44 replies to this topic

[colm]

Hi guys new member to the forum.  I wanted to know before I start this thread if there is already a website of part of this forum that has proposed circuits that were released but never made it to F1.  Obviously the proposed track in New Jersey and the one around the streets of Bangkok immediately spring to mind, but I was hoping someone could point me in the right direction with regard to older proposals.  I have been an avid F1 fan since mid-2007 (yes the interest surrounding Hamilton brought me back to the sport), having initially watched when I was a kid growing up when it was on RTE (Irish tv).  I have kept up to date with most things F1 related since then but wanted to find some proposed tracks that never became a reality.  My interest in this was reawakened with all the talk of old proposals for a russian gp in Moscow and ST Petersburg, is there any place I can find these or can people post images of proposed tracks thanks.

 

If there is an appropriate thread could the mods close this down thanks.

[OO7]

Welcome to the forum colm .

I not sure how far the London GP got. 

[SenorSjon]

Aragon track in Spain? I thought it was made for F1, but it now hosts MotoGP and WSR(?)

[BRG]

I not sure how far the London GP got. 

Nowhere.  Never more than an internet pipe-dream.  If the promised legislation goes through to allow road closures for motor sport, it might be mooted again but I doubt it will ever be a practical proposition.

 

There was a proposal for a Korean GP 10 or 15 years ago, but I don't know if the associated circuit was ever more than a paper exercise.  And lets forget the butchery of Donington Park for a F1 project that had everything  - except any money.

Edited by BRG, 13 October 2014 - 14:55.

[Nonesuch]

Zhuhai International Circuit was on the F1 calender for 1999.

 

For various reasons it never happened, and instead F1 came to the PRC in 2004 at the Shanghai International Circuit.

[ensign14]

Hi guys new member to the forum.  I wanted to know before I start this thread if there is already a website of part of this forum that has proposed circuits that were released but never made it to F1.  

 

Yes.

 

F1 circuits that never happened

 

Cancelled F1 races

 

Grand Prix cancelled

 

Mixture of things there - some circuits that never happened, some of "regular" races that got canned. 

[colm]

Thanks ensign14

[grandmastashi]

It might be just me but the suggestion of a London GP seems to get trotted out whenever the poison dwarf has some bad news to bury... seem to remember the last time it came up was during his trial. 

 

Aside from races, I always think it's interesting to hear about some of the failed car projects that were so close, yet so far. I have a book called 'Unraced' which goes through most of them. Personal favourites being the Dome F105 and the DAMS GD-01 (which literally looks like a group of cardboard boxes taped together on wheels it's so square and bulky). 

[Tsarwash]

London doesn't need the tourism or exposure, and it would cost tens of millions to close the centre for a whole weekend.

[DKMoto]

London doesn't need the tourism or exposure, and it would cost tens of millions to close the centre for a whole weekend.

Hahahhahaha, you joking right? They would charge you to breathe every 5 minutes if they could in london. Dont worry, they'll figure out a way to rape some extra squid off everyone. Call it a "Public in London Fee"

[Tsarwash]

To close anywhere in Central London from Thursday until Monday evening would cost tens of millions in lost trade and commerce, and they would never be close to gaining that trade back from ticket sales or hotels or anything. I imagine that London gets a quarter of a million visitors every weekend anyhow. 

[TimRTC]

Can I pre-vote for the Welsh Valley's Circuit - not F1 I know, but maybe for a future failed MotoGP event thread...

[danmills]

Found this gem whilst researching the 1999 aborted Honda project, then the 1991-1994 effort. Then THIS, from Dome F1 (1996-1997)

 

 

 

 

Edited by danmills, 06 March 2017 - 13:18.

[Kristian]

Can we count Mastercard Lola as a failed F1 project? 

 

Then of course Stefan GP, USF1, and McLaren-Honda 2014+... 

[chunder27]

Was reading a few chits about the Isuzu F1 engine Lotus tried in was it 1991?  Sounded quite promising actually

 

Certainly more so than Subaru's abysmal effort!!

 

Dome was another failed effort was it not?

 

And the Ford V12 engine. Admittedly these are mainly engine projects that failed, but still interesting. I certainly think the Isuzu V12 had legs, but internal politics threw it down sadly.

[danmills]

Here's a video and pic of that Lotus Isuzu effort

 

 

Edited by danmills, 06 March 2017 - 15:14.

[danmills]

And the Subaru F1 engine...

 

[Graveltrappen]

Although it was used fairly recently, the Valencia f1 track is a sorry state now, considering the funds poured in....

https://www.carthrot...street-circuit/

[Rob]

Found this gem whilst researching the 1999 aborted Honda project, then the 1991-1994 effort. Then THIS, from Dome F1 (1996-1997)

 

Dome was one of several proposed new teams from that period. DAMS were looking to move up from F3000 and had a car ready to go as well. Then the rules changed and you needed to pay a massive bond to enter. These projects disappeared off the face of the earth.

