Grand Prix Circuits Everyone Should Experience

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Watching a Grand Prix race on television is quite an experience as you get to see all of the best camera angles with up-to-the-moment commentary. However, nothing compares to being there. Even though you may not always have the best overall vantage point, you will get to experience the race in a manner few ever will: seeing the cars up close, smelling, and hearing the unique elements of races.

Which Grand Prix circuits should you see? A few stand out.

 

Circuit de Monaco

The Circuit de Monaco is an interesting, challenging course for drivers, who often need to slow down significantly while navigating turns and other challenging areas. Of course, its locale attracts many, as Monaco is one of the most beautiful places in the world. The Monaco Grand Prix is also viewed by many as Formula One’s most historic and revered competition, and that alone is enough reason to visit this course.

 

Circuit of the Americas

The Formula One capital of the United States is this gorgeous course, which was the first built in this country that was designed especially for Formula One races. It’s located in Austin, Texas, and has been hosting Formula One races since 2012. Race fans get to enjoy watching drivers navigate challenges such as an uphill run to the first turn as well as the course’s fascinating technical layout.

 

Melbourne Grand Prix Circuit

This one encircles Australia’s Albert Park Lake, providing a cool aesthetic element to the festivities. As far as the racing goes, the track is fast, faster than most races being held on public roads, while also providing many challenges to be navigated. If you can situate yourself near one of its more difficult portions, you can enjoy a great view of how the different racers navigate those sections.

 

Red Bull Ring

Much of what makes Red Bull Ring, which is in Spielberg, Austria, such a destination race for many Formula One fans are its aesthetics. It’s set amidst incredible countryside while the course itself has a fascinating blend of classic and modern designs. Visitors also report that it’s a well-organized experience for fans and that the energy level amongst spectators is high.

Top F1 Race Cars of All Time

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Formula One (F1) has changed a lot since its inception. Many innovative designs and models have hit the tarmac in hopes of winning the number one spot. While many designs and cars have been banned from the sport for various reasons, many legendary cars will always be a part of F1 history. These are a few of those legendary cars. In one way or another, all of the vehicles on this list have proven themselves and earned their spots.

 

1984-1986 McLaren MP4/2

The McLaren MP4/2 is one of the most recognizable F1 cars ever, with its white and red Marlboro livery. The MP4/2 won consecutive Drivers’ Championships from 1984 to 1986. Both Niki Lauda and Alain Prost raced the chassis. The most significant advantage the MP4/2 had in its races was that it was one of the only F1 cars using carbon-ceramic brakes.

 

1988 McLaren MP4/4

The 1988 McLaren MP4/4 was driven by one of the greatest F1 champions in history, Ayrton Senna. Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost won 15 of their 16 races using the MP4/4 chassis. The record set by the two champions with this chassis still hasn’t been beaten by another F1 team.

 

1991 McLaren MP4/6

The McLaren MP4/6 was the last model in F1 history ever to have won a championship using a manual transmission and a V12 engine. Ayrton Senna drove this model through two consecutive World Championship wins.

 

2011 Red Bull RB7

Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber drove the 2011 Red Bull RB7. Sebastian Vettel, who was 23 years old at the time, made F1 history as the youngest driver to win two consecutive Drivers’ Championships. The 2011 Red Bull RB7 finished 19 of its 27 races in a pole position.

 

2016 Mercedes F1 W07 Hybrid

The 2016 Mercedes F1 W07 Hybrid is the only F1 car that comes close to the dominance that the 1988 McLaren MP4/4 had during its run. To meet new F1 regulations, the F1 W07 Hybrid was equipped with a hybrid power unit that utilized the heat energy produced under braking conditions to generate electrical energy for the engine.

 

The Biggest F1 Races Taking Place in 2019

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2019 brings another exciting year for Formula 1 racing! Even though we are past the halfway mark for the year, we still have a number of races to look forward to. Here are some of the biggest F1 races taking place in 2019.

 

Formula 1 Singapore Airlines Singapore Grand Prix 2019 – 20-22 September

Singapore’s Marina Bay Circuit is known for its nighttime races, having hosted the first one in F1 history back in 2008. The physically demanding 5.063km course provides no shortage of challenges for the driver, from bumpy surfaces to high humidity. What’s more, the circuit features 23 corners during the high-speed lap. This race gives visitors a chance to experience Singapore at its best.

