97 replies to this topic

[noikeee]

France unveils plans for new F1 track

By Jonathan Noble Thursday, March 12th 2009, 13:59 GMT

The prospect of the French Grand Prix returning to the Formula 1 calendar moved a step closer on Thursday when plans for a new home for the event were unveiled.

Following months of discussions to try and find a suitable venue for the race, it was announced that a new track at Flins-Les Mureaux, north east of Paris, has been given the nod as French authorities' preferred option.

The track, which will be 4.5k m in length, beat off competition from four other venues that had made the final shortlist.

The track will feature a one-km long straight and, at a cost of 112 million Euros to construct, was the cheapest of the four possibilities being looked at.

French architect Jean-Michel Wilmotte will work with British construction experts Apex UK, who also helped build the Dubai Autodrome, to head up the project.

The track is expected to be ready in time for the 2011 season, although a final decision about the return of the French GP will be made by Bernie Ecclestone.

http://www.autosport...rt.php/id/73683

Any layout pictures?

[lustigson]

Whatever the layout may be, at least it won't be a Tilke design.

The area looks rather small, though. (Google Maps)

[uffen]

Good luck getting a return on your 112 million Euros if you're going to deal with Bernie for rights to F1 races.
I sincerely hope France gets its race back, though.

[lustigson]

Originally posted by uffen
Good luck getting a return on your 112 million Euros if you're going to deal with Bernie for rights to F1 races.
I sincerely hope France gets its race back, though.

Martin Whitmarsh's comments on this very subject are hopeful.

[Geza Sury]

Originally posted by lustigson
Whatever the layout may be, at least it won't be a Tilke design.

[anbeck]

Which were the other three possibilities? Euro-Disney +.....?

[santori]

Wilmotte & Associés' site has a couple of pictures of the track here (click on the three pictures at the right).

[lustigson]

[nickponty]

Looks similar to Magny-Cours!

[One]

Exactly, And why should French build another one like that... On more undulating ground perhaps? Woops no not really..

[wewantourdarbyback]

Originally posted by lustigson

Is it just me that see's a similarity with the Balatonring?

[One]

Homarge is French for Rip Off. Formage is also French for Cheez

[Les]

Is this seriously the best they can come up with? And what's with the hairpin obsession? Maybe Harman Tilke should be called after all...

[inox]

Originally posted by nickponty
Looks similar to Magny-Cours!

And the short version (on bottom) looks pretty much like Paul Ricard's short GP circuit...

[stevvy1986]

Originally posted by lustigson

looking at the very short straight where the big river area is to the left of it (where the track connects to have a couple of different layouts) and goes left,then a long sweeping right hander onto a long straight with a hairpin on the end,that bit basically looks identical to the opening part of magny cours-poor effort

[djellison]

What, exactly, was wrong with Magny Cours if that's all they want to replace it with?

[Atreiu]

Uninspiring. Do they need so many slow corners?
If Bernie weren`t himself, they should just go back to Paul Ricard.

[Les]

Look closely at pictures two and three on the Wilmotte & Associes page and you will see that the design of the track is actually different in both pictures.

[Atreiu]

Originally posted by Les
Look closely at pictures two and three on the Wilmotte & Associes page and you will see that the design of the track is actually different in both pictures.

Well noticed, but there are still too many slow corners in any of them.

[Rob]

Originally posted by lustigson

It looks like they've just nabbed corners from other tracks and bunged them together. I see corners from Interlagos, Magny Cours, Shanghai, Barcelona and probably others in there.

[wewantourdarbyback]

Originally posted by Rob


It looks like they've just nabbed corners from other tracks and bunged them together. I see corners from Interlagos, Magny Cours, Shanghai, Barcelona and probably others in there.

The last corners of Istanbul are replicated on the right hand end of the S/F straight.

[wewantourdarbyback]

[Slyder]

Originally posted by Rob


It looks like they've just nabbed corners from other tracks and bunged them together. I see corners from Interlagos, Magny Cours, Shanghai, Barcelona and probably others in there.

And the entire Paul Ricard Short circuit.

This is Magny Cours redux all together, grabbing the best corners off better tracks and making a circuit out of that....

[inox]

Originally posted by Atreiu
Uninspiring. Do they need so many slow corners?
If Bernie weren`t himself, they should just go back to Paul Ricard.

One vote for Ricard (long version). I really like layout of that track: 1,8 km Mistral back straight ending in ultra fast Signes corner. I would really like to see F1 return there.

[Atreiu]

Originally posted by inox


One vote for Ricard (long version). I really like layout of that track: 1,8 km Mistral back straight ending in ultra fast Signes corner. I would really like to see F1 return there.

Signes would probably be flat out, but what the hell!

[Chicken McNuggets]

Isn't it supposed to be the case that there is only one man other than Tilke qualified to design an FIA standard circuit? His name escapes me, but he was quoted in Autosport at the time of the 'British GP to Donington' announcement.

[mattorgen]

I thought it was these guys: www.hoksport.com
But they only list the Dubai Autodrome on their website so I dunno

As for the other three venues I think they were Yvelines (http://www.f1technical.net/news/11493), Versailles (http://www.f1update....ace_into_doubt/) and Euro Disney (http://uk.eurosport....f1-project.html)

[Ivan]

OMG...please get rid of those Camel hump curves.

[One]

At least They could try rotate in anti clock direction, things can work differently then.

I still think that the organizers have enough time to change the lay-outs.

