[Tech Issue] Where should F1 race in the USA

[Sparky1]

There has been a lot of talk about F1 coming Stateside, but where should F1 race? Austin...NYC...seem to be Entertainment venues, much like the NASCAR model I guess. Remeber the race in Vegas. But doesn't it make more sense to have tracks as venues where historically F1 has a following...Sebring, Watkins Glen....and what about Detroit ? ? The home of the US Auto Industry....pound for pound there are more gearheads in and around Michigan than anywhere else in the US ? ? What claim has Austin or NYC got on the Auto Industry I wonder ?

[Knowlesy]

Watkins Glen or Road America. Watkins Glen has the history and is still a great venue, albeit old fashioned. Road America is just one of the world's great tracks.

Neither would ever happen.

[Planty]

Its all about the safety at the circuits, isnt it? And FIA should not approve tracks (although they are great and with a piece of history) like Sebring or Watkins Glen. Same goes for the circuits facilities.....

Street circuits are other story, as far you have the money, you can build up a provisional high tech facility..

[ScotsBrutesFan]

Watkins Glen and Road America would have to be changed out of all recognition, tradition and history in order to bring them up to F1 standards.

I'd much rather let them keep their history and layouts as they are. Modern F1 needs to make it's own new history in the US. Austin looks set to be the place of that, what with it being a purpose built venue.

New Jersey (it isn't New York despite what may be said), well we'll just have to see whether that can establish itself as a street circuit or whether it'll just be added to the list of places F1 ran a street race... Caesars Palace, Phoenix, Dallas, Detroit etc.

[Mr V]

Always liked the Cleveland airport track for whatever reason. But lets see how Austin and New Jersey get on. It would be such a shame for the likes of Road America, Road Atlanta, Watkins Glen etc etc butchered beyond recognition just for F1 to go there for 5 years before getting bored and leaving it disfigured.

[Salamus]

F1 doesn't race at circuits like Watkins Glen because a) they don't meet safety requirements and b) they aren't glamorous enough.

Keep F1 away from classic American circuits! It is a good thing that F1 built its own circuit (CotA)! Places like Watkins Glen won't have to be restructured and deformed.

btw, a Formula One car wouldn't last one hour at Sebring.

[Knowlesy]

Oh I know they'd need changed and for that reason it'll never happen. Still should race there though.

The Austin circuit looks

[Bononi]

More races in USA ?

[JeremySmith]

Originally Posted by Knowlesy

Oh I know they'd need changed and for that reason it'll never happen. Still should race there though.

The Austin circuit looks

What's wrong with it ? I think it looks really quite good...

[Jimmy Magnusson]

There's very few places in the US F1 could race without big changes to the venue. And doing that would spoil the character of those places. Given that F1 is probably better off racing at their own facilities (Austin etc)...

[FAS33]

on a race track

[Adam43]

Des Moines.

[Razzzor]

Originally Posted by Mr V

Always liked the Cleveland airport track for whatever reason. But lets see how Austin and New Jersey get on. It would be such a shame for the likes of Road America, Road Atlanta, Watkins Glen etc etc butchered beyond recognition just for F1 to go there for 5 years before getting bored and leaving it disfigured.

Yeah I've always liked Cleveland too, the pit lane exit is awesome and it's insanely wide with different lines. Always good racing there. Though not suitable for F1 anymore.

I always thought F1 at Indy was fine. The oval corner leading to the straight was great. Shame they left.

But I guess Austin or New Jersey could be just as good...

[JeremySmith]

I thought Indy was good except for the infield section that was rather Mickey mouse don't you think?

I am not defending Austin because I live here, I just think it is going to rather demanding and very fast...

[Sodemo]

Watkins Glen, and no you can't change the track Charlie.

[JeremySmith]

Watkins Glen is indeed a wonderful race track as is..

I would not like to see anything changed, classic facility...

[Marcus666]

Sonoma FFS!!!!

Gonna watch how the Auto GP cars handle that track tomorow!

[Razor]

Laguna Seca anyone?

