Formula One

    • FORMULA 1 HEINEKEN DUTCH GRAND PRIX 2023



      Like Silverstone, Zandvoort was first opened in 1948, part of the wave of post-war motorsport enthusiasm that swept across Europe. Originally made up of a mixture of permanent track and public roads that snaked through the sand dunes of the Zandvoort resort town, the Dutch Automobile Racing Club – who initiated the plans for the circuit – brought in 1927 Le Mans winner Sammy Davis to consult on the layout for the original 4.2km track.

      ‘Really quick’, ‘pretty insane’, ‘crazy’ and ‘old-school’ were words used by the current crop of F1 drivers when asked to describe the Zandvoort track that many of them tackled in their junior category days. We’d also add ‘undulating’ to that list. The Zandvoort track swoops and flows through the sand dunes, creating a rollercoaster-like feel to the lap. And while the circuit was modernised in time for F1’s most recent return – including increasing the banking angle at the famous Tarzan corner to an Indianapolis Motor Speedway-trumping 18 degrees – Zandvoort remains a proper, challenging drivers’ track.


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    • FORMULA 1 PIRELLI GRAN PREMIO D’ITALIA 2023



      Constructed in just 110 days in 1922, the Autodromo Nazionale Monza was the world’s third purpose-built race track, coming after Brooklands in the UK and Indianapolis in the US. Like those two tracks, the original circuit featured a daunting series of banked curves, as well as much of the ‘outfield’ section that’s still in use today.

      Monza opened its doors on September 3 1922, just a week before it hosted that year’s Italian Grand Prix. It was then part of the original Formula 1 calendar in 1950, and has held the Italian Grand Prix every year bar one since.

      The circuit is... Rapido! Formula 1’s fastest ever lap was set at Monza – Williams driver Juan Pablo Montoya’s 260.6km/h effort during practice for the 2004 Grand Prix – which should give you some idea of the nature of the track the locals call ‘La Pista Magica’. Cars are on full throttle for 80% of the lap, and hit their Vmax on the circuit’s 1.1km start/finish straight. From there, they roar off into the historic park section, where a series of big stops into tight chicanes give the brakes a good workout.


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      "If you try to follow fashion you'll always be chasing, and probably never catch it. If you be yourself and make your own style, fashion might just bump into you one day."

    • FORMULA 1 SINGAPORE AIRLINES SINGAPORE GRAND PRIX 2023



      The Marina Bay Circuit arrived on the scene in 2008 with the honour of hosting the first night-time race in F1 history. A street track with the city's famous skyline as its spectacular backdrop, the initial circuit plan by Herman Tilke was refined by KBR Inc, while the event has quickly established itself as one of the standouts on the F1 calendar.

      The Marina Bay Circuit is one of the most physically demanding on the calendar, its bumpy street surface coupled with humid conditions giving the drivers plenty to think about. Even with a revised 2023 layout reducing the number of corners from 23 to 19, they are working the wheel a lot, too, around the high-speed lap – the physical stress causing them to lose as much as 3kg in body weight over the course of a race.


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      "If you try to follow fashion you'll always be chasing, and probably never catch it. If you be yourself and make your own style, fashion might just bump into you one day."

    • FORMULA 1 LENOVO JAPANESE GRAND PRIX 2023



      In 1962. Soichiro Honda, whose car company you may have heard of, was a man with big ambitions. Seeking to turn Honda into an automotive powerhouse, he decided his company should have its own test track. Dutchman John Hugenholtz got the nod, and drew up the now-iconic ‘crossover’ Suzuka track – although original drawings saw the track pass over and under itself a full three times, which would have been sweet!

      Despite most people agreeing that Suzuka is a worthy successor to sliced bread in the ‘Best Thing’ stakes, the Japanese track was a relative latecomer to the F1 calendar, making its first appearance in 1987.

      Show us a racing a driver who doesn’t love Suzuka, and we’ll show you a liar. The high-speed track remains one of the ultimate driving challenges, with the snaking ‘S’ Curves, the two commitment-rewarding Degners and the white-knuckle ride of 130R all highlights in a series of highlights at what is one of F1’s seminal tracks. And hey, it’s got a crossover, which is always cool, right?


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      "If you try to follow fashion you'll always be chasing, and probably never catch it. If you be yourself and make your own style, fashion might just bump into you one day."

    • FORMULA 1 QATAR AIRWAYS QATAR GRAND PRIX 2023



      The Lusail International Circuit, located on the outskirts of the capital city of Doha, was built in preparation for hosting Qatar’s first ever MotoGP event in 2004, with the circuit completed in just over a year.

