Lets Discuss The F1 Calander

[ESPImperium]

Personally i feel that we need 20 GPs a season, but we also need GPs to rotate tracks as well in certain countrys.

What id like to see is this as a calender:

1) Australia - Melbourne
2) Malysia - Spang
3) Bahrain - Sakhir/Abu Dhabi - Yas Marina Circuit (Bahrain Even Years/Abu Dhabi Odd)
4) Spain - Barcelona
5) Monaco - Monte Carlo
6) Turkey - Istanboul Park
7) Canada - Montreal
USA - Indionapolis/Laguna Seca (Laguna Seca Even years/Indionapolis Odd)
9) France -
10) Britian - Donnington/Silverstone (Silverstone Even Years/Donnington Odd)
11) Germany - Hockenhiem/Nurburgring (Hockenhiem Even Years/Nurburgring Odd)
12) Hungary - Budapest
13) European - Valencia (Night race posibility???? for the American audience)
14) Belgian - Spa
15) Itialian - Monza
16) China - Shanghai
17) Singapore - Singapore (Night race)
18) Japan - Fuji/Suzuka (Suzuka Even Years/Fuji Odd)
19) Brazil - Interlagos

Id like to see areas share GPs in Asia, like Bahrain and Abu Dhabi as well, as this could reduce costs.

What other GPs could be introduced, here are some posibilitys:

Russia
Portugal
India

What would you do with the calender to reduce costs??? One thing id like to do is have all the Asian GPs grouped together after Oz, then go the the European season, with the South American led in the middle of that, then go to the traditional end of Japan and Brazil.

[andartop]

Well, first of all to be fair the two races in Spain would have to rotate as well (Barcelona/Valencia), but I think 20 races might just be too many: 18 sounds reasonable to me (even though as a fan I would like as many as possible). Some of these venues are simply pointless, like Melbourne (they get away with it only because it is usually the season opener, otherwise it would be one of the most boring), Hockenheim (since they shortened it) and definitely Hungaroring. But no matter what, there should be a LAW that the last race HAS to be either Suzuka or Interlagos. Forever.

[ESPImperium]

I think that the Barcelona and Valencia rotation thing would be a good idea. Even take the Spanish GP to Jerez as well???

One place id like to see F1 go is Le Mans, but to the Bugatti Cuircit, to me that has the facilities ready made.

One other thing i have thought of is that F1 does have high standards for tracks, id like to see them reduce some of those standards just to get some really good other tracks involved. Laguna Seca, Motegi and Estoril are tracks im refering to here, tracks that the Moto GP guys go to, and i think if it isnt safe for them, who is it safe for???

I know that Laguna Seca could be the shortest lap time-wise if F1 went there, as Ricardo Zonta set a time of 1:06.039 in a TF106 in 2006. That would equate to arround 85 Laps at arround 89 minuites of racing there. That may not be Value for money, but i think that the value for money is seeing F1 at Laguna Seca.

[tomislavp4]

I would like to see more rotating, but not rotating between 2 circuits in the same country but rotating circuits in different countries!

For example rotate Monza with Silverstone, they are both tracks that have been in f1 for a long time so why lose one when you can have them both, but every second season? Then you can rotate rotate similar circuits, like street ones, high speed ones.... Get my point? the calendar would still be with the same number of rounds but everyone will have their fevourite track, ok not every season but it will be better than never right?

[xpensive]

The race in the US should of course be on Road America, Elkhart lake, nowhere else.

[i70q7m7ghw]

Imola back please!! It should never have been dropped from the calendar. Same for Silverstone, I don't care what they do with donnington Silverstone is home of the British GP. I'm relatively happy with Suzuka/Fuji rotating. Suzuka is a better track in my opinion which I guess is why having it every other year is better than not having it at all. I'm not impressed with Singapore to be honest, but I guess it has to be there for a few years now because so much was invested in it... cost cutting bernie?

[donskar]

The race in the US should of course be on Road America, Elkhart lake, nowhere else.

Well, here WON'T BE a US GP any time soon , but Road America would be great. Location, course layout, local population, local food and beer -- all A+.

[vyselegend]

The race in the US should of course be on Road America, Elkhart lake, nowhere else.

+1!

I only know it from ALMS, and didn't ever race it in a sim, but I'm in love with that track. Turn 1 should be fairly impressive in F1, and so should be the kink between caroussel & canada.

That said, from the same source of inspiration, a few tracks should be considered too:

-Sebring (THE great one. Now that would be real challenge for F1's suspentions!)
-Road Atlanta (with decent straights, huphill section and tricky esses)
-Laguna Seca (already quoted several times, so obviously a popular technical track, with the unique corkscrew. It may be too short a track to let F1 cars strech their legs though. And overtaking would be a nightmare, as much as Monaco & Hungaroring IMHO...)

Personaly I'd go for Sebring as a first choice. Man, I'm already drooling just thinking about it.

I'm pretty sure F1 will come back to USA. That is, IF F1 survives the current crisis...

I would like to see more rotating, but not rotating between 2 circuits in the same country but rotating circuits in different countries!

