This F1 Life
F1 Racing UK|March 2018

THE PROBLEMS FACING CIRCUIT DESIGNERS

Pat Symonds
This F1 Life

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.

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.

MORE STORIES FROM F1 RACING UKView All
The Racer's Edge
F1 Racing UK

The Racer's Edge

A STAGGERINGLY SIMPLE IDEA FOR F1 GRIDS 

time-read
4 mins  |
January 2018
This F1 Life
F1 Racing UK

This F1 Life

THE PROBLEMS FACING CIRCUIT DESIGNERS

time-read
4 mins  |
March 2018
F1 Insider - The Power Of Dreams
F1 Racing UK

F1 Insider - The Power Of Dreams

F1 Insider - The Power Of Dreams

time-read
8 mins  |
October 2017
This F1 Life
F1 Racing UK

This F1 Life

This F1 Life

time-read
4 mins  |
October 2017
The Clash Of The Titans
F1 Racing UK

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

time-read
10+ mins  |
October 2017
The View From Within
F1 Racing UK

The View From Within

McLaren’s garage is a hive of activity at a race weekend. But who does what?

time-read
1 min  |
October 2017
Death Of A Circuit
F1 Racing UK

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…

time-read
1 min  |
October 2017
This F1 Life
F1 Racing UK

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.

time-read
4 mins  |
February 2018
Power Play
F1 Racing UK

Power Play

F1 champions celbrated in hall of fame.

time-read
3 mins  |
February 2018
Living The Dream
F1 Racing UK

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

time-read
4 mins  |
February 2018
RELATED STORIES
NETFLIX TO CHARGE AN ADDITIONAL $8 MONTH FOR VIEWERS LIVING OUTSIDE US SUBSCRIBERS' HOUSEHOLDS
Techlife News

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.

time-read
2 mins  |
May 27, 2023
APPLE SET TO RELEASE OFFICIAL 'TED LASSO' MERCHANDISE
Techlife News

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.

time-read
1 min  |
May 27, 2023
TWITTER ACCUSES MICROSOFT OF MISUSING ITS DATA, FORESHADOWING A POSSIBLE FIGHT OVER AI
Techlife News

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.

time-read
2 mins  |
May 27, 2023
META FINED RECORD $1.3 BILLION AND ORDERED TO STOP SENDING EUROPEAN USER DATA TO US
Techlife News

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

time-read
3 mins  |
May 27, 2023
DO NOT CALL: STATES SUE TELECOM COMPANY OVER BILLIONS OF ROBOCALLS
Techlife News

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

time-read
2 mins  |
May 27, 2023
DELAWARE TAPS AI TO EVACUATE CROWDED BEACHES WHEN FLOODS HIT
Techlife News

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.

time-read
2 mins  |
May 27, 2023
READY FOR A DIGITAL EURO? AT 25, EUROPEAN CENTRAL BANK PREPS FOR FUTURE OF MONEY
Techlife News

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

time-read
3 mins  |
May 27, 2023
CAR SEATS & BABY FORMULA ARE REGULATED. IS SOCIAL MEDIA NEXT?
Techlife News

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.”

time-read
4 mins  |
May 27, 2023
BEST BUY POSTS MIXED 10 RESULTS BUT GADGET SLUMP WILL BOTTOM OUT AS SHOPPERS REPLACE THEIR DEVICES
Techlife News

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.

time-read
2 mins  |
May 27, 2023
MILLIONS DITCHED CARS FOR BIKES DURING THE PANDEMIC. THESE CITIES WANT THE HABIT TO STICK
Techlife News

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.

time-read
5 mins  |
May 27, 2023