 

Did Durango have an F1 project as well? I've got a vague memory of something but I'm not sure.

[HistoryFan]

Durango had a lot of different F1 projects. One in the 90s and of course in 2011 together with Jacques Villeneuve as owner-driver...

[WonderWoman61]

W12 engines, both Life and MGN

[WonderWoman61]

Cosworth's 1.6 Litre Turbo-Hybrid.

[Claymore25]

Vietnam Gran Prix?

[jonpollak]

Toasters.
Jp

[William Hunt]

Dome was one of several proposed new teams from that period. DAMS were looking to move up from F3000 and had a car ready to go as well. Then the rules changed and you needed to pay a massive bond to enter. These projects disappeared off the face of the earth.

 

Did Durango have an F1 project as well? I've got a vague memory of something but I'm not sure.

 

No that (a bond) had nothing to do with DAMS not entering F1, also at the time that DAMS & Dome wanted to enter there was no massive bond to be paid. Dome did test a lot with Marco Apicella, Naoki Hattori & Shinji Nakano behind the wheel. It was lack of sponsorship why Dome didn't enter F1, Nakano and his sponsors were going to partly finance it but Nakano eventually signing with Ligier was the final blow for Dome, they needed his sponsors.

 

DAMS was ready to go to F1 and they tested during 1995, they had Erik Comas & Jan Lammers signed to drive for them in '96 with Emmanuel Collard as reserve driver. The car, the DAMS GD-01, was unveiled in the summer and their drivers started testing at the Paul Ricard circuit at Le Castellet in October. But the car turned out to be rather heavy and Driot feared it would not be that competitive, they still wanted to enter '96 but they needed more sponsors, they had Elf as major sponsor but that was not enough to complete the budget. When they missed the deadline they still hoped to enter F1 in 1997 but they still didn't find the budget so the project was sadly canned.
DAMS still have the GD-01 car in their factory / headquarters today though, the car still exists. It was designed by Adrian Reynard.

 

PS: yes Durango had an F1 project as well but unlike Dome & DAMS & Reynard they never actually had a testing program, a Durango F1 car was never build.

Edited by William Hunt, 10 October 2022 - 19:51.

[LittleChris]

Blimey, Lammers would've been 39 !

[William Hunt]

Blimey, Lammers would've been 39 !

 

On this page you can also see a pic of Jan with the DAMS car

https://www.unracedf...he-1995-season/

[krapmeister]

Considering W Series was a promoting itself as a gateway to female drivers participating in F1, guess we can add it to this list?

[HeadFirst]

The cost cap perhaps?

[Claymore25]

Double points at the final race.

[WonderWoman61]

Bernie Eccestone's Medals System.

[noikeee]

Toasters.
Jp

Hey as far as I remember the toasters did get made. It was the other slightly more complex engineering project that didn't.

[Burai]

Considering W Series was a promoting itself as a gateway to female drivers participating in F1, guess we can add it to this list?

 

Strictly speaking, Naomi Schiff has managed to forge a successful career in F1 off the back of W Series.

[WonderWoman61]

The original budget cap intended for 2010.

[WonderWoman61]

Secret Volkswagen 1980s F1 project.
https://www.motorspo...980s-f1-project

[WonderWoman61]

Nissan in 1982
https://www.unracedf...he-1982-season/

[MikeTekRacing]

McLaren MP4/18 comes to mind...

[Beri]

Strictly speaking, Naomi Schiff has managed to forge a successful career in F1 off the back of W Series.

 

She is now 2 seasons on TV? Calling that already a succesful career is quite optimistic.

[JimmyClark]

Although it was used fairly recently, the Valencia f1 track is a sorry state now, considering the funds poured in....

https://www.carthrot...street-circuit/

 

Amazingly, 5 years on from this, not much has changed https://www.carscoop...encia-f1-track/

[WonderWoman61]

Amazingly, 5 years on from this, not much has changed https://www.carscoop...encia-f1-track/

Don't miss the Valencia Street circuit in the slightest.

[William Hunt]

The FIA Motorsport Games will take place in Valencia next year. Most races will be at the Ricardo Tormo circuit in Cheste. But they also plan to use part of the Valencia street circuit.

[DeKnyff]

Aragon track in Spain? I thought it was made for F1, but it now hosts MotoGP and WSR(?)

 

Not sure it could have been an option. Although the track itself is great, it's in a sparsely populated area, far away from any major (or even mid-size) city and not connected to the main highway networks. Logistics and accommodation would have been extremely complicated for an event the size of a F1 GP.

[WonderWoman61]

Autopolis hosting what would have been the Asian Grand Prix in the early 90s.

[FortiFord]

Zhuhai circuit was supposed to host the first Chinese GP in 1999 but it failed the FIA safety inspections.

[WonderWoman61]

Various circuits in Australia and New Zealand. - https://gprejects.co...lia-and-oceania