1034 replies to this topic

[FirstnameLastname]

Unveiled today...

https://twitter.com/...9745471488?s=21



‘Fastest street circuit’

Hmm. Not a hugely exciting layout from first glance. Comments are very twitteresque.

It’s late in the season in early December so at least it’ll be something new to look at as the championship will likely already be wrapped up at this point.

Crazy to be racing in December isn’t it... off season getting shorter and shorter!

Edited by FirstnameLastname, 19 March 2021 - 02:48.

[thegamer23]

 

This looks a bit scary tbh.

I expect some monumental crashes, the track definetely looks like a challenge. 

Could be F1's macau. 

 

Very fast for a street circuit.  

Edited by thegamer23, 18 March 2021 - 09:39.

[sabjit]

Looks awful

[TomNokoe]

Crazy fast, like a fantasy circuit on a video game

[JimmyClark]

Crazy fast, like a fantasy circuit on a video game

The Williams will fit in well then

[BRK]

From the top, looks like a cross between Suzuka and Nurburgring. Unfortunately the comparison ends there.

Edited by BRK, 18 March 2021 - 09:34.

[azza200]

Crazy fast, like a fantasy circuit on a video game

 

reminds me of tracks out of Gran Turismo & Forza Motorsport 

[Yoshi]

Reminds me on Hannoi - especially beginning of the track...

Looks like a roller coaster - but for racing? 

But hey track limits won't be an issue. 

[balage06]

The layout looks like a melted butterknife. Not sure about it, looks fast, but it reminds me of the FE circuits, purposely engineered to create chaos.

[Clatter]

Interesting that's its anti-clockwise.

[Goron3]

This looks like a rollercoaster. Only concern is how narrow it us but I'm pretty onboard otherwise. It's basically a bigger, faster version of the Canadian GP.

 

It avoids the problem that Singapore, Sochi, Valencia and AD have in that they force too many slow corners together. 

[Muppetmad]

F2 is going to both Baku and Jeddah this year. I dare say the repair bill will be quite high for the teams...

[Anja]

At least it's something different than yet another cookie cutter tilkedrome, so it has that going for it. And it's kinda hard to predict what will work with F1 cars these days so let's see. But it doesn't look all that interesting to me. 

Edited by Anja, 18 March 2021 - 09:47.

[Jovanotti]

"Future thinking"

"State of the art"

 

I.e. everything the countries mindset isn't. Thanks I won't be watching a minute of that shitshow.

Edited by Jovanotti, 18 March 2021 - 09:49.

[ConsiderAndGo]

Well, that’s totally different to anything on the calendar.

Super high speed.

I like it. A different challenge.

[Rinehart]

Just looks like another Sochi/Abu Dhabi/Baku cut and paste to me. 

[Augurk]

Vibes of Valencia somehow. 

Maybe because it looks narrower than Baku/Singapore. 

 

Just figured out why thanks to cyclist's post in the other topic. It's a concrete maze without any character (looking at that video). 

A street circuit has a high chance of producing a dud race, so it needs something more. Monaco and Baku have their settings on the coast of Nice and amongst monumental buildings of downtown Baku. Singapore has a fairly interesting track layout with some fun features, also being the first night race is something that still somehow works in its favour.

I'm not seeing it for this track yet. But I'd be happy to be convinced otherwise when F1 races there.

 

Had a look at this in Google Maps: looks for the most part like a combination of Abu Dhabi and a car park... Also reminds me a bit of Valencia (fast sweeps through a concrete labyrinth). Although I like the idea of a fast street circuit, this just looks very artificial with zero atmosphere. Coupled with the issues encountered at the FE race does not make for a great proposition. 

 

 

Not sure if it's a good thing. Interesting to have another fast street track, but if I look at that video I can't imagine it becoming much else than a parade without much action or overtaking.

Edited by Augurk, 18 March 2021 - 10:04.

[noikeee]

I want a better map of the layout, hard to say much from a tiny map in a PR video. Is it even clockwise or anticlockwise.

 

But first glance it seems to me one half of the circuit is far too fiddly slow/mid-speed, and the other is like a continuous very long session of super fast esses like Silverstone Suzuka or COTA, perhaps even more open. I like that, I don't like the other half.

 

As any street circuit it will depend wildly on the scenery, the bumps, the elevation changes, I quite suspect it'll be more uninteresting flat and full of enormous tarmac runoffs like Valencia/Abu Dhabi/Sochi, rather than something like Macau which has a more similar section of esses but will always by definition be much more entertaining than a modern circuit because it's so narrow with the walls right next to it.

