F1 Rejects Track Designing Competition

[AdrianBelmonte_]

[TheFlyingCaterham]

I'll admit it looks a little dodgy since I drew it by hand on my iPad but oh well.

[UncreativeUsername37]

Yeah, I changed the grass colour because it was burning my eyes.

[Bleu]

Anti-clockwise. Two white lines are for start and finish.

[CarloSpace]

[dr-baker]

EDIT/CLARIFICATION: My intention was that turn 1 was the underpass, plunging downhill from the start line, thus the other part of the crossover is the bridge section, with the circuit climbing from the exit of turn 3 and throughout turn 4.

[Normal32]

[Peteroli34]

Its been a few days so the results

9. Normal32
8. This Could Be You
7. Dr-Baker
6. AdrianBelmonte_
5. Bleu
4. TheFlyingCaterham

3.Carlospace

2. UgncreativeUsergname

1. Aislable

[Aislabie]

Liberty Challenge

Okay then, I've got an entirely different challenge for you this time. You're not strictly going to be designing circuits. You're going to be listing them.

The winner will be the person who puts together what I arbitrarily adjudge to be the best F1 season calendar. Real circuits only, please.

[TheFlyingCaterham]

Liberty Challenge

Okay then, I've got an entirely different challenge for you this time. You're not strictly going to be designing circuits. You're going to be listing them.

The winner will be the person who puts together what I arbitrarily adjudge to be the best F1 season calendar. Real circuits only, please.

Are we allowed to use closed down circuits, or perhaps circuits with decontinued layouts?

[Aislabie]

So long as the tarmac still exists, yes

[UncreativeUsername37]

This is a track-designing competition. Not a... calendar-designing competition. This challenge prohibits actually making anything. I will not allow this.

Come up with a designing-based challenge or give the task to the next person down (in this case, me, but that isn't my motive for disallowing this).

[Bobby Doorknobs]

Screw it, I'm in. How about keeping the calendar as is, but with each Grand Prix's original circuit? Think of the variety!

1. Australia - The Phillip Island rectangle
2. China - Shanghai
3. Bahrain - Sakhir
4. Russia - St. Petersburg rectangle, only longer and less rectangle-y than Phillip Island
5. Spain - Another epic road race at Guadarrama, only more Targa Florio-like than Australia or Russia
6. Monaco - The old Monaco circuit without that fiddly bit by the swimming pool and the quicker chicane and the pits where the swimming pool is
7. Canada - Mosport!
8. Azerbaijan - Baku
9. Austria - Zeltweg, nice and fast
10. Britain - Brooklands. We just have to squeeze an oval into a dream F1 calendar
11. Hungary - Népliget Park, which was heavily considered for the 1986 revival...
12. Belgium - 15 km Spa. Yeah, you lose Eau Rouge, but you get Masta and Burnenville in exchange
13. Italy - Monza. Oval, no chicanes, quite a challenge on the car
14. Singapore - Thomson Road
15. Malaysia - Er, Thomson Road
16. Japan - Suzuka, only without that blasted chicane! And a less tight Degner
17. USA - One last epic road race, this time in Savannah
18. Mexico - Hermanos Rodríguez, only with the full Peraltada (and other major differences)!
19. Brazil - The full "oversized kart track" version of Interlagos
20. Abu Dhabi - Exactly the same as the one we all love

And for future years, the old Le Mans 100km+ triangle and the original Nurburgring for France and Germany.

[Normal32]

1. Australian GP - Mount Panorama Circuit (no Chase)
2. China GP - Macau Circuit
3. Singapore GP - Thomson Road
4. Libyan GP - Mellaha Lake
5. Tunisian GP - Carthage
6. Moroccan GP - Anfa Circuit
7. Italian GP - Autodromo Nazionale Monza (full circuit w/o chicanes)
8. Germany GP - Nurburgring, full circuit, both Nordscheleife and the GP configuration.
9. French GP - Circuit de la Sarthe
10. Monaco GP - Circuit de Monaco (original)
11. Spanish GP - Circuito Lasarte (not that one)
12. British GP - Brooklands
13. Irish GP - Wicklow Circuit
14. US GP - Darlington
15. Brazilian GP - Gavea Circuit
16. Argentinian GP - Circuito de Retiro
17. Japanese GP - Fuji Speedway (60s)
18. Norwegian GP - Rudskogen Motorsenter

[Aislabie]

This is a track-designing competition. Not a... calendar-designing competition. This challenge prohibits actually making anything. I will not allow this.

