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Drivers' best and worst tracks


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#1 noikeee

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Posted 31 August 2009 - 21:22

After so much bollocks lately about Kimi being the "king of Spa", I reckoned this was worth a thread - what are every driver's stronger tracks, the ones they always seem to either get above average results or be quicker than average? And since we're here, the opposite thing, each drivers' worst tracks?

Here's a list to start with, at least the ones I remember. Open to any driver, from F1 or any other racing series, modern or from the past:

Kimi Raikkonen
Best - Spa, Magny-Cours
Worst - not sure, maybe Bahrain

Fernando Alonso
Best - ?
Worst - Indianapolis

Lewis Hamilton
Best - Bahrain (despite no win there yet), maybe the Hungaroring
Worst - ?

Felipe Massa
Best - Istanbul, Bahrain, Interlagos
Worst - ?

Rubens Barrichello
Best - Silverstone
Worst - ?

Michael Schumacher
Best - Monaco, Spa
Worst - A1Ring

David Coulthard
Best - Monaco
Worst - ?

Juan Pablo Montoya
Best - Interlagos
Worst - ?

Ayrton Senna
Best - Monaco
Worst - Paul Ricard

Alain Prost
Best - Jacarepagua, Paul Ricard
Worst - ?

Alvaro Parente
Best - Barcelona, Monaco, Spa
Worst - ?

Giorgio Pantano
Best - Monza
Worst - ?

Mike Conway
Best - Monaco
Worst - ?

All up for debate, of course.

This is also interesting because it seems to be a lot more prestigious to be good at popular tracks like Monaco or Spa, but personally I'm not sure I'd give it any more importance - after all, a Bahrain win is worth just as many points as a Monaco win.

Please note I'm not asking which track a driver likes more. I'm asking where are they good at.

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#2 raiseyourfistfor

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Posted 31 August 2009 - 21:30

Lewis is always great in Montreal, Monaco and China and a bit average at Istanbul Park.

Australia is always bad for Massa

#3 J-Raid

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Posted 31 August 2009 - 21:33

Pastor Maldonado
Best - Monaco, Monaco and then...Monaco
Worst - everyone else?

#4 potmotr

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Posted 31 August 2009 - 21:36

Kimi Raikkonen
Best - Spa, Magny-Cours
Worst - doesn't seem to go well at Monza.

Fernando Alonso
Best - Barcelona
Worst - Indianapolis, Fuji

Lewis Hamilton
Best - Street circuits
Worst - Interlagos, based on the past couple of outings there

Felipe Massa
Best - Istanbul, Bahrain, Interlagos
Worst - Melbourne for sure. He's binned a lot of cars there.

Rubens Barrichello
Best - Silverstone
Worst - Interlagos!!! Rubens has a shite record at home!

Michael Schumacher
Best - Monaco, Spa (lets be honest, almost everywhere)
Worst - Adelaide. Second in 1992...

David Coulthard
Best - Monaco
Worst - Nurgburgring, he had some shockers there

Juan Pablo Montoya
Best - Interlagos
Worst - ?

Ayrton Senna
Best - Monaco
Worst - Paul Ricard

Alain Prost
Best - Jacarepagua, Paul Ricard
Worst - Never liked Phoenix

Alvaro Parente
Best - Barcelona, Monaco, Spa
Worst - Everywhere else?

Giorgio Pantano
Best - Monza
Worst - ?

Mike Conway
Best - Monaco
Worst - Any oval, based on his form this year in the IRL

Edited by potmotr, 31 August 2009 - 21:37.


#5 noikeee

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Posted 31 August 2009 - 21:37

Lewis is always great in Montreal


I was going to say that actually. He is definitely very quick round there - but then he only raced there twice, and crashed out with a silly mistake in one of them.

Pastor Maldonado
Best - Monaco, Monaco and then...Monaco
Worst - everyone else?


Lol true. Dude's freakishly good at Monaco.

#6 Brawn BGP 001

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Posted 31 August 2009 - 21:37

Jenson Button
Best - Hockenheim (old and new)/Imola
Worst - Silverstone/Nurburgring

Edited by Brawn BGP 001, 31 August 2009 - 21:38.


