Post here all non technical related topics about Formula One. This includes race results, discussions, testing analysis etc. TV coverage and other personal questions should be in Off topic chat.
One other good track for F1 would be Laguna Seca, but one thing that it is is too short, a 1.08 lap time when ideally a F1 lap time should be really arround the 1.16 to 1.21 mark for a short track, taking Interlagos and Hungaroring as the only comparible shorter tracks on the callender at the moment, that isnt a street cuircit.
Laguna Seca is a really cool track but it is not suited for F1, a shame really... maybe they could improve the Long Beach lay out and run there for a west coast track.
ISLAMATRON wrote:Laguna Seca is a really cool track but it is not suited for F1, a shame really... maybe they could improve the Long Beach lay out and run there for a west coast track.
+1
Laguna Seca does not have the appropriate sized run off areas for cars. Internationally, it's strictly a motorcycle circuit and low powered cars. And Laguna owners are fine with that. They spent a lot of money to bring it up to par for MotoGP races.
jddh1 wrote:Laguna Seca does not have the appropriate sized run off areas for cars. Internationally, it's strictly a motorcycle circuit and low powered cars. And Laguna owners are fine with that.
Like LMP1? It's the closest car to F1 in terms of cornering Gs, AFAIK.
Here's a bunch of 600-700hp low powered cars going through corkscrew, like they do every year.
Laguna Seca wouldnt need as much money spent on it as Road America or Watkins would need. All it would need is one more section added to it as well as a couple of other smaller revisions plus a new state of the art pit and media complex. The rest of the track is ready to go. And from the immage from the Google satalite, theres some room in the free land that encompases Turn 2-3-4 & 5 at the moment. May not require that much extra track in there, just enough to add arround 700-800 metres of track, im shure they could find something to take it to a 4.300km track from the 3.5km-ish that it currently is.
And heres a Champ Car doing the corkscrew, arguably a closer formula to F1:
Not just arguably closer, but actually quicker around this circuit.
But the Toyota was....a Toyota, and they never got it fully set up for the track. It was all done at the track, they didn't have time to run and rerun the data collected on the 7 poster or sim or whatever they use there back at the factory.
"On August 20, 2006, Toyota F1 test driver Ricardo Zonta set an unofficial lap record of 1'06.039.[8] The previous record time was 1'07.722, set by Helio Castroneves in a Penske Champ Car during qualifying for the 2000 CART Honda Grand Prix of Monterey. The unofficial record was re-taken by a Champ Car on March 10, 2007 by Sébastien Bourdais, who lapped in 1'05.880 during Champ Car Spring Training.
Officially, Castroneves is still the recordholder as Zonta's and Bourdais' times were set during exhibition and testing sessions, and official records can only be set in race conditions (either in qualifying or during a race)."
Maybe Bourdais would have done better if he was driving a Champ car.
Before I do anything I ask myself “Would an idiot do that?” And if the answer is yes, I do not do that thing. - Dwight Schrute
F1 cars can drive around a parking lot, that does not mean it would be exciting... Leguna Seca is too short and tight, it would be a parade no better than VAlencia, actually maybe even worse.
Those of us that have had the privilege of watching CART and then Champ car on the circuit could see that those cars had far outgrown the track.
LMP1 there has been boring, but those cars arent really known for their on track battles.
But, back on topic, what is the word with Donnington?