 

From that tiny map on the video I don't quite get where the "huge straights" promoted in the video are, unless that section of fast esses is mostly flat out in a F1 car.

 

 

edit: sorry I missed the Youtube video, I wrote that having only watched the Twitter one 

Edited by noikeee, 18 March 2021 - 10:01.

[Celloman]

Looks awful

Codemasters have notoriously poor representations of many current tracks like Spa so I would take this with a pinch of salt, especially as it's not even the final game version. Also the field of view (FOV) seems to have been set very high, which is often used in games to exaggerate speed. Personally I think this looks a lot more promising than the 90 degree corner clones Tilke kept producing for the last 10 years.

[JimmyClark]

I love how it advertises the "stunning Red Sea backdrop" when you won't be able to see it at all as it will be a night race.

[Burai]

reminds me of tracks out of Gran Turismo & Forza Motorsport 

 

That's what it reminds me of. It's Tokyo Expressway East isn't it?

[noikeee]

Ok having actually watched the more proper video.

 

Both halves of the circuit are quicker than I thought, the first is the one with fast esses really, the second since it's almost completely flat out, it just has two little S sections in which you need to just have a tiny dab of the brake and go a gear down. Even the hairpins at each end of the circuit are still pretty fast at 3rd/4th gear (according to whatever sim they produced this video in). I like it that those hairpins are seemingly planned to be slightly banked.

 

I like it even if the scenery is gonna be very Valencia/Sochi/AbuDhabi as I was saying. It's quite mental. It doesn't really have "27 corners", most of those are flat out sections they don't really count as corners. But you'd rather have these sweeping flat out corners than laser-straight straights, wouldn't you? They add a little bit of character to a circuit.

 

What I'm slightly concerned about is the lack of overtaking zones, I guess we'll have it on turn 1, maybe the final corner as well? I suspect it'll be a pretty good driving challenge but not so much a racing circuit. Almost the opposite of Baku even though both of them are this kind of brand new generation of street circuits that are made crazy fast on purpose.

Edited by noikeee, 18 March 2021 - 10:10.

[ConsiderAndGo]

That's what it reminds me of. It's Tokyo Expressway East isn't it?

Yes! Great spot.

[ANF]

Overtaking will only happen into T1, right? And you'd better signal your intent to enter the pitlane or the car behind might fly into... whatever the hell this is at 168 mph. (Is it the railway to Mecca?)

Edited by ANF, 18 March 2021 - 10:30.

[ARTGP]

There isn't going to be any overtaking is there...

 

All the oil money in the world, and this is all they could come up with? *slow clap*

Edited by ARTGP, 18 March 2021 - 10:17.

[Baddoer]

Nothing too be particularly excited or impressed about.

Edited by Baddoer, 18 March 2021 - 10:16.

[JimmyClark]

Nothing too be particularly excited or impressed about.

The first and last corners look the best spots, but the field spread will probably nullify that.

Onboards in qualifying should be fun to watch though.

[ConsiderAndGo]

Standard tilkedrome circuit unveiled = Uproar, "Boring", "We want something different!", "Yawn!"

 

Okay... we hear ya'

 

Different circuit like no other on the calendar = Uproar, "Boring", "We want something different!", "Yawn!"

 

[MoP]

Looks as boring as Sochi. 

 

Will be surprised if its good. The track has no fault of being where it is. 

[liamski]

Like the fact that it looks very fast, very challenging and a bit different. Hate the fact that the race is even happening in Saudi Arabia, and that there is basically nowhere to overtake

[Goron3]

Just looks like another Sochi/Abu Dhabi/Baku cut and paste to me. 

Those circuits are dominated by 90 degree corners and in the case of the AD and Sochi (and tbh, Singapore and Valencia), the layouts have huge field spread due to the cars spending a lot of time in slow sections and very little time at full throttle.

 

The looks like Canada but without the chicanes. And whilst there might not be lots of clear overtaking opportunities, the second half of the circuit is basically full throttle so should allow for some slipstreaming.

[Cliff]

Looks insane for qualifying, but I wonder if there will be any overtaking...

[Bleu]

 

 

I like it even if the scenery is gonna be very Valencia/Sochi/AbuDhabi as I was saying. It's quite mental. It doesn't really have "27 corners", most of those are flat out sections they don't really count as corners. But you'd rather have these sweeping flat out corners than laser-straight straights, wouldn't you? They add a little bit of character to a circuit.

 

 

The number of corners for newer corners seem always bigger compared to older circuits. Spa has officially 19 corners but I could easily add five more if they would be listed similarly as in Jeddah.