 

Formula 1 VTB Russian Grand Prix 2019 27-29 September

The Sochi Autodrom was the site of the Formula 1’s first-ever Russian Grand Prix in 2014. The circuit itself grew from the internal roads of the park built for the Winter Olympics that same year. One of the unique features of the track is right at Turn 3, a 750m constant-radius left turn that takes drivers around the outside of the Poyushchiye fountain. This early autumn race means that it’s still warm enough for visitors to take advantage of some of Russia’s best beach resorts in Sochi. Unfortunately, ski season doesn’t start until at least December. 

 

Formula 1 Japanese Grand Prix 2019 11-13 October

While the Suzuka International Racing Course (better known as just “Suzuka”) was built in 1962, it didn’t see its first Grand Prix until 1987. The track is one of the seminal courses in Formula 1, with driving challenges like snaking S curves and a crossover and remains a favorite among drivers. Kimi Räikkönen holds the current lap record of 1:31.540 from 2005, but we’ll see if anyone can beat that this year. 

 

Formula 1 United States Grand Prix 01-03 November

The Circuit of the Americas’ first Grand Prix was in 2012, which drew a crowd of over 100,000 spectators. The crowd witnessed Lewis Hamilton’s last win in a McLaren before he made the switch to Mercedes the following year. The circuit draws inspiration from a few of the other famous tracks in F1 history, like Suzuka and Hockenheim. The uphill run into Turn 1 provides the opportunity for some overtaking action.

A Brief History of the Hunt/Lauda F1 Rivalry

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Few sports are as dangerous and misunderstood as Formula 1 racing. The fast-paced race-track based automotive contest is both exhilarating to watch and potentially deadly to partake in. So naturally, a little bit of rivalry between racers helps to dial the intensity up to eleven.

In the 1970s, when F1 racing was still in a somewhat formative stage, two men developed a unique relationship on and eventually off the race track. The British racer James Hunt and the Austrian racer Niki Lauda would spend the better part of the decade racing against each other in a fierce personal competition.

It all started in 1970 on the Crystal Palace circuit in London, England. Both drivers experienced some technical difficulties, but Hunt would ultimately go on to win the race. This was enough to kindle Lauda’s fighting spirit, and the two men would clash at nearly every high profile event for the next few years.

Things came to a tragic head in the 1976 racing season when Niki Lauda was involved in a crash on the Nürburgring circuit. Lauda suffered third-degree burns and was permanently disfigured as a result of the accident. Both men would go on to compete in the rest of the season, however, with James Hunt becoming the 1976 Formula 1 racing champion.

The Hunt/Lauda rivalry has since become a legend within the arena of automotive sports. Much has been made of the relationship between these two men, who in many ways were very different, especially in the wake of James hunt’s untimely death in 1993. There has even been a film made about the subject titled Rush and directed by Ron Howard; although it was apparently not very accurate to history.

One of the more dramatized aspects of the story is the animosity between Hunt and Lauda. While it is true that there was some heated competition between the two, they became friends relatively quickly. So while the races were intense and very much winner takes all, the spirit was friendly. Hunt was particularly disturbed after his friend was injured in 1976.

Despite their friendship, James Hunt and Niki Lauda were two very different people. It was a fast and reckless lifestyle of drugs and sex that helped contribute to Hunt’s early death. Indeed, after his victory in 1976, James Hunt had a diminished interest in competing as his status of champion allowed him all the luxuries he could want.

Lauda was a more reserved character and would go on to live to the age of 70 despite his terrible accident many decades ago. Niki Lauda died in May of this year. While both men are now gone, their heroic struggles on the race track will live on in the hearts of race fans from around the world.

F1 Safety: a Brief History of Innovation

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carl-turnley-crashToday’s F1 races are the product of a long and layered history — especially in terms of safety. From mechanical designs to racing regulations, the sport has greatly evolved since its inception in the early 1950s, and this has generally made it better for drivers, officials, and fans alike.

Here is a brief look at F1 safety’s rich past.

Early designs and ideas

F1, as a competitive sport, can be traced to 1950, the year of its inaugural season. Early F1 cars had features designed purely for speed in lieu of handling components or, disturbingly, necessary safety mechanics; they featured front engines and drum brakes and were first put on display at the 1950 Formula One World Championship, held at Silverstone in England.