      2021 represented the first time Qatar had ever hosted the FIA Formula One World Championship – with the country signing an additional 10-year deal to host the sport from 2023.

      Designed primarily with motorcycle racing in mind, the 5.4-kilometre Lusail International Circuit is a fast and flowing track, where medium- and high-speed corners predominate. Over one kilometre of the track’s total length is made up of the main straight, which provides plenty of overtaking opportunities into Turn 1.


      Good Friend :play: Kinda Romantic :love: Ready to Rock :zomg:

      "If you try to follow fashion you'll always be chasing, and probably never catch it. If you be yourself and make your own style, fashion might just bump into you one day."

    • FORMULA 1 LENOVO UNITED STATES GRAND PRIX 2023



      The Circuit of The Americas, designed by Hermann Tilke in collaboration with American architectural firm HKS, endured something of a nervy start, with construction suffering several setbacks. It was well worth the wait, though, when 1978 F1 champion Mario andretti opened the track on October 21 2012.

      F1 first raced at the Circuit of The Americas in 2012, for the first United States Grand Prix since the 2007 race at Indianapolis. Unsurprisingly, over 100,000 spectators packed out the Austin venue, witnessing Lewis Hamilton’s last ever win in a McLaren before his switch to Mercedes for 2013.

      If the corners at COTA seem familiar, they should be. Turns 3 through 6 look not dissimilar to Silverstone's high-speed run through Maggotts/Becketts or the S Curves at Suzuka, while Turns 12 through 15 mimic Hockenheim's stadium section. Meanwhile, the uphill run into wide, wide Turn 1 – hey, everything’s bigger in Texas, right? – has provided some fine overtaking action in the track’s short life.


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      "If you try to follow fashion you'll always be chasing, and probably never catch it. If you be yourself and make your own style, fashion might just bump into you one day."

    • FORMULA 1 GRAN PREMIO DE LA CIUDAD DE MÉXICO 2023





      In 1959. The father of Mexico’s most famous racing brothers, Ricardo and Pedro Rodriguez, was an advisor to Mexican President Adolfo Lopez Mateo, and had a word in his boss’s ear about building a racing circuit in Mexico City’s Magdalena Mixiuhca sports park using the existing internal roads. El Presidente liked the idea, and work on the track was completed in under a year.

      Formula 1 cars arrived in 1962 for a non-championship race, returning the following year for a proper, bona fide Grand Prix. That 1963 race was won by Jim Clark, while for the next few years, Mexico’s fiesta vibes meant it became the traditional season-ender for Formula 1. Mexico was welcomed back onto the F1 calendar in 2015.

      High up! The Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez sits over 2km above sea level, making the 4.3km lap a breathless experience. The track still largely follows the outline of the original 1959 circuit, the main difference being that the spectacular – and spectacularly scary – Peralta corner is now bisected, with the circuit instead winding through the old Foro Sol baseball stadium, providing one F1’s most unique vistas.


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      "If you try to follow fashion you'll always be chasing, and probably never catch it. If you be yourself and make your own style, fashion might just bump into you one day."

    • FORMULA 1 ROLEX GRANDE PRÊMIO DE SÃO PAULO 2023



      Building work began on what ended up being called the Autodromo Jose Carlos Pace – but what is more commonly referred to as Interlagos – all the way back in 1938. The track designers took their inspiration from three main circuits: Brooklands in the UK, Roosevelt Raceway in the USA and Montlhery in France.

      Buoyed by the success of Brazil’s Emerson Fittipaldi, Formula 1 first jetted into Interlagos for a world championship race in 1973. Fans were treated to a home win in the first three Brazilian Grands Prix, with Fittipaldi victorious in 1973 and 1974, while Carlos Pace won in 1975.

      Like many pre-World War II tracks, Interlagos features banked corners, with the drivers beginning their lap on a sort of half oval – in fact, between 1957 and the track’s return to the F1 calendar in 1990, Interlagos could be run as a giant oval. After wiggling through the Senna S and down to Turn 4, the drivers then go through a snaking in-field section with some challenging camber changes, before slinging back up the hill and through the banked final turn.


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      "If you try to follow fashion you'll always be chasing, and probably never catch it. If you be yourself and make your own style, fashion might just bump into you one day."

    • FORMULA 1 HEINEKEN SILVER LAS VEGAS GRAND PRIX 2023



      The 2023 Formula 1 season sees drivers tackle an all-new circuit in Las Vegas, encompassing the very best the City of Lights has to offer – including the famous Strip.