[IceMan_PJN]

Originally Posted by Sparky1

and what about Detroit ? ? The home of the US Auto Industry....pound for pound there are more gearheads in and around Michigan than anywhere else in the US ? ?

gearheads ≠ race fans ≠ F1 fans

Liking cars doesn't automatically translate to liking motorsports, and even with American motorsport fans most dislike F1. Ergo, the number of gearheads in any given area means nothing.

Originally Posted by Knowlesy

Road America is just one of the world's great tracks.

Meh. It's kinda like how a Cadillac is great just because people say so. It's kinda like how Americans pretend that the Indy 500 is the big race just because they say so, with disregard for the fact that its viewership is just a small fraction of that of any given F1 race. Road America always felt a bit bland to me, much like Twin Ring Motegi except with more pretty trees. Road America just feels like a bunch of straights with some right elbows sprinkled about at the ends of the straights.

Originally Posted by Bononi

More races in USA ?

I'm an American F1 fan, but honestly we don't even deserve having a second one next year, let alone any more than that. It's like casting pearls before swine.

At this point I expect the average Joe to get offended by that illustration. What a lot of people do is get hung up on the "swine" part, taking it as insulting them. When they do this, they miss the meaning altogether. The meaning is that you're throwing things of value before people who don't appreciate them, like swine not caring at all about pearls. F1 is the world's top motorsport, but yet here in the States almost nobody cares. Throwing F1 races here is like casting pearls before swine.

Originally Posted by Razzzor

I always thought F1 at Indy was fine.

Personally, I hate all rovals, including both Indy and Daytona. The road portions always feel like lifeless afterthoughts scribbled in there just for the sake of having them. They're some of the worst road circuits on Earth.

Originally Posted by JeremySmith

I thought Indy was good except for the infield section that was rather Mickey mouse don't you think?

So..., Indy was fine except for almost all of it? The infield section is the road course part of it. Disregarding it leaves just the oval. So, basically, you like the Indy oval.

[nicanary]

If you need to know where to establish a track in the US, simples - ask the folks in Peoria, Ill.

(Do I have to explain that? Maybe. They are the most "average" people in the States, and used (or were) as a sounding post for what is/was what the nation wanted)

[W.A Trichlorostyrene]

As long as they don't destroy one of America's many historic venues, I don't mind!

[stripedcat]

As much as I love both Road America and Long Beach - F1 couldn't race there. F1 would destroy those tracks - and I don't want to see that happen.

The Austin track does actually look very good. It has elevation change(rare for Tilke) and some good high speed corners. Looks quite challenging and should provide some good racing. I hope it works out for F1 in the US there.

[Scooter185]

Austin and (hopefully) NJ

The Glen and Sebring, first off are in the middle of nowhere; second their safety standards are not up to hosting an F1 race any more. Had F1 stayed at the Glen and kept it updated to this day that would be one thing, but NASCAR has taken over the track and after seeing some of the races there it's not even well suited for the tin tops.

[MikeManNZ]

Originally Posted by Razor

Laguna Seca anyone?

I guess someone had to say it.

The only way to race F1 at Laguna Seca would be to bulldoze the site and start again, no way a modern F1 car could get through the corkscrew safely.

[JeremySmith]

Originally Posted by stripedcat

As much as I love both Road America and Long Beach - F1 couldn't race there. F1 would destroy those tracks - and I don't want to see that happen.

IMHO Long Beach is not suitable for F1 cars..

The Austin track does actually look very good. It has elevation change(rare for Tilke) and some good high speed corners. Looks quite challenging and should provide some good racing. I hope it works out for F1 in the US there.

The COTA facility is not a total Tilke design, yes he is the person who gets the kudos or the hammering for how good/or bad it is, but it's not all his own doing..

Originally Posted by MikeManNZ

I guess someone had to say it.

The only way to race F1 at Laguna Seca would be to bulldoze the site and start again, no way a modern F1 car could get through the corkscrew safely.

Again Laguna Seca should be left alone.. So a good compromise located in the middle of the USA( kind off) is our facility in Austin, built to F1 specification