Come up with a designing-based challenge or give the task to the next person down (in this case, me, but that isn't my motive for disallowing this).

Seems a little harsh not to allow one little bit of novelty, but okay.

Alternative challenge:
Spielberg Challenge
Design a Grand Prix circuit with fewer than ten turns. There will be no other criteria, but it will be judged on its suitability of F1 cars so be sensible.

- - -

Feel free also to keep submitting calendars for what has become a non-Championship round.

[TheFlyingCaterham]

This is a track-designing competition. Not a... calendar-designing competition. This challenge prohibits actually making anything. I will not allow this.

Come up with a designing-based challenge or give the task to the next person down (in this case, me, but that isn't my motive for disallowing this).

F1 Rejects Calendar Designing Competition confirmed?

[WaffleCat]

Well, with the new challenge, I…actually had a track kinda pre-prepared for this! Sure, there were a few tweaks that had to be made here and there, but I can actually present to you a track.

Presenting, from the ashes of Rouen-Les-Essarts….

Rouen Circuit Nouvelle

Nine turns total, with each one annotated on how they are designed.

I think I might have featured this track here before or on a previous website, maybe, but I can't remember too easily if so.

[dr-baker]

For the Originally-set Challenge

1. Interlagos, Brazilian Grand Prix (early March)
2. Mexico City, Mexican Grand Prix
3. COTA, American Grand Prix
4. Watkins Glen, New York Grand Prix
5. Montreal, Canadian Grand Prix
6. Imola, San Marino Grand Prix
7. Monaco, Monaco Grand Prix (end of May)
8. Manx TT Mountain course, Manx Grand Prix (middle weekend of Manx TT festival)
9. Paul Ricard, French Grand Prix
10. Anderstorp, Swedish Grand Prix
11. Silverstone, British Grand Prix (mid-July)
12. Hockenheim, German Grand Prix (before summer break)
13. Spa-Francorchamps, Belgian Grand Prix (after summer break)
14. Monza, Italian Grand Prix (early September)
15. Kyalami, South African Grand Prix
16. Fuji, Pacific Grand Prix
17. Suzuka (late October), Japanese Grand Prix
18. Adelaide, Oceania Grand Prix
19. Albert Park, Australian Grand Prix

Non-championship Grand Prix (mid-August, to include mid-season test): either Brands Hatch or Rockingham for English Grand Prix/International Trophy, and where things like halo/new qually sessions/etc. would be trialled in race situations.

I quite enjoyed trying to think this up, hence why I am posting it anyway.

Official Challenge

http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=7073053

Like a Brands Hatch Indy configuration, but a bit longer, and with a turn-1 chicane to comply with (what I believe is either) an MSA/FIA rule that an oval's road course cannot contain two oval corners as consecutive corners of the road course.

[TheFlyingCaterham]

The 8 turn Autodrom Lacul Danceni, in Moldova.

http://www.mappedometer.com/?maproute=611189

Now with the NC challenge, you only had to make a calendar for F1. I may have slightly deviated from that and gone overboard.




Yep, only slightly.

[UncreativeUsername37]

I do allow "one little bit of novelty", as previous challenges will show, but for a challenge in the Track Designing Competition to have no track designing... there's originality and there's going off-topic, as it were.

Since I'm the only one who seems to hate it so much, I've decided to include the (retroactively very appropriately titled?) Liberty Challenge on the page as a non-championship round. So feel free to enter that one, or judge that one in Aislabie's case.

[HawkAussie]

I feel like this is a little bit too short but hey it could be worse.

http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=7073485

The NC round

1. Australian Grand Prix (Melbourne)
2. Singapore Grand Prix (Singapore)
3. Malaysian Grand Prix (Sepang)
4. Bahrain Grand Prix (Sakhir)
5. Abu Dhabi Grand Prix (Abu Dhabi)
6. Azerbaijan Grand Prix (Baku)
7. Russian Grand Prix (Sochi)
8. British Grand Prix (Siverstone)
9. Dutch Grand Prix (Zandvoort)
10. Belgian Grand Prix (Spa)
11. Spanish Grand Prix (Barcelona)
12. Italian Grand Prix (Imola)
13. German Grand Prix (Hockenheim)
14. Nordic Grand Prix (Anderstop)
15. Canadian Grand Prix (Montreal)
16. United States Grand Prix (Watkins Glen)
17. Mexican Grand Prix (Mexico City)
18. Brazilian Grand Prix (Interlagos)
19. South African Grand Prix (Kyalami)
20. Chinese Grand Prix (Shanghai)
21. Japanese Grand Prix (Suzuka)

[AdrianBelmonte_]

http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=7073504

[coldcherrii]

http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=7073665

Green Glens Grand Prix

A small peaceful town of 1,500 is home to a world of motor oil.