Proper safety measures, such as roll bars, were not formally introduced until the early 1960s. Other emerging concepts included flag signals, fire prevention components, and interrupters for electronic systems.

The 90s and early 2000s

Flash forward to the 1990s, when many of the aforementioned safety measures continued to be tested, supplemented, and innovated as the need for such measures endured. The early 90s saw the introduction of larger rearview mirrors, mandatory detachable steering wheels, and new regulations pertaining to car width and cockpit size.

In the early 2000s, these changes were complemented with numerous shifts — some drastic — in racing rules and protocol. For instance, new time penalties were implemented to drivers triggering a false start, causing an accident or collision, or forcing another driver off the course — a move generally intended to cast a deeper negative connotation over such potentially dangerous activity.

Today

While today’s F1 cars are arguably more uncomfortable than their primitive predecessors, they are much safer — and typically not at the expense of speed or efficiency. Crashes remain a regular part of the sport, some of them overwhelming and spectacular from a viewer standpoint, but, fortunately, many of the worst crashes have not been as severe as they look. Consider a 2014 crash from driver Kimi Raikkonen, which looked potentially fatal on screen, but resulted in nothing more than a sore ankle. 

This phenomenon is a direct product of modern racing safety, which itself is a product of continuous, relentless campaigning to keep the sport as safe and stable as possible. Now, cars undergo a series of dynamic, static, and load tests — all while maintaining the best aspects of the past, such as advanced fire suppression systems.

 

Tips for Getting Into F1 Racing

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carl-turnley-f1Formula One racing is one of the world’s biggest entertainment pastimes — a competitive sport that demands dedication and perseverance from its participants. If you’re just looking for a new hobby, Formula One racing might not be right for you – but if you have the drive to succeed and the patience to train for years, these tips can lead you to victory.

Consider Racing School

If you’ve been driving on normal roads for years, you might think that you have an understanding of what it takes to drive a Formula One car – after all, it’s just faster, isn’t it? Not exactly. Formula One cars require faster reflexes than normal driving and involve higher stakes, not to mention the inherent differences in the designs of the vehicle platforms. Racing schools can give you an opportunity to refine your skills and see what you’re made of – not only that, but they allow access to vehicles you might not be able to try out otherwise. This is a great way to make sure this is the right path for you.

Start Slow in a Kart

Some suggest that you should train with a go-kart before you actually start Formula One racing – while this can be a valuable way to train your skills, it isn’t always necessary. That said, if you do need to start out slow, try earning a go-kart certification and finding a nearby course that has their own karts. That way you’ll save money overall and you’ll always have somewhere to train – and some go-kart races even have cash prizes, meaning you could earn back the price of your membership to the course.

Meet Racing License Standards

Since this is a rather dangerous sport, you’ll need to meet a number of requirements to become a Formula One racer – you’ll need to spend two years of licensed racing in a junior class of single-seat vehicles, like go-karts, as well as 40 race points from victories. You’ll also need 300 hours in a Formula One car itself on a course or as a junior member of a team – and, of course, you’ll need to be a legal adult.

Keeping all of this in mind, Formula One looks like a hard hobby to break into – but if you’ve got the skill and the commitment to go the extra mile, those steps should help you get started.

A History of Formula One Racing

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carl-turnley-f1historyFormula One racing uses the fastest one-seater cars developed for road racing, deriving most of their speed from the fact that they can take corners with immense speed and create aerodynamic push that further bolsters their velocity. All vehicles in Formula One races must follow a set of standards first devised in 1946 before several revisions.

These 1946 standards led into the first Formula One events, namely the 1950 race at Pau in southwest France and subsequent world championship at Silverstone. From there, interest was piqued, and seasons started in earnest – the big developments in this era were mostly derived from alterations to the vehicle models.

Early races saw domination by Italian manufacturers like Alfa Romeo and Ferrari, and although the former managed to outspeed the competition during the 1950 season, Ferrari soon developed a new methodology that gave them a massive advantage over the competition.

Enzo Ferrari realized that increasing the engine power of their super-cars would mean lowered fuel efficiency, and that the resulting time spent refueling would ultimately neutralize any advantage from their more powerful cars. As a result, he equipped the Ferrari Formula One team with V12 4.5-litre 375s that saw nearly four times the miles per gallon and decreased pit time hugely.