      Located in the heart of Las Vegas, the new 6.2km, 17-turn street circuit winds its way past iconic locations like Caesars Palace, the Bellagio and the Venetian. With average speeds expected to match Monza, otherwise known as F1’s ‘Temple of Speed’, there promises to be plenty of action and overtaking.

      Las Vegas previously staged two F1 races – under the Caesars Palace Grand Prix moniker – in 1981 and 1982. It played host to the season finale on both occasions, with Williams driver Alan Jones winning the 1981 race and Michele Alboreto taking his maiden F1 victory for Tyrrell at the 1982 encounter. Meanwhile, Nelson Piquet and Keke Rosberg clinched the title in ’81 and ’82 respectively with fifth-place finishes.


      Good Friend :play: Kinda Romantic :love: Ready to Rock :zomg:

      "If you try to follow fashion you'll always be chasing, and probably never catch it. If you be yourself and make your own style, fashion might just bump into you one day."

    • Penelope wrote:

      This doesn’t look like a good track, looks slow as the cars can’t put the downforce they need apparently
      yeah I'm not sure how great racing will be :/ definitely could be some mistakes, and possibly blocking the track if things go wrong =O (and hopefully all the drain covers stay secure :lol: :oops: )

      There could be some over taking at the end of the straights (turns 1, 5, 12 and 14). Turn 12 looks a little tight so probably end up crashing with a slightly late braking. Lots of mistakes at turn 14, so could be a chance, but probably end up down the escape road, and looks a little tight chicane (but with the long straight it's likely to already have a position ahead by that point). The first few corners (1-4) could allow a side by side if they can both keep downforce, and turn 5 could allow an over take

      Good Friend :play: Kinda Romantic :love: Ready to Rock :zomg:

      "If you try to follow fashion you'll always be chasing, and probably never catch it. If you be yourself and make your own style, fashion might just bump into you one day."

    • BJade wrote:

      Penelope wrote:

      This doesn’t look like a good track, looks slow as the cars can’t put the downforce they need apparently
      yeah I'm not sure how great racing will be :/ definitely could be some mistakes, and possibly blocking the track if things go wrong =O (and hopefully all the drain covers stay secure :lol: :oops: )
      There could be some over taking at the end of the straights (turns 1, 5, 12 and 14). Turn 12 looks a little tight so probably end up crashing with a slightly late braking. Lots of mistakes at turn 14, so could be a chance, but probably end up down the escape road, and looks a little tight chicane (but with the long straight it's likely to already have a position ahead by that point). The first few corners (1-4) could allow a side by side if they can both keep downforce, and turn 5 could allow an over take
      Shocking that happened and shocking the driver got a penalty for it, how can hitting a manhole cover be your fault

    • HannahW wrote:

      No report from Las Vegas, @BJade :?: I read that it was the best race of the year
      here's a report on the race :D
      motorsport.com/f1/news/2023-f1…wins-verstappen/10548761/

      I'm not sure if it was the best race or not :/ Verstappen still won (even with a 5 second penalty) and apart from just before his first pit stop still easily was faster than everyone

      And other than overtaking on straights (which anyone can do) it wasn't to much :/ nothing that's going to be remembered by anyone as there best move of the year

      Good Friend :play: Kinda Romantic :love: Ready to Rock :zomg:

      "If you try to follow fashion you'll always be chasing, and probably never catch it. If you be yourself and make your own style, fashion might just bump into you one day."

    • FORMULA 1 ETIHAD AIRWAYS ABU DHABI GRAND PRIX 2023



      In 2006, plans were announced to develop Yas Island, located just to the east of Abu Dhabi, into a new tourist destination, with a major part of the plans centring around a 5.5km race track. The diggers rolled into what would become the Yas Marina Circuit in May 2007, with the project completed by October 2009.

      Yas Island was a blank canvas for developers to turn into a tourist attraction, and 11 years and $40 billion later, they’ve nearly finished doing just that. Seven hotels, Ferrari’s indoor theme park, a mall, a water park, a golf course, a beach, a concert arena and a nightclub, all framed by perfect Emirati weather. What more could you want?

      The Hermann Tilke-designed track is dominated by its 1.2km straight between Turns 5 and 6 – which, with slow-speed corners marking its beginning and end, makes it a honeypot for overtaking moves. Other highlights include the tricky run through Turns 10 and 11 into 12, which forces the drivers to brake hard with bags of lateral load still on the car. Track modifications ahead of the 2021 race, shortening the lap slightly to 5.28km, have only added to its excitement.


      Good Friend :play: Kinda Romantic :love: Ready to Rock :zomg:

      "If you try to follow fashion you'll always be chasing, and probably never catch it. If you be yourself and make your own style, fashion might just bump into you one day."