How to or how not to Tilkefy Hermanos Rodriguez?

[Yannick]

Since it is now official that next year's Mexican Grand Prix of F1 will be held at Mexico City http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/115106 it should come as no surprise that, on this track-minded discussion board, the question would come up on how to actually modify the Hermanos Rodriguez circuit for the needs of current F1.

Is F1 going to use the rectangular baseball stadium loop as ChampCar did, or will F1 be daring and use the full Peraltada as A1GP did? How will the runoff need to be altered? Is it even possible to increase runoff and safety on the outside of Peraltada since there is a highway behind?

Apart from that, I feel the current track layout should best be left largely unchanged to keep the circuit as original as possible. This is a track with a long heritage after all. Turn 1 should make for a wonderful overtaking opportunity even with today's F1 cars and the other significant overtaking opportunity should be at the end of the back straight, no matter what type of corner there is going to be in the end.

But most importantly, a best case scenario for an update must please keep that undulating left-right-left-right-etc. combination of corners which leads out onto the back straight. It surely is going to get new kerbs, though, but the architect will have to tame himself from putting too much tarmac runoff in place, otherwise it would be an invitation to short-cutting. (A similar case would be the final corner of Dijon-Prenois where they have since broken up the tarmac runoff and brought back a small area of grass to keep drivers from shortcutting).

So how would your best and your worst (Tilkefied) updates to Hermanos Rodriguez look like?

Thank you in advance for your contributions.

[Tathrim]

OK, so I've not been here for a while, but I can tell you the official way things are changing is here: http://www.f1fanatic.co.uk/2014/07/2...icos-f1-track/, so F1 are using the baseball stadium.

That said, I might have a go at this.

[SpeedingTortoise]

Here is my satirical take on what Tilke should/shouldn't do to the track.

IMO, I don't think the track should be altered in any major way. Upgrade the garages and stands and barriers if needed but don't change the tarmac in any way. I would use the full Peraltada and probably tarmac the run off that is there and add a Nascar style Safer barrier since the corner is similar to a banked oval turn.

[SKG]

Originally Posted by SpeedingTortoise

Here is my satirical take on what Tilke should/shouldn't do to the track.

IMO, I don't think the track should be altered in any major way. Upgrade the garages and stands and barriers if needed but don't change the tarmac in any way. I would use the full Peraltada and probably tarmac the run off that is there and add a Nascar style Safer barrier since the corner is similar to a banked oval turn.

If the promotional video posted above is anything is anything to go by, this interpretation is surprisingly (worryingly) accurate.

The gravel trap that used to exist at Peraltada was no good, I like the idea of paving what room there is and then having some sort of TECPRO barrier. I'm not sure an American-style Safer-barrier would be appropriate, although they are very effective at Indy. Does anyone know how the banking at Peraltada compares to IMS?

Regarding the rest of the track, I can understand tightening the radius of turn 1 and 4 to cater to more overtaking, but apart from this I wouldn't change the track layout itself. It looks as if there is plenty of space to extend the runoff. I hope they don't flatten the kerbs too much, seeing the drivers thread their way through the 2nd sector on the old onboards looks great.

[Yannick]

I have made a few screen caps from the videos linked to in the above article. In these, the change to both the baseball stadium section (oh how Tilke loves his stadium sections) and the Turn 4-5-6 combination (to become another stadium section) are shown from above. These are boring sections but I don't mind them much at all.
Also, the unfortunate but seemingly necessary changes to the Esses section can be seen, but less detailed, in the two overviews of the whole circuit. It's too bad that they, too, had to be Tilkefied to gain runoff, yet especially for the penultimate right-hander of the Esses, this was inevitable. Also, it seems like the architect had less space to work with than we think he had because there are football fields in the infield of the Esses and the ground on the outside of the Esses is maybe also not owned by the same people as the circuit.

Thank you SpeedingTortoise for coming up with a really good satire. You clearly have modeled your version of the Esses after Tilke greats such as 300R (not) and the Esses of COTA (which are fine).

Looks like this circuit is going to turn from Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez into Autodromo Hermano Tilke ;-)

Yet, it will be fun to finally watch those engines run at high altitudes again, and how that will mess with the pecking order - even if there won't be a Peraltada anymore.

[Biscuits In A Red Bull]

What's wrong with smooth curves on a race circuit these days?

[NaBUru38]

Originally Posted by SpeedingTortoise

Here is my satirical take on what Tilke should/shouldn't do to the track.

You nailed the stadium section...

[The IC]

Originally Posted by Biscuits In A Red Bull

What's wrong with smooth curves on a race circuit these days?

"Tilke" doesnt have many curved letters in it, so his tracks cant have many curves either? :P

[Biscuits In A Red Bull]

Originally Posted by The IC

"Tilke" doesnt have many curved letters in it, so his tracks cant have many curves either? :P

Damn, the FIA need to employ a guy called Carlos Rocco to redo all of these circuits then...

[S griffin]

Hugenholtz has a few curved letters.