Not the first time something big happened there anyway. too much eurovision intake

[Peteroli34]

http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=7073685

[UncreativeUsername37]

Is it long enough to meet F1 regulations? No!
Is it in a country that doesn't have a 2018 Grand Prix already? No!
Was I so stubborn about the angle of the final two corners and the location of the pits that I didn't leave any space for the motorhomes? Yes!

It's the Oderwitzring! Found in extreme southeast Germany, it features six clearly challenging corners and much elevation change, with the home straight rising 72 metres, a gradient of 11%. Which is a bit more than the run up to the first corner of the Red Bull Ring or CotA, if Google Earth is accurate at that scale in those specific places. Whatever the case, it's quite steep.

Also note that the width of the line is the actual track width, about 13 metres, which is similar to the second sector of Shanghai.

Turn 1 has a modest 8% banking, which when combined with the uphill braking makes it feel faster than it really is. Turn 2 is a short, quick corner, miss your braking even a little and you've lost a lot of time. Though not as much as you would on a flat corner, as it has the same banking as turn 1. So if you do hit the apex, then be careful with the steering.

The initially 16% downhill grade of the following straight flattens to a mere 11% for the 100 metres before the hairpin, which is of course still more than enough to induce mistakes. Coming back up to turn 4, it has a straighter first half which is really part of the braking for the real test, which somewhat resembles turn 2. Assuming you don't lock up from the slightly curved braking, rolling the car into the corner can be quite satisfying.

Turn 5 has been terraformed to have a flat entry, corner, and exit, because at this point a normal corner will psyche the drivers out. The final 100 metres before the final corner is downhill 8%, with the actual corner terraformed in the other direction, artificially banked to 17%, meant to be reminiscent of an oval. With a downhill entry.

Other things to put in your trip include the German-Polish-Czech tripoint 14 kilometres away, and an alpine slide just hundreds of metres from the home straight grandstand (not pictured) so you can get your speed fix.

[This Could Be You]

Here's my attempt, the 8.04KM Il-Sung Autodrome on the outskirts of Pyongyang. It's a nine corner circuit based on a mixture of purpose-built complexes and public roads (it's not like the public uses them anyway...), built to all known DPRK circuit safety standards (hence the incredibly ill-advised layout ) and hence is surely perfect for any Glorious/Supreme/unhinged Leader to WINLOL all the races at.

[Benetton]

http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=7075243

Fast and flowing circuit where the turn radius is always different.




The "Calendar Challenge"

01. American GP at Circuit of the Americas (Late February)
02. Mexican GP at Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez (March)
03. Brazilian GP at Interlagos (March)
04. Bahrain GP at Sakhir (April)
05. Russian GP at Sochi (April)
06. Spanish GP at Barcelona (May)
07. Monaco GP at Monte Carlo (May)
08. Canadian GP at Montreal (June)
09. British GP at Silverstone (Late June)
10. German GP at Nurburgring (July)
11. Hungarian GP at Hungaroring (July)
*** Summer Break***
12. Belgian GP at Spa-Francorchamps (Late August/Early September)
13. Italian GP at Monza (September)
14. United States GP at Indianapolis (Late September)
15. Abu Dhabi GP at Yas Marina (October)
16. Singapore GP at Marina Bay (October)
17. Japanese GP at Suzuka (Early November)
18. Australian GP at Albert Park (November)

[Aislabie]