Things changed again in 1958 when Stirling Moss breezed across the finish line in the 1958 Argentine Grand Prix, marking the first major win by a driver whose engine was mounted behind the driver’s seat. The British had realized that rear-mounted engines could give their cars better handling and weight, putting them at a sizable advantage over the formerly titanic Italian teams.

Dozens of minor alterations and changes to the platform continued until the late 1960s, when a new issue arose – the ever-growing speeds at which drivers moved meant that crashes were often fatal, and safety became more of a focus than it ever had before. Changes to the supercars led to better handling and more focus on protecting drivers.

Over the next several decades, titans rose and titans fell – names like Niki Lauda, James Hunt and John Watson proved their skill on the road and made Formula One racing a titan of world entertainment.

A Review of the 2019 Bahrain Grand Prix

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carl-turnley-grandprixLet’s take a moment to recap the 2019 Bahrain Grand Prix, a race that was certainly exciting and action-packed:

The winner of the race was Lewis Hamilton driving for Mercedes. Lewis admitted it wasn’t his finest weekend until the final 10 laps of the race. He insisted Ferrari were “incredibly quick” during the race. During the middle stint of the race, he had a competitive race with Sebastian Vettel. Fortunately, Hamilton was able to perform a dazzling move on the brakes to surpass Sebastian and take second place. On lap 48, Hamilton passed Charles Leclerc to take first place. On the final stretch, Leclerc’s vehicle had a loss of power, due to cylinder failure, which resulted in not taking the victory lap.

The loser of the race was deemed to be Sebastian Vettel. He had an incredible start; however, it was downhill beginning on lap 38. His vehicle spun out, which resulted in Lewis Hamilton passing him up. The effects of the spin out caused the front wing to break off. From that point on, his hopes of getting a podium position were eliminated, he finished the race in fifth place. On a positive note, he finished the race one short of 100 races in his career. A feat only accomplished by Hamilton (130) and Michael Schumacher (142).

The race team considered the winner would be Mercedes. Mercedes was off to a great start during the season-opener; however, when they arrived in Bahrain the dust seemed to have settled. Ferrari was apparently no match for the Mercedes cars. Ferrari excelled during practice and in qualifying. Ferrari secured the front row during qualifying. It was expected for Hamilton to at least earn a podium spot, but not for his teammate Bottas. To much a surprise, it was Mercedes that took first and second place. This one-two finish was a first for Mercedes since 2014. It earned Mercedes 39 points clear of their rivals Ferrari in the constructor’s championship.

The overall winner was considered the Bahrain International Circuit. The usual warm desert sun was not out on Sunday, before the Grand Prix. Nevertheless, the climate was forgotten as the Bahrain International Circuit produced a stormy race of their own. The race was exciting throughout the event, especially the final 10 laps.

The Top Five F1 Races of All Time

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Formula 1 began in 1950 and has seen its fair share of classic events. After all, there have been nearly 900 Formula 1 races over the years. With so much content, and with so much history, you’re sure to find dozens of exciting, timeless moments.

However, we aren’t looking for classic moments here. We are looking for incredible races – races that are exciting, incredible displays of racing skill from beginning to end.

2008 Brazilian Grand Prix

The 2008 Brazilian Grand Prix was the conclusion to a tightly fought season. Lewis Hamilton was only 7 points ahead of Felipe Massa. Hamilton had to finish in the top 5 to maintain his lead. Felipe Massa started the race on the pole; Hamilton started in fourth. Even is Massa won the race, if Hamilton finished in the top five, Massa would lose the championship.

After rain stalled the race, Hamilton came out of the pits in sixth position. Massa ended up taking first place home; however, in the last turn, Hamilton took 5th position and took home the championship by just one point.

2012 Brazilian Grand Prix

The season was a tight one between Fernando Alonso and Sebastian Vettel. The only thing stopping this race from being higher on the list is the fact that it finished under caution. Vettel ended up becoming a triple world champion at the conclusion of this race.

1988 Japanese Grand Prix

A stalled engine, a close finish, and tight season standings make this race stand out from others. Ayrton Senna ultimately won the race and the championship.

1957 German Grand Prix

This is arguably the best Formula 1 race to ever take place, and it happened only seven years after the racing organization was formed. Legendary driver Juan Manuel Fangio displayed what he was known for: incredible racing.

Fangio was driving a Maseratti and started on the pole. Fangio had a unique strategