19 replies to this topic

[RSNS]

I watched today's A1GP at Portimão. The race was very interesting, but most drivers made severe mistakes: the circuit just seems too difficult for A1GP drivers. This made racing most interesting.

I mention this because it seems the ideal F1 race circuit: it's hilly, difficult, fast bends, slow bends, varied, and it seems very secure. Political considerations (i.e.: Ecclestone) apart, what do you think of it as a potential F1 circuit.

P.S.: I thought there was an earlier thread on this but I did not find it.

[giddyup409]

as long as they don't modify it and screw it for wsbk racing i'm a go.

[pingu666]

theres a mindbending ammount of configurations, and yeah the track is awsome , should be woah for the LMS series too...

[Lazy Prodigy]

I think its good. Max approved it and said it only needed Bernie's end to get a race their. It way better than Singapore, Valencia, and anything being designed by Tilke. And yes as long as they dont mess with motorcycle im ok with it. But I would rather see world superbike there if it meant screwing around with the circuit.

[Cenotaph]

i would love to, we portuguese have been waiting for F1 to come back for way too much time. the investment in the Algarve motordome seems to be money well spent, which is rare around here. Hopefully, it will get F1s attention soon

[kaivo]

Portimao is boring

[The July Plot]

The problem is that it will be getting used for winter testing, and will become another Barcalona.

[y2cragie]

I believe at the end of the first straight the F1 cars actually use that hairpin instead of the quick right hander the a1 guys used. Prime overtaking spot. That last series of corners on to the main straight is brilliant.

[noikeee]

I'd really like to see F1 back to our country, and the track itself is definitely top class; but I wish our government doesn't bankroll it with millions, there's far more serious things to invest over here than Bernie's supercircus.

I also have some doubts as to the location of the track, the south is known to have less motorsport fans and the grandstands seemed half-empty in the A1GP race (to be fair, there's lots of seating space over there).

[Francesc]

Another Barcelona kind of track, boo...

[Phucaigh]

I watched the A1GP race and I would like it in F1.

[EthanM]

Originally posted by Lazy Prodigy
I think its good. Max approved it and said it only needed Bernie's end to get a race their. It way better than Singapore, Valencia, and anything being designed by Tilke. And yes as long as they dont mess with motorcycle im ok with it. But I would rather see world superbike there if it meant screwing around with the circuit.

portimao is Tilke designed :

[noikeee]

It's not Tilke designed (the track's CEO himself, Paulo Pinheiro, is who came up with it); and it's only Barcelona-like from a top view, it's more like someone plastered Barcelona's tarmac on top of a motocross track and left the hills.

[EthanM]

Originally posted by paranoik0
It's not Tilke designed (the track's CEO himself, Paulo Pinheiro, is who came up with it); and it's only Barcelona-like from a top view, it's more like someone plastered Barcelona's tarmac on top of a motocross track and left the hills.

you 're right, portimao isn't tilke, I was thinking of Aragon, my bad

[Madras]

Originally posted by Francesc
Another Barcelona kind of track, boo...

Hardly. The corners are far more interesting.

[RSNS]

Originally posted by paranoik0
I'd really like to see F1 back to our country, and the track itself is definitely top class; but I wish our government doesn't bankroll it with millions, there's far more serious things to invest over here than Bernie's supercircus.

I also have some doubts as to the location of the track, the south is known to have less motorsport fans and the grandstands seemed half-empty in the A1GP race (to be fair, there's lots of seating space over there).

I agree; but then I usually agree with you Perhaps it's because of the language thing?

[RSNS]

Boring? What is an interesting circuit, then? Monza?

As already said, it is not Tilke designed: it's all about ups and downs; in certain bends there are severe height differentials. That's waht makes it interesting in terms of modern design.

See also:

I would love to see F1 racing (actually racing, not testing) in this circuit. Le Mans type cars would be even more impressive, because of the overtaking difficulties in heavy traffic.

[Poltergeistes]

I'm sold! i would prefer this to the street circuits that bernie seems to be in love with lately, this is proper for racing.

I thought barcelona was very good, specially the last few corners, until they decided to get rid of them all together and put a useless chicane there... I'm not a fan of chicanes, i think they are there to ruin the show, the only place i think has good chicanes is probably montreal, but only because whats right on the outter side of the chicanes are walls basically walls! so there is no space for mistakes, you blow it and they blow you up !

The only chicane i can understand why it's there is probably the one they put at imola, to end the taburello, but look at the "bus stop" at spa, a perfect circuit, a perfect track, with one defect! the stupid bus stop, the drivers hate it, the fans hate it...

Thumbs up for algarve, there is some talk that the abu dhabi circuit might not be finished in time for the gp, so much that they were talking maybe putting canada back, but i think they would pick portimao... let's hope for that.

Besides I'm brazilian, and i think it's the crappiest call from bernie, to have the season finale somewhere that doesn't breath and live F1, like brazil or western europe for example! I doubt you will be hearing the crowd in the abu dhabi finale like you heard last year in interlagos, but thats just my opnion.

[Cenotaph]

Originally posted by RSNS
Le Mans type cars would be even more impressive, because of the overtaking difficulties in heavy traffic.

Algarve is in the 2009 LMS Calendar. Should be interesting. And the race is in August, should be a good time for fans from all over the world to spend their holidays in the Algarve.;)

[tidytracks]

Well GP2 has their season finale there this year, so we should get a decent idea of what a quick and competitive F1-style championship looks like at the track. Afterall, GP2 is only a few seconds off the back of F1 pace right now, so I think we'll get a fairly good idea of how it fares as a race track as opposed to a test track.

But from the A1 this weekend, I can't wait. The undulation is insane.