[ensuppono]

Sir Jackie has just come out with a statement about how it's not necessarily the cars that are the direct cause of the lack of overtaking .
And , I've got to agree about the lack of punishment the tracks mete out for going wide , off the surface .

When I see a new Herman Tilke track , I expect to see , and am never disappointed , issues that clearly point to difficult to pass scenarios .
I would point to the oft used kink , not far from a hair-pin braking zone , that negates one the the hardest places on any track to defend as a danger zone , as one of the worst "trademarks" of his work .

Why is this man the "go-to" guy for the newest tracks ?

[banditorfv]

I don't know but I hope they keep him on a short leash in Austin.

[ensuppono]

I don't know but I hope they keep him on a short leash in Austin.

No chance , Traz .
Everything's big in Texas .
Long leash , no fences , but long bull whip as well .

Although , they do have Roamy within biting range , and that just might be enough to keep him in line all on it's own .

[KaterinaNJq]

i've often wondered the same, and assume he must have some kind of long term contract with either the FIA or Bernie for his company to be the designers of all new F1 grade circuits for "x" years. whilst some are decent, and with due regard to the sites, i do think it would be better to have some sort of competition for the contract to design these things.

[StizePypemype]

I don't know why Tilke.

[OrefZorremn]

He is better at designing circuits than many people make him out to be, but some variety would be welcome (like the relatively new Portimao circuit could be added to the calendar). But I also guess it is about long-term contract and co-operation between Bernie and Hermann. Both partners trust each other and in this case see no need to loosen the ties.

[Narkeere]

The problem isn't so much the corners or track surfaces, it's the stupid run off areas. Too much tarmac, too easy to make a major error and still be in a race, sometimes with no position loss.

[Caluabdum]

Tilke is one of only two people that has the required licence to design F1 level race tracks, and unlike the British guy (who did Dubai and re designed Silverstone) he is a good mate of Bernies, which means that every time a new government goes to Bernie and says "we want a race in our country", he'll point them in the direction of Tilke.

[ensuppono]

Tilke is one of only two people that has the required licence to design F1 level race tracks, and unlike the British guy (who did Dubai and re designed Silverstone) he is a good mate of Bernies, which means that every time a new government goes to Bernie and says "we want a race in our country", he'll point them in the direction of Tilke.

Ah , I guess that's why . Thanks .
One wonders whether the rough time that Silverstone got was in some way related to them not using Tilke's services .

It then stands to reason that when you apply , your best chance of success is with Hermann's company .
That seems fair . he he .
You only get to play the game if you play the game .

It seems there's no point in anyone else trying to get licensed , then .

[kennyguitar]

The problem isn't so much the corners or track surfaces, it's the stupid run off areas. Too much tarmac, too easy to make a major error and still be in a race, sometimes with no position loss.

I'd have to disagree with that to an extent. I want to see cars in the race, not sitting in a gravel trap or on a hook, but in many instances of his design, the track itself doesn't lend itself to passing. If they aren't going to take chances, they aren't going to pass. It's not because they aren't wide enough, it's not because there is no penalty for going off. The performance of the cars are out of sync with the tracks. The cars accelerate too damn hard, the semi auto transmissions eliminate missed shifts, they brake way too hard. IMHO, it's also the breed of drivers we have. Agressive drivers are penalized far too often and the rest drive around like panty waists 90% of the time.


Sleeper answered the question though. He's bernie's buddy.

I'm curious to see how Austin turns out. Tilke's designing the track, but not the facilities. IMHO, ther's far better TRACK designers in the world.

In my opinion, his tracks are only as good as the terrain he is given to use, though I think he could make Spa boring. oh wait, wasn't he responsible for eliminating one of the most famous chicanes on the planet and creating one of the most dangerous pit entrances anywhere? Same with Korea.

I think where he has great terrain, nature takes over and masks what would have been bad, but with a flat table, well, you get a flat table that looks like someone gave him a box of AFX track and let him loose.

They have these things called bulldozers. They make hills and valleys as well as they get rid of them. I guess when you give him either a desert floor or reclaimed swampland there is a limit to what one can do.

[9mm_fan]

Tilke is one of only two people that has the required licence to design F1 level race tracks, and unlike the British guy (who did Dubai and re designed Silverstone) he is a good mate of Bernies, which means that every time a new government goes to Bernie and says "we want a race in our country", he'll point them in the direction of Tilke.

