THE PROBLEMS FACING CIRCUIT DESIGNERS
When we debate how to create more exciting racing, the focus inevitably falls on the cars themselves – but there are many other elements of our sport that have primary influences on the spectacle. One of the most significant of these is the design of the circuits.
Many have already earned unfavourable reputations, such as Abu Dhabi for its lack of overtaking and Sochi for its unique effect on tyres. So why can’t we come up with a recipe for circuit design that provides the parameters necessary for exciting racing?
If only it were that simple. Circuit designers labour under many constraints, not all of which are visible to the spectator. The current leader in the field of circuit design is Hermann Tilke, whose company has now built or modified 75 circuits around the world, 12 of which are on the 2018 Formula 1 calendar.
The design and construction project required to commission a new circuit is enormous. From beginning to end will take up to three years, and at its peak may employ 3,000 construction workers.
When one considers how much the performance and the rules of F1 can change in that three-year construction period – let alone the lifetime of the track – one starts to understand some of the problems a circuit designer faces.
A track layout isn’t limited only by the designer’s imagination. The project is boxed in from all sides: the potential for noise and environmental impacts, local planning constraints, the size and shape of the plot allocated for construction, the topography of the site, and the local infrastructure surrounding it.
This story is from the March 2018 edition of F1 Racing UK.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign in
This story is from the March 2018 edition of F1 Racing UK.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign in
The Racer's Edge
A STAGGERINGLY SIMPLE IDEA FOR F1 GRIDS
This F1 Life
THE PROBLEMS FACING CIRCUIT DESIGNERS
F1 Insider - The Power Of Dreams
F1 Insider - The Power Of Dreams
This F1 Life
This F1 Life
The Clash Of The Titans
It’s a fight for the ages: triple champion Lewis Hamilton vs four-time champ Sebastian Vettel. Each has a competitive car; each is at the peak of his ability. But who will prevail? We ask a sports psychologist, a tech expert, team bosses and two hard-boiled team-mates to adjudicate
The View From Within
McLaren’s garage is a hive of activity at a race weekend. But who does what?
Death Of A Circuit
Seventy miles west of Spa-Francorchamps lie the crumbling remnants of the circuit that once aspired to snatch its crown. F1 Racing took a road trip to the former Belgian GP venue of Nivelles-Baulers to see it before it disappears for good…
This F1 Life
The regulation changes for 2018 are minor compared with the upheaval of last year, and while the introduction of the halo – and the enormous loads the chassis has to handle as a result – has set a considerable engineering challenge, it’s certain that changes to the tyres are going to have a much larger effect on racing this coming season.
Power Play
F1 champions celbrated in hall of fame.
Living The Dream
Winners of the INFINITI Engineering Academy get a six-month placement at Renault Sport Formula One Team in Enstone where they get the chance to fulfil a lifetime’s ambition to help build their new Formula 1 car
NETFLIX TO CHARGE AN ADDITIONAL $8 MONTH FOR VIEWERS LIVING OUTSIDE US SUBSCRIBERS' HOUSEHOLDS
Netflix on Tuesday outlined how it intends to crack down on the rampant sharing of account passwords in the U.S., its latest bid to reel in more subscribers to its video streaming service as its growth slows.
APPLE SET TO RELEASE OFFICIAL 'TED LASSO' MERCHANDISE
As the acclaimed Apple TV+ Original series, Ted Lasso, continues to reel in an impassioned following, Apple is poised to make the most of the show’s popularity by entering the official merchandise arena.
TWITTER ACCUSES MICROSOFT OF MISUSING ITS DATA, FORESHADOWING A POSSIBLE FIGHT OVER AI
A lawyer for Twitter owner Elon Musk accused Microsoft of misusing the service’s data and demanded an audit from the software giant.
META FINED RECORD $1.3 BILLION AND ORDERED TO STOP SENDING EUROPEAN USER DATA TO US
The European Union slapped Meta with a record $1.3 billion privacy fine this week and ordered it to stop transferring users’ personal information across the Atlantic by October, the latest salvo in a decadelong case sparked by U.S. cybersnooping fears
DO NOT CALL: STATES SUE TELECOM COMPANY OVER BILLIONS OF ROBOCALLS
Attorneys general across the U.S. joined in a lawsuit against a telecommunications company accused of making more than 7.5 billion robocalls to people on the national Do Not Call Registry
DELAWARE TAPS AI TO EVACUATE CROWDED BEACHES WHEN FLOODS HIT
Delaware’s low elevation mixed with crowded beaches and limited exit routes make the state particularly vulnerable to massive flooding, but officials hope an influx of federal infrastructure money will trigger future evacuation plans automatically via artificial intelligence.
READY FOR A DIGITAL EURO? AT 25, EUROPEAN CENTRAL BANK PREPS FOR FUTURE OF MONEY
As it marks its 25th anniversary this week, the European Central Bank is readying a proposed design for a digital version of the euro, responding to pressure from developing technology that could change how money is used over the bank’s next decades
CAR SEATS & BABY FORMULA ARE REGULATED. IS SOCIAL MEDIA NEXT?
The U.S. surgeon general is warning there is not enough evidence to show that social media is safe for children and teens — and is calling on tech companies, parents and caregivers to take “immediate action to protect kids now.”
BEST BUY POSTS MIXED 10 RESULTS BUT GADGET SLUMP WILL BOTTOM OUT AS SHOPPERS REPLACE THEIR DEVICES
Best Buy turned in a first-quarter profit that beat Wall Street expectations, while the nation’s largest consumer electronics chain continued to wrestle with weak consumer demand for gadgets.
MILLIONS DITCHED CARS FOR BIKES DURING THE PANDEMIC. THESE CITIES WANT THE HABIT TO STICK
In the agonies of the virus that upended most of the world, millions of people from Bogota to Berlin saw what life could be like on two wheels instead of four.