Stephenson]

Just bring back the gravel already...

 

[Richard Dastardly]

Some F1 tracks are horrible for racing but good for hot lapping, for instance Hungary sucks for F1 racing but it's an awesome track to drive.

I'll dispute Hungary a lot, but regardless of that - why is this about F1? a permanent circuit is going to have far more hours spent holding races other than F1. Why should a circuit be designed for F1?

 

[Michael Lowe]

I'd rather they got aggregate companies involved. Do away with all the modern run off areas, and replace them with proper gravel traps!

 

[slowcrash101]

I'll dispute Hungary a lot, but regardless of that - why is this about F1? a permanent circuit is going to have far more hours spent holding races other than F1. Why should a circuit be designed for F1?

Well this F1 season the pit stops and safety cars have decided just about every race.

 

[aka2k]

I'm gonna say YES. They need any help they can gather to fight the snooze party the races are nowadays.

 

[gamer19]

I'm familiar with this track, Jacques Villeneuve was actually only driver for whom I was really root for. I even write to developers of the track cause they had rFactor version to send me a copy (they said you have to ask for it) but they actually told me that version for rFactor 2 is in making and that they no longer distribute old version. And I have never got that new, improved version.
Or heard a word from them. Professional stellar work I must say....

But, really... not sure is this track only for ordinary people who wants to drive on it (and have a money for it) or they really intend to do some real racing here cause.... I recon no one would wants to do a pit stop on this track, look how much would he lost for one !?! #longest pit ever.

 

[arniesan]

Why build new tracks, when we don't use all the tracks already built.
If the money is there to build new tracks, it would be better going to the Maverick teams and putting gravel traps in those acres of tarmac run-off's.
Drivers are there to drive the cars, tough sh*t if they find a track not to their liking and hard to master.

 

[Richard Dastardly]

Well this F1 season the pit stops and safety cars have decided just about every race.

I'll be more specific then - why should a track be designed only for F1? why not design it for GT, given there's way more GT series & racing - and there always will be GT racing even if single seaters & prototypes just disappeared.

 

[@apocapollo]

I'll be more specific then - why should a track be designed only for F1? why not design it for GT, given there's way more GT series & racing - and there always will be GT racing even if single seaters & prototypes just disappeared.

Because F1 has all the money and grandeur in international motorsports. It sucks but it's true. And it usually takes Formula 1 discarding a facility from its calendar for the event organizers to realize what a grave mistake they've made.

 

[oorjit07]

Both Buddh and COTA were designed with driver input, and most seem to like those tracks, so yes.