[Aaaarrgghh]

It seems like a fun track to drive and quite exciting in terms of speed, but I think the races there will be quite boring with very few overtakes. The few that will happen will probably be DRS passing down a straight. I believe Baku will remain the best street circuit on the calendar in terms of entertainment and excitement.

Edited by Aaaarrgghh, 18 March 2021 - 10:40.

[Widefoot2]

During pit stops, do they still use the wheel guns, or do they saw the wheel nuts off?

[BRG]

Sochi + Valencia + Singapore = Why can't we have a proper race track?

 

Leave this sort of stuff to Formula E.

[JustNotFastEnough]

It's a nice circuit as street circuits go, but I have a few suggestions to name the corners.

 

Turn 1 should be called Khashoggi corner.

Turn 2 should be called MBS ordered it

Turn 3 should be called Kleptopcracy.

Turn 4 should be called Vassal State.

Turn 5 should be called Loujain al-Hathloul (symbolic of her prison sentence of 5 years, just for wanting the right for a woman to drive a car)

Turn 6 should be called Hilton Prison.

Turn 7 should be called Stated Saudi oil reserves are grossly inflated, the Aramco IPO is a joke, and on par for honest evaluations as Unicorn companies like Theranos, WEWORK, and Stripe Financial services.

Turn 8 should be called F1 has no moral compass.

Turn 9 should be called When the US dollar, and Petrodollar implodes, the Saudi Kleptocracy comes to an end within 3 years, even with the help of Eric Prince.

Turn 10 should be called What Yemen genocide?

 

I'm open to all suggestions.

[ANF]

Looks insane for qualifying, but I wonder if there will be any overtaking...

I wonder if there will be any qualifying in 2022!

[noikeee]

Btw this track is planned to be replaced in 1 or 2 years by a permanent facility isn't it?

[Yoshi]

Looks insane for qualifying, but I wonder if there will be any overtaking...

 

This 

[JimmyClark]

Btw this track is planned to be replaced in 1 or 2 years by a permanent facility isn't it?

 

Yes, in Qiddyah. But knowing F1 they will keep both of them and ditch Spa  

Edited by JimmyClark, 18 March 2021 - 11:15.

[JimmyClark]

Saying that though, this does look like a crazy amount of infrastructure for a circuit that is only supposedly to be there for 2-3 years. 

 

[maximilian]

That constant zigzaging gives me anxiety.  No flow to the circuit.

 

And yeah, it's basically a Formula E track, played back at double speed.  What could possibly go wrong?

[Izzyeviel]

'with 27, it has the most corners in F1' 

 

'All I can to that is bullshit' - James Hunt

[Anja]

Saying that though, this does look like a crazy amount of infrastructure for a circuit that is only supposedly to be there for 2-3 years. 

 

Flash forward to 2028...

 

Edited by Anja, 18 March 2021 - 11:32.

[MattK9]

As it is on the beach, i assume that Saudi will dress up the area to look like a fantastic holiday destination. But then the race will be at night and so we will see absolute none of it other than the concrete maze that is the track. Hahahahaha

[JimmyClark]

As it is on the beach, i assume that Saudi will dress up the area to look like a fantastic holiday destination. But then the race will be at night and so we will see absolute none of it other than the concrete maze that is the track. Hahahahaha

 

Yeah, I'm a bit disappointed in that it is a night race. On TV, you only see the lit up part of the circuit. Singapore always looks a lot more spectacular to look at during the daytime FP session. This would be the same. 

 

Bahrain works as a night race becuase there is nothing to see outside the circuit anyway. 

 

By the way, it is interesting now that we have three races on the calendar (13%) for a region that has produced 0% of F1 drivers. 

Edited by JimmyClark, 18 March 2021 - 12:00.

[Ben1445]

It kind of looks like a scaled up, F1-ified version of Formula E's old Punta del Este venue (actually a great, little, full of character track in my books)... only unlike Punta it's also had any and all sense of soul sucked out from it's core to be an anonymous concrete maze in the dark. 

 

But who knows, renders can be deceiving in both directions.  

[Boing 2]

Looks like it was designed specifically to stop overtaking.

[cpbell]

This looks like a rollercoaster. Only concern is how narrow it us but I'm pretty onboard otherwise. It's basically a bigger, faster version of the Canadian GP.

 

It avoids the problem that Singapore, Sochi, Valencia and AD have in that they force too many slow corners together. 

Yes, I was thinking Montreal on steroids.  Can't see it being any good for overtaking other than the final corner.