[wingwalker]

It looks like only real overtaking opportunity (hairpin in top right part of the track) comes after a series of sweeping turns, so we better pray 2009 aero regs work, otherwise it will be just as exciting to see as recent Magny Cours (and yes, resemblance is striking) races.

[SpaMaster]

The track layout looks nice. Thanks for posting..

[maczippy]

Originally posted by One
Homarge is French for Rip Off. Formage is also French for Cheez

Not to be too picky here, but it's spelled "fromage"

[Poltergeistes]

Yeah... The more i see the new layouts for upcoming gps the more i wish they would use the concept of past ones.

1, yes you can put many turns, but they have to at least be half exciting as the ones of spa.

2. you devide the circuit in 2 parts, one is high speed (including high speed corners) and the other can be slower, and it would not hurt at all if the track wasn't flat. it could be ups and downs all the way like interlagos.

I see attempts of recreating the best corners of the best tracks, but mostly all failed. This is why I wonder if it wouldn't be better for the show if they kept some of the pasts gps, you keep the track layouts and bring everything else up to speed, you know... like the very rich and oasis like dependencies that every circuit has to have now, because after all... To afford F1 tickets nowdays you would have to be rich or royalty... so they need to stay in such luxurious places.

Thats what F1 is becoming, it's less and less about the cars and driving and racing, it's all about everything else but the race, it's about being on an island/oasis surrounded by rich princes that could give a rats ass about formula 1, rather than fans that grew up watching races in hock, silverstone, americas (just to name a few).

Remember how exciting the athmosphere was around interlagos? last race? last corner? yeah well that's all past now, for example this year the nerve wrecking ending will be set in a very beautiful place, but where you will hear no noise (cept from the cars) because there really isn't grandstands full of aficionados, instead the royals will have their backs turned to the track they will be too busy having a drink and a massage.

[skid solo]

Originally posted by uffen
Good luck getting a return on your 112 million Euros if you're going to deal with Bernie for rights to F1 races.
I sincerely hope France gets its race back, though.

Maybe they need to get his ex wife to negotiate on their behalf!

[MCH]

Fantastic, another featureless generic track on the calender. Flat and slow, I'm all excited

[wdh]

Originally posted by djellison
What, exactly, was wrong with Magny Cours if that's all they want to replace it with?

I believe that the objections were summed up in the phrase "Location, location, and location."

[wdh]

Originally posted by One
Homarge is French for Rip Off. Formage is also French for Cheez

No. Homarge is the edited version of The Simpsons.

[jeze]

France. Nowadays the home of dull racing tracks! Why not having a race at Circuit de La Sarthe, soul history and fast as hell. Could easily be made safe enough (if it's safe enough for the 908 and R15, then let's go)!

[noikeee]

It looks a bit ****.

[stevewf1]

Originally posted by Rob
It looks like they've just nabbed corners from other tracks and bunged them together. I see corners from Interlagos, Magny Cours, Shanghai, Barcelona and probably others in there.

That's what I was thinking... Tilke (if he designed this) must have a "kit of corners" or something. Looks like a bunch of corners picked at random and a few straights thrown in to connect them.

[Slowinfastout]

After what the recent years showed us, I've became more careful and I hesitate before saying a track is crap... many cool tracks were dropped while only needing small adjustments... the new ones really make sense only in Bernie's head (expensive bling -Shanghai, Sepang, Abu Dhabi, etc), at first glance that layout looks to have 5 times the amount of grandstands the new races seem to require.. It'll look empty..

[D.M.N.]

This was in today's Autosport (apologies for poor scan) :



Ugh. That reminds be of Buenos Aires, Aida and A1-Ring (and that's not a good thing). Can't see many (if any) overtaking opportunities there.

Tight and twitchy produces boring races.

[stevvy1986]

looks to be a max of 2 overtaking opportunities there-into the hairpin at the end of the long straight,and possibly,though unlikely,at the end of the pit straight-as i've said before,most of it basically also looks just like magny cours anyway-its a very very poor track design-i'd almost rather have no french gp than have 1 there,it just looks..............poor,very poor,total lack of overtaking opportunities,opportunities for big gaps between cars within very few laps,and generally just looks dull

[Crazy Ninja]

I reckon it looks ok. Like the look of them coming down the start straight, through that tight-ish right hander into the hairpin. Then that left right into the long right hander onto the long straight is just like Estoril at Magny-Cours, which is a good thing. They just need to redsign the last third imo.

[stevvy1986]

from the larger river area allllllllll the way down to just past the smaller river area looks very very similar to magny cours,the last fiddly bit is basically istanbul,and the first couple of corners dont really remind me of anywhere

[santori]

The beginning of the track is similar to the beginning of Brands Hatch - apart from the elevation change, unfortunately - and that's been good for racing. And the fast left, triple right combination at the top left looks interesting. A banked hairpin sounds promising and the central section looks challenging, although I'd prefer it to be opened up a bit. The final triple hairpin might not be the most spectacular section of track for a car on its own but it could be good for racing. Who knows what the corners will actually be like? But I don't feel as negatively as some.

[noikeee]

Originally posted by stevvy1986
the first couple of corners dont really remind me of anywhere

Reminds me of Eastern Creek, mirrored. And Circuito Ricardo Tormo in Valencia.

Well that super-banked hairpin looks cool, at least it's going to have a distinctive feature.

[Poltergeistes]

second corner, bico do pato, interlagos.

[santori]

Oh, nuts.

[One]

Good location, but project plan, so in a way it is good to be no gone. The problem is, where else then now? Paul Richard ... Bernie's track?