For example rotate Monza with Silverstone, they are both tracks that have been in f1 for a long time so why lose one when you can have them both, but every second season? Then you can rotate rotate similar circuits, like street ones, high speed ones.... Get my point? the calendar would still be with the same number of rounds but everyone will have their fevourite track, ok not every season but it will be better than never right?

I'd disagree with you. Maybe I'm an old fart already (though only 30 years old), but I think historic venues plays a huge part in the stature of a championship.

A Monza-less F1 championship doesn't sound right, as a WRC season without Montecarl isn't credible to me btw [-X . Losing Silverstone and Suzuka were really harmfull to F1 from my point of view. The Monza case is feeling particulary heartrending, because of the unique nature of the track (and the fact that it is unique is precisely what endanger it the most, because of the costs of a special package). I won't look at WRC this year. I'm not interrested in a F1 season without Monza...

Strangely, a Paris Dakar being held nowhere near Paris nor Dakar was no problem to me... But I've never been that much into Rally-Raid anyway.

I'll second the 20 GP by season concept. The well known problem is to make F1 a profitable activity first, as Flavio stresses on every occasions. Once a race generates more profits than losses, it should be no problem to have more of them. Drastic limitations of consumables (fuel, tyres, electricity) would be a first step to help keeping the costs of the events acceptable, and the profits should increase proportionaly with the quality of the show, coupled with a better comunication toward the fans, and decent access prices for a maximum attendance.
Locations with no fans, like China with its empty grandstands should disapear as well...

[donskar]

One of my more ridiculous typos:

Well, here WON'T BE a US GP any time soon , but Road America would be great. Location, course layout, local population, local food and beer -- all A+.

Of course, I meant, "Well, there WON'T BE a US GP any time soon." Sadly, I believe that lack of interest and lack of money may keep F1 out of the US for more than a year or two. I hope I'm very wrong.

While we're dreaming (VERY slow day here at the Toyota dealer!) what do you all think of F1 on the Daytona "road" course (partial oval + infield)? And has no one ever been to Mid-Ohio? If it could hold John Surtees in a Chaparral Can-Am car, it should do for F1. Of course, upgrading facilities might cost the GNP of Abu Dhabi. . .

[modbaraban]

The race in the US should of course be on Road America, Elkhart lake, nowhere else.

I was surprised Indy was even mentioned too. That GP track is so... 'artificial', I'd say.
I'd like to see F1 at Road Atlanta or Road America or Birmingham.

-Sebring (THE great one. Now that would be real challenge for F1's suspentions!)

Wasn't Singapore enough to look at F1 cars bouncing around and struggling to overtake?

I think that these races are essential for every Formula One calendar:

- Italian Grand Prix (Monza of course)
- French Grand Prix (Charade? pleeeeeeeeeez!)
- British Grand Prix (Silverstone!)
- German Grand Prix
- US Grand Prix (lately I'm amazed how many good circuits with left and right corners there are in US so leave Indy for oval racing events)
- Canadian Grand Prix (I'd like to see Mosport but Montreal was delivering great spactacle each year so it should stay)
- Brazilian Grand Prix (Interlagos)
- Japanese Grand Prix (Suzuka)
- Monaco (almost forgot! )

Those must always be in the list. They make less than the half of the normal calendar so there's plenty of room for exotic places to pump money from.

[lkocev]

I think that this is a very good topic because it is true that the sheer length and amount of races contributes to the very high costs or formula 1. I'm a little bit of the old school view that F1 should be predominantly a european-based season. So I'll list first some of the citcuits I think are absoloutly essential to any F1 season;

Spain - Barcelona
Monaco - Monte Carlo
France - Magny-Cours
Germany - Nurburgring
Germany - Hockenheimring
Britain - Silverstone
Italy - Monza
Hungary - Hungaroring
Belgium - Spa-Francochamps

I think it is a great idea that the German Grand Prix alternates between Nurburgring and Hockenheimring, because I think these are 2 great historical circuits. I dont like the idea of the "european" grand prix, I think it is a bit silly, and I think it is even more silly that they built such a wank of a circuit like Valencia for it. In my opinion, and probably many others too, if they want to create more interest in F1, then the cicuits that F1 management is adding to the calendar, need to be more unique types of circuits, In other words, they should lay them out alot more like Monza. Everyone knows that when you have to cut costs when building a circuit, you end up with a CHEAP looking circuit like the one in Singapore, I'm sure I am not the only one that upon first view, felt it did not look like a F1 circuit. I think that Monza is an absoloute essential to the F1 season, so much to that as you know I think there should be more circuits like it. I am personally a big fan of the Magny-Cours circuit, and I honestly belive that it has an abundance of character and charm, but if F1 management thinks it is not making money, then they need to build a purpose-built circuit somewhere in France. France must have a GP, it is not an F1 season with out a French GP, but what i think they must not do, is do a half-hearted approach and make another boring street circuit, it must be purpose built, and I dont see why they couldnt spend a little bit of money and update an existing circuit such as LeMans. But I feel that in anycase it should be some kind of low-downfoce, long straight circuit like Monza.

