Why are track maps so inconsistent?

Ryan Gill

Ferrari Velas Esports Series | Community Manager
The title almost explains itself but I feel that without some pictures to back it up some people will probably miss the point of the questions I need answers to. Why is it that track maps made by the circuits are inconsistent with how they number corners and how they consider what is and isn't a corner?

Let's start easy, Misano. Misano has 16 corners, you can count them yourself without looking at the numbers on the side.
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Then things get confusing when we look at another track, let's take Zolder. Do you see the problem? Because I do. 10 corners, count them yourself, there are more than 10. It's almost double that when you count the corners yourself. They count chicanes as 1 corner, turn 6 counts as a corner, but the curve after turn 7 doesn't? And speaking of turn 7, it's a chicane and 2 separate corners that apparently all count as 1 corner!
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And to cap off the whole mess, we have Suzuka. Do you see where this tracks corners are counted differently than the other 2, the first one is pretty obvious, the chicane at Suzuka counts as 2 corners. But didn't Zolder tell us that chicanes were just 1 corner? And look at the Dunlop curve at Suzuka, it doesn't count as a corner, but guess what, the micro kink at Misano (Turn 7) counts as a corner, so why not the Dunlop Curve or the curve after turn 7 at Zolder?
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The point I want to raise and the question I need answering is, what counts as a corner? Are these track maps wrong? They are from wikipedia, but look up any other track map on Google and you'll find they are the same. I have been looking to make some track maps for circuit guides I am working on and don't know if I should follow the track maps I find online or decide for myself what I consider a corner.

So what do you guys think? How many corners do you think each circuit has? Why do some curves or kinks count as corners and some don't? And does anyone have any information on why some chicances are counted as 1 corner but others aren't?
 
Since iRacing uses corners per incident to determine safety rating, I do think this is a worthwhile question. It would be advantageous if the definition of a corner on race tracks was standardized.
 
Since iRacing uses corners per incident to determine safety rating, I do think this is a worthwhile question. It would be advantageous if the definition of a corner on race tracks was standardized.
It is consistently inconsistent in all the sources I can find regarding track maps, I think each track counts the corners themselves and I guess that different individuals have different views on what is a corner. It's not just these 3 tracks either, look at any other 2 or 3 tracks and you'll find inconsistent corner numbering. I would personally love a motorsport body like the FIA to standardize track corner numbering but I don't see this being a reality.
 

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