#7 fullcourseyellow

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Posted 31 August 2009 - 21:40

Timo Glock
Best - Hungaroring

Giancarlo Fisichella
Best - Spa (not just yesterday - see what he did with that crap Benetton in 2001. He got a pole there before too, I think)



#8 postajegenye

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Posted 31 August 2009 - 21:41

Fernando Alonso

Worst - Indianapolis, Fuji


Fuji? Even after last year?

#9 GiancarloF1

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Posted 31 August 2009 - 21:44

Hamilton:
Best: Hungaroring, Monaco, the majority of the tracks
Worst: Magny-Cours, Interlagos

Alonso:
Best: Melbourne, Monaco, again most of the tracks actually
Worst: Indianapolis, Spa

Massa:
Best: Istambul, Bahrein, Interlagos
Worst: Melbourne, Sepang

Raikkonen:
Best: Spa, Silverstone, Magny-Cours
Worst: Monaco, Bahrein

Button:
Best: Imola, Hockenheim, Istambul, Sepang
Worst: Montreal, Silverstone

Barrichello:
Best: Silverstone, Monza, well... A1-Ring too and old Hockenheim :p
Worst: Sepang, Istambul

Fisichella:
Best: Monaco, Montreal, Spa
Worst: Magny-Cours, Istambul, Hungaroring

Trulli:
Best: Indianapolis, Monaco, Sepang, Bahrein
Worst: usually everything in the late season calendar

Glock:
Best: Hungaroring

Kovalainen:
Best: Istambul

Heidfeld:
Best: Montreal, Melbourne
Worst: actually, he performs on the same level in most of the tracks

Kubica:
Best: Montreal
Worst: Montreal

#10 Brawn BGP 001

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Posted 31 August 2009 - 21:44

Damon Hill
Best - Hungaroring/Spa
Worst - Monaco (unlucky in '96)

#11 D A

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Posted 31 August 2009 - 21:45

Hockenheim hasn't been friendly for Kimi. The first race he finished was in 2006. In all previous races he has retired. Nurburgring is the same. Must have some kind of German curse.

#12 raiseyourfistfor

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Posted 31 August 2009 - 21:46

I was going to say that actually. He is definitely very quick round there - but then he only raced there twice, and crashed out with a silly mistake in one of them.


Yea, but that was a silly pitstop mistake, he didn't crash out on the track, and he would've most likely won in 08 if he didn't crash out also he had a huge lead before the safety car and in qualifying he was like .5s quicker than anyone else.

#13 noikeee

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Posted 31 August 2009 - 21:47

Alvaro Parente
Best - Barcelona, Monaco, Spa
Worst - Everywhere else?


I'm biased, but definitely don't agree. I was going to say Silverstone but then he's put it P3 in the grid this year only for the engine to die, Istanbul but then he made an excellent comeback in race 2 this year. Been following the guy closely for a couple years now and I think he's quick everywhere, just hasn't turned it into results that often in GP2, most times due to crap luck, sometimes due to mistakes.

Now of course he's a little bit better at those tracks than the others, that's why I picked them as his best.

#14 GiancarloF1

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Posted 31 August 2009 - 21:48

Jean Alesi:
Best: Montreal and Monza :wave:

#15 BMW_F1

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Posted 31 August 2009 - 21:53

Juan Pablo Montoya
Best - Interlagos...

...Monza

#16 noikeee

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Posted 31 August 2009 - 21:54

Hockenheim hasn't been friendly for Kimi. The first race he finished was in 2006. In all previous races he has retired. Nurburgring is the same. Must have some kind of German curse.


Yeah it's weird how results never come to him in Germany. Although he's always seemed very quick at both those tracks, except for the last two years when Massa started looking more serious there.

#17 Ferrim

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Posted 31 August 2009 - 21:57

Fernando Alonso
Best - Barcelona
Worst - Indianapolis, Fuji


That's why he won at Fuji last year, I guess.

#18 George Costanza

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Posted 31 August 2009 - 22:00

Graham Hill
Best- Monaco.

#19 V8 Fireworks

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Posted 31 August 2009 - 22:03

Webber
Best: Monaco
Worst: Valencia (street circuit)

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#20 Rob

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Posted 31 August 2009 - 22:05

Damon Hill
Best - Hungaroring/Spa
Worst - Monaco (unlucky in '96)


Damon was great at Monaco, he was just desperately unlucky not to win one. I'd say that his worst circuit was most likely Silverstone.


#21 Celloman

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Posted 31 August 2009 - 22:06

Added some from memory, regarding new drivers/tracks it's hard to judge.


Kimi Raikkonen
Best - Spa, Magny-Cours, Silverstone (in McLaren)
Worst - Bahrain, Suzuka (only track he admittedly disliked)


Lewis Hamilton
Best - Hungaroring, Montreal
Worst - Turkey

Giancarlo Fisichella
Best - Montreal
Worst - France

Fernando Alonso
Best - can't name a specific
Worst - Indianapolis, Bahrain

Rubens Barrichello
Best - Silverstone, A1 ring
Worst - Magny-Cours


Jarno Trulli
Best - Monaco, Indianapolis
Worst - Spa

David Coulthard
Best - Monaco
Worst - Suzuka, Silverstone


Ralf Schumacher
Best - Montreal, Suzuka
Worst - Indianapolis, Silverstone


Michael Schumacher
Best - Spa, Magny-Cours, Suzuka
Worst - A1Ring, Silverstone


#22 giacomo

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Posted 31 August 2009 - 22:07

Alain Prost
Best - Jacarepagua, Paul Ricard
Worst - ?

Prost hated Detroit.

#23 Cenotaph

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Posted 31 August 2009 - 22:08

Yeah it's weird how results never come to him in Germany.

must be the schumacher curse again. Speaking of which, i have this idea that Schumi is pretty great at Suzuka too, but then again as someone already said he was in pretty much all tracks.

#24 noikeee

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Posted 31 August 2009 - 22:13

Raikkonen at Suzuka, now that's an interesting call. It's not the first one you'll immediately think of, because he got the most spectacular win of his career there (2005). But he got outqualified by his team-mates there 4 consecutive years (2001-2004).

#25 Les

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Posted 31 August 2009 - 22:16

Kimi is pretty awesome at Suzuka too, Mansell owned Silverstone and Senna was obviously amazing at Monaco and also Interlagos. Fangio was pretty good on the Nurburgring!

#26 BMW_F1

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Posted 31 August 2009 - 22:18

Ralf Schumacher
Best - Montreal, Suzuka

didn't he spin like 3 time at Suzuka in 2003?

#27 scheivlak

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Posted 31 August 2009 - 22:26

Montoya had some pretty impressive races at Hockenheim as well!

Fisichella: add Spa
Worst: Malaysia? (e.g. remembering 2004/2005)

Alonso: add Hungaroring



#28 King_Alonso786

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Posted 31 August 2009 - 22:31

Alonso's best track is no doubt Barcelona. He's scored points in Circuit de Catalunya every year bar 2 races since he came on the scene. (Minardi finished 13th and last year he failed to score due to an engine blow out)

His worst? I dont think there is a track where Alonso doesnt perform in the machinery he is provided with. Judging by 2005 and 2006 he was quite spectacular in every race on every track. His worst result was P5 in those years excluding retirements

Edited by King_Alonso786, 31 August 2009 - 22:33.


#29 GiancarloF1

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Posted 31 August 2009 - 23:00

Ralf's best without doubt is Magny-Cours. He was glorious there so many times.

Hamilton at Turkey? I don't think he is bad there. He has beaten Alonso in 2007, before the puncture. In 2008 he had a wonderful race there.

#30 PLAYLIFE

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Posted 01 September 2009 - 01:03

Gerhard Berger
Best: Adelaide, Estoril, Hockenheim, Suzuka

#31 George Costanza

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Posted 01 September 2009 - 01:36

Ralf's best without doubt is Magny-Cours. He was glorious there so many times.

Hamilton at Turkey? I don't think he is bad there. He has beaten Alonso in 2007, before the puncture. In 2008 he had a wonderful race there.



Yeah, Something about that place that appeals to the Schumacher brothers...

#32 Dispenser89

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Posted 01 September 2009 - 01:53

Eddie Irvine: Best- Suzuka, Monaco, Buenos Aires
Worst- Hungaroring, Interlagos

Jacques Villeneuve: Best- Catalunya, Silverstone
Worst- San Marino, Monza

David Coulthard: Best- Monaco, Silverstone, Albert Park, Estoril
Worst- Buenos Aires, Bahrain

#33 fullcourseyellow

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Posted 01 September 2009 - 02:15

Jacques Villeneuve: Best- Catalunya, Silverstone
Worst- San Marino, Monza

I think JV's worst track by far is Monaco


#34 Galko877

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Posted 01 September 2009 - 06:24

Schumacher's best were Spa, Suzuka and Magny-Cours. He won 8 times in Magny!

Edited by Galko877, 01 September 2009 - 06:26.


#35 Buckethead

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Posted 01 September 2009 - 07:16

Fernando Alonso
Best - can't name a specific
Worst - Indianapolis, Bahrain


ALO has two wins from Bahrain ;)

#36 otoelpiloto

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Posted 01 September 2009 - 08:26

fernando alonso

best - barcelona, hungaroring, suzuka

worst - indianapolis, the only circuit he really seemed to struggle with

#37 Arion

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Posted 01 September 2009 - 09:15

Hamilton
Best: Montreal, China. He's very good at Monaco, but I think a few others on the grid are just as good
Worst: Sepang, Magny-Cours

Edited by Arion, 01 September 2009 - 09:16.


#38 salamin

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Posted 01 September 2009 - 09:45

Michael Schumacher
Best - Monaco, Spa (lets be honest, almost everywhere)


exactly my thoughts, but i would definately ad magny cours

Edited by salamin, 01 September 2009 - 09:45.


#39 Dolph

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Posted 01 September 2009 - 17:04

Fernando Alonso
Best - Barcelona
Worst - Indianapolis, Fuji


You mixed up Fuji. It should be under "best"

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#40 Dolph

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Posted 01 September 2009 - 17:07

Bryan Herta

Best: Laguna Seca

#41 CaptnMark

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Posted 01 September 2009 - 17:20

I think JV's worst track by far is Monaco


Mostly remembered by stupid '97 team strategy. He wasn't so bad in later years.

He's probably worse in Montreal.

#42 Pep

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Posted 01 September 2009 - 17:21

From the year Alonso and Hamilton spent together, Alonso used to have the upper hand in high speed circuits (Malaysia, Silverstone, Spa...), while Hamilton had the upper hand in circuits with heavy brakings (Bahrain, Canada...).

But then when you are speaking about the top drivers in the world, it's not accurate to talk about "worst circuits", as they will perform at a top level in most of them.

#43 D.M.N.

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Posted 01 September 2009 - 17:29

Ralf Schumacher
Best - Imola, Magny Cours
Worst - Suzuka, Indianapolis

#44 Fallout

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Posted 01 September 2009 - 17:38

Badoer
Best: ..
Worst: I think you can answer this one guys!

#45 hello86

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Posted 01 September 2009 - 17:43

Kimi:

Best: Magny Cours, Spa
Worst: Sao Paula, Suzuka (he admitted that he doesn´t like this track)

#46 Atreiu

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Posted 01 September 2009 - 17:55

Prost
best - Jacarepaguá, French GPs in general
worse - Hungaroring, Detroit

Senna
best - Monaco, Spa
worse - Paul Ricard

Schumacher
best - Montreal, Magny-Cours, Suzuka, Spa.
worse - A1 Ring, old Hockenheim, Adelaide

Alonso
best - Bahrain (he had the measure of Schumacher there)
worse - Indy


#47 SpeedRacer`

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Posted 01 September 2009 - 19:44

David Coulthard
Best - Monaco
Worst - Nurgburgring, he had some shockers there

Coulthard had one of his best races there in 2005, and finished 5th in 2007 in a Red Bull.

David Coulthard:
Worst- Buenos Aires, Bahrain

For Bahrain, go watch the 2007 GP. He overtook several cars coming to 7th from the back, only to break down.

And Buenos Aires he scored 2 or 3 poles there, and was very unlucky not to win in 95 (failure) and 98 (punted off by Schumacher).

DC's worst circuits were probably Sepang and Hockenheim.

#48 jesee

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Posted 01 September 2009 - 19:53

Hamilton- best..... Everywhere
Worst...nowhere

Badriver-best....nowhere
Worst...everywhere


#49 Lazy Prodigy

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Posted 01 September 2009 - 21:30

Ham- best: Hungary
worst: Barcelona

Alonso- best: Barcelona
worst: Indy

Kimi- best: Spa
worst: Barcelona

Felipe- best: Interlagos
worst: Silverstone

#50 wewantourdarbyback

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Posted 01 September 2009 - 21:33

Rosset:
Best: Nowhere
Worst: Everywhere
Sum Up: Let's not go there/