The mind boggles. Who issues these licences, the FIA? I wonder if they would have issued licences to the creators of Spa, Monza, Suzuka and all the other traditional tracks that produce good racing and fill their stands every year.

[derty]

I'd have to disagree with that to an extent. I want to see cars in the race, not sitting in a gravel trap or on a hook, but in many instances of his design, the track itself doesn't lend itself to passing. If they aren't going to take chances, they aren't going to pass. It's not because they aren't wide enough, it's not because there is no penalty for going off. The performance of the cars are out of sync with the tracks. The cars accelerate too damn hard, the semi auto transmissions eliminate missed shifts, they brake way too hard. IMHO, it's also the breed of drivers we have. Agressive drivers are penalized far too often and the rest drive around like panty waists 90% of the time.

This post is correct:


You can't make the curbs to high or they will launch themselves. you probably could however make curbs that will degrade your tires very quickly if you are using them a lot.. Therefor the penalty would be an additional pit stop. Probably need to go back to the old points system and widen the gap between 1st and 2nd. The new points system has created too much "coast and collect" Make them fight for points. I wouldn't even mind seeing points for the first 3 places only. The next item is the automatic trans - go back to manual and don't even allow a sequential shifter. Make the drivers use the clutch. Then you will see some racing and passing. I also want to keep as many cars in the race as possible. If they go into the trap push them out and restart them.

[neirty]

You'll be asking for "medals" next!

[antonyandruleit]

I also want to keep as many cars in the race as possible. If they go into the trap push them out and restart them.

See your point, but then your getting into the situation where marshalls are at risk pushing a car towards the race track, or obviously the drivers at risk if you have to bring a crane onto the track.

I suppose you could saftey car while the cars are pushed back on but then if it rains and cars are going off every couple of laps it would be too difficult.

Tricky one.

[Nakforappealp]

The new Silverstone was actually designed primarily for MotoGP, wasn't it? After Donington 'gained the rights' to the British GP from Silverstone.

[kennyguitar]

See your point, but then your getting into the situation where marshalls are at risk pushing a car towards the race track, or obviously the drivers at risk if you have to bring a crane onto the track.

I suppose you could saftey car while the cars are pushed back on but then if it rains and cars are going off every couple of laps it would be too difficult.

Tricky one.

It's not the least bit tricky. It's worked exactly like that just fine in North America for over 50 years. local yellows for course workers and off course cars, full course caution if ther are safety vehicles on track, but in reality, what tracks still have gravel traps in F1 any longer?

[Sarbrienna]

I'm curious to see how Austin turns out. Tilke's designing the track, but not the facilities. IMHO, ther's far better TRACK designers in the world.

A photo of a scale model of the track features in F1 Racing magazine and its whetted my appetite. The first half reminds of Nurburgring/Suzuka, the ebb and flow of a twisting country road.

[steevyjeors]

Tilke is one of only two people that has the required licence to design F1 level race tracks, and unlike the British guy (who did Dubai and re designed Silverstone) he is a good mate of Bernies, which means that every time a new government goes to Bernie and says "we want a race in our country", he'll point them in the direction of Tilke.

On top of that Tilke is genuinely very good at the petty stuff that people watching on TV don't see/don't care about but gives the hosts who pay the bills a warm feeling. We're talking about architecture using local influences and tracks supposedly reflecting something local (like the Chinese track resembling the Chinese symbol for the Shang in Shanghai).

Also once a company is a leader in a particular contracting field its hard to dislodge them, after all Tilke already has a competent team working for him that can deliver a new racetrack for anyone anywhere within budget. It would take a rival a huge investment to get a similar structure going, something that would be reflected in the price they'd have to charge to do a similar job which would be higher than Tilke.

[ensuppono]

Whitmarsh adds his voice to the Tilke question :
"Think of the airport tracks like Cleveland, with the wide corners and more than one possible line, and you can see how easy it can be,".
"On the other hand, you could call it an opportunity missed if [circuits like Abu Dhabi] have one of the longest straights in F1 and a chicane at the end of it with only one possible line."

"Brazil is a good example . The facilities are not good, but the races are fantastic. So, when you start something new in the desert and with no apparent structural or financial limitations, it is a pity that we don't go the easy route and copy some of the greatest corners in the world."

The new track in Croatia is to be a Tilke design , it is being reported .

Anyone know if a tendering process is ever used here ?

[russianstallian]

Anyone know if a tendering process is ever used here ?

Yes, they only ever 'tend' to use Tilke.........