2022-12-23: The perfect FIA Level One track

Haven’t exactly been the most consistent with updates as of late, but I feel that now is the opportunity to reflect on something that’s been bugging me for a while.

That thing is — what would the perfect Level One racing circuit/complex look like? What would it feature?

Many people (including myself) often bash Tilke as a bad track designer, who made a few decent tracks. The main reason he receives such criticism is because his designs are repetitive and seem to have more attention given towards facilities rather than the actual racing going on out on track.

However, many of his most common design elements are pretty alright — I’m sure most people who watch F1 or any similar series (Super Formula, F2, F3, et cetera) love esses and high-speed corners. I do too, as they’re fun to watch. However, it should not be overdone, nor should it be precise. The entire reason why COTA and Silverstone have such great sections of esses is because the approach to each turn is slightly different to the one previous to it. It should not be lifeless.

Elevation change is one of the best factors going into a circuit, and it can make or break a circuit depending on how it’s executed. Elevation changes at Spa and other tracks have given us Eau Rouge, Casino Square, and COTA Turn 1. I’m pretty sure a large number of the issues that people have with Abu Dhabi today could be remedied (not fixed, mind you, as this is Abu Dhabi we’re talking about here) if there was more elevation change.

Of course facilities and safety are important, and a certain level of care needs to be put into them, of course. I may be alone in saying that the stripes now found on Paul Ricard actually look nicer than gravel. Considering that road surface offers a much more controllable experience for drivers, this concrete runoff could be implemented quite readily. However, some drivers may be knocked unconscious by, say, flying debris (à la Felipe Massa) and thus unable to apply the brakes or steer out of a collision — what happens then? Gravel as a runoff isn’t completely replaceable — of course, any non-oval track that wants even the slightest chance of being approved for the F1 calendar needs some. It provides resistance to cars without requiring any action on the part of the driver. However, it should be toned down from its current usage.

Anyway, those are a few of the ideas that can go into tracks for better, safer racing.

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