Spielberg Challenge

1. WaffleCat (9 turns, just about)
   Although you've taken some liberties about what exactly constitutes a single turn, I will say that you've designed an exciting, F1-worthy circuit with a nod to the history of the country it's in.
2. The Flying Caterham (8 turns)
   It's efficient, fast, flowing, long enough for a Grand Prix... however, I do rather feel like I've seen it before.
3. Uncreative Username (6 turns)
   You've done a fantastic job of selling the circuit, and it does sound pretty cool, but the remit was to produce a Grand Prix circuit and I just can't see this ever being allowed - sorry.
4. Dr Baker (9 turns)
   I can see what you're trying to do here, but it doesn't look like there'd be any memorable corners. It's also rather short for a GP circuit.
5. Adrian Belmonte (7 turns)
   I nearly put this circuit a fair bit higher up on my standings, but I just can't shake the feeling that the hairpin after a mile and a half of acceleration might lead to driver fatalities.
6. This Could Be You (9 turns, according to official North Korean outlets)
   Where so many of these courses are too short, this one seems impractically long. It's also a nine-turn course only according to DPRK sources, because you've labelled a left-right-left chicane as only one turn.
7. Hawk Aussie (9 turns)
   You're right, it is a bit short. If this was the exact same circuit but twice as long, I suspect it would be an excellent Grand Prix course, but at this length there wouldn't be long enough acceleration or braking zones to allow overtaking.
8. Chaossy (6 turns)
   There are probably straights in F1 longer than this circuit. Can you imagine trying to squeeze 20 F1 cars in here?
9. Disqualified for having too many turns:
   
   • Peteroli34 (at least 10 or 11, depending how you define a turn)
   • Benetton (10 turns, which is a huge shame as that's a really good layout)

- - - - - - - - - -

Liberty Challenge (Non-Championship Round)

1. Benetton
   A very straightforward approach to this, including only Grade 1 circuits. Also, you've got a nice balance between circuits that produce good racing and circuits that produce good hosting fees.
2. Dr Baker
   An interesting and varied calendar, although the TT Mountain Course terrifies me. You've also minimised unnecessary continent-hopping.
3. The Flying Caterham
   Fantastic commitment to the task, although in places (Montjuic, Macau in particular) you do show some disregard for driver safety. Interesting idea with Bikernieki also.
4. Hawk Aussie
   A very realistic approach to the task, which is good - but I worry that Melbourne, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Sakhir, Abu Dhabi, Baku and Sochi would make for a VERY processional start to the season.
5. Disqualified because the tarmac doesn't exist anymore:
   
   • Simtek - RIP Brooklands, never forget.
   • Normal 32 - Alas, the old Fuji Speedway layout is lost entirely to time and Tilke.

[WaffleCat]

Wooh yayyyy!!!

Right now, though, y'all probably want another challenge, so here we go:

Let's Try Again, shall we, Formula E?

Formula E has hosted races at several cities over the short few years of its existence. And already, there are quite a few cities that have hosted a race that, well, never got the chance to do so again.

And it's not because Formula E aren't disinterested in the city, oh no. In fact, they'd very much love to have another race in those cities. Just maybe on...a new track, because why not.

So you, fellow track designer, have been put to the following task:

-- Design a track within a FORMER Formula E city (e.g. Beijing, Miami, any city not on the current calendar)

-- Must use already existing pieces of tarmac (be it park roads, city streets, even airports)

-- CANNOT be close copies of the pre-existing FE circuit used. (using the same S/F straight or select turns are fine.)

-- Must be of suitable Formula E length (No real limits, but I won't be too kind to anything beyond 3.5/4 km)

Other than that, design away!

[dr-baker]

http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=7078722

[CarloSpace]

http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=7078814

[TheFlyingCaterham]

http://www.mappedometer.com/?maproute=613984

[Peteroli34]

http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=7078996

[Aislabie]

Regent's Park ePrix Circuit, London, United Kingdom
1.59 miles, 14 turns

T1 - Hawthorn
T2 - Old Hill Bend
T3 - Clark
T4 - Surtees
T5 & T6 - Stewart Complex
T7 - Hunt
T8, T9 & T10 - Mansell Chicane
T11 - unnamed kink, fondly known as Coulthard
T12 - Young Hill Hairpin
T13 - Button
T14 - Hamilton

[HawkAussie]

http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=7079201

[AdrianBelmonte_]

http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=7079259

[Bleu]

Too many Londons, so I took Moscow:

http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=7079468

[This Could Be You]

Here's my attempt, the Beijing "Temple of Heaven" ePrix Circuit, with a layout at least slightly superior to the 2014 circuit (now that's damning with faint praise!)

[UncreativeUsername37]

Miami: https://gb.mapometer.com/running/route_4546759.html

[watka]

Putrajaya returns! http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=7080128