Adjustable Circuits In Formula One

Adjustable Circuits In Formula One

Bahrain Grand Prix organisers have unveiled a new circuit layout that will be used for the 2010 event in six weeks time. A new section of track has been added after turn 4 that will increase the circuit's length by 800 metres. The track configuration used by the Formula One Grand Prix will now be the same one used by the Bahrain 24 hour production car race.

Whilst the new layout makes the year's first Grand Prix a bit more interesting, it adds little to the racing itself. The new section contains four particularly slow corners in close succession and will do nothing to help overtaking. It's a fairly Mickey Mouse addition and that is a pity. Bahrain is a stop-start circuit similar to Montreal with long straights and tight corners that seriously punish brakes. The new configuration changes the circuit's flow and its character with a tight squiggle of slow bends.

The extension is unlikely to generate any real on-track excitement.

However, the idea of a circuit with adjustable configurations isn't such a bad idea and it's one that other venues could look at. Why doesn't Herman Tilke build a track with a hundred possible combinations so it can be altered for race fans each and every year?

An interchangeable circuit is something that F1 hasn't looked into before, and it could be a great idea for the next country to build a brand new venue.

A layout with multiple configurations offers plenty of variety and gives race organisers the chance to evolve their track over time. A circuit with many different layouts might encourage Tilke to design one that is a bit more adventurous. Maybe he would build an F1 track that contains nothing but fast corners if it could easily be changed the following year should the experiment fail.

For example, the Russian Grand Prix (assuming it one day goes ahead) could be run around a circuit that looks like a plate of spaghetti from above, but allows organisers to run a high-speed-bowl type of circuit one year, and a stop-start overtaking friendly layout the next. The rules and cars in Formula One change every season so why not build a venue that does the same.

After the sensational Abu Dhabi Grand Prix Yas Marina circuit, Herman Tilke is quickly running out of gimmicks for his modern designs. Perhaps a new circuit with many possible configurations could be just the thing that he and the sport are looking for.

What do you think? Would a changeable circuit be suitable for F1?

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