As for non-european circuits go, I think that new circuits are, for the most part, too high-downforce orientated, and that generally high downforce circuits are the ones with the most minimal overtaking. circuits outside of europe that I think are a good addition to the callendar are;

Turkey - Istanbul SpeedPark
Malaysia - Sepang
Japan - Suzuka
Japan - Fuji
Bahrain - Sakhir
Brazil - Interlagos
Canada - Montreal

These are cuicuits wich i think make interesting racing because they all have a few different challenges. It could be possible to have a GP in India, but i think it would have to be a very good purpose built circuit, and definetly not somethine cheap and flimsy looking like the Singapore street circuit.

[natef1]

The race in the US should of course be on Road America, Elkhart lake, nowhere else.

I was surprised Indy was even mentioned too. That GP track is so... 'artificial', I'd say.
I'd like to see F1 at Road Atlanta or Road America or Birmingham.

-Sebring (THE great one. Now that would be real challenge for F1's suspentions!)

Wasn't Singapore enough to look at F1 cars bouncing around and struggling to overtake?

I think that these races are essential for every Formula One calendar:

- Italian Grand Prix (Monza of course)
- French Grand Prix (Charade? pleeeeeeeeeez!)
- British Grand Prix (Silverstone!)
- German Grand Prix
- US Grand Prix (lately I'm amazed how many good circuits with left and right corners there are in US so leave Indy for oval racing events)
- Canadian Grand Prix (I'd like to see Mosport but Montreal was delivering great spactacle each year so it should stay)
- Brazilian Grand Prix (Interlagos)
- Japanese Grand Prix (Suzuka)
- Monaco (almost forgot! )

Those must always be in the list. They make less than the half of the normal calendar so there's plenty of room for exotic places to pump money from.

You forgot Belgium

I am, overall, fairly happy with the calendar. Although Bahrain, Valencia, and probably Abu Dhabi are the ones that really should be left out. Perhaps also Hungary, Barcelona and Malaysia should be ready to get snipped in my eyes. Singapore could be another one but I'm willing to wait a couple of years until teams adjust to it and get the best out of the cars there. And get rid of that horrible chicane, it practically kills the racing.

I want Montreal back, as well as perhaps some kind of circuit elsewhere in the North Americas.

Silverstone is a must, as are Monza and Spa, Suzuka and of course Monaco.

Lastly we definitely need Interlagos, just look what it's produced over the last few years, red flags, rain storms, driver's titles, etc. How on earth can we let Abu Dhabi host the last race of the year!? The only hope is that the WDC is finished before we get there and so nobody has to bother

This is my single biggest gripe about the 09 calendar, stick Interlagos back to the last race..PLEASE. Everything else, I can cope with (even another race at Valencia ), but not Abu Dhabi last.

[timbo]

This is my single biggest gripe about the 09 calendar, stick Interlagos back to the last race..PLEASE. Everything else, I can cope with (even another race at Valencia ), but not Abu Dhabi last.

That's funny how fast human get used to something... Having interlagos last is relatively new tradition - from 2004 and with exception of 2005. But having three memorable races in raw and voila - everyone wants it last!
I think if Abu Dhabi turns out to be a decent track and if 2009 final would be as dramatic as 2007 and 2008 (which I doubt for several reasons, however) people would get used to it last as well.

[modbaraban]

@ timbo, does it really matter which track is last? It's not always the championship decider anyway. IIRC most of the early championships were dicided at Monza.

You forgot Belgium

[ISLAMATRON]

20 races should b easily done, especially with in season testing banned. I hate sitting around waiting for a month for a race in the middle of the season.

1. Austrailia, I think this should be a nite race.
2. Malaysia, great track
3. Pacific(Fuji), maybe earlier in the season it could be dry, although I love it in the west (could be replaced with south Korea)
4. Spain (Barcelona), please the track back to how it used to be, they destroyed the final corner.
5. Monaco, nite race maybe?
6. Turkey outstanding track
7. Canada-Montreal
8. USGP-Indianapolis is actually a good place for the USGP, actually has passing areas, Leguna Seca is a club racing track, not big enuff for F1 cars
9. France
10. Britian, alternate between Silverstone & the new Donington
11. Germany, alternate
12. Hungary, but something needs to be done with that track
13. Euro (Valencia) hey if they willing to pay for their slot let em race, but that track needs improvement more than any other
14. Belgian Spa
15. Italy Monza
16. China Shanghai
17. Singapore- track can be easily improved for more passing
18. Japan Suzuka, Too bad Honda is all but gone, especially since suzuka's back on the sched this year, yes Japan can support 2 races.
19. Brazil
20 Abu Dhabi, they are fully supporting their race unlike most of the euro & NA venues, why shouldnt they get a race. And they are no closer to Bahrain than some of the Euro races are.

Some other races that should get done

Mexico(to make 4 races in the western Hemisshere)
Russia
India
South Korea
South Africa( so they can have a GP during Apartheid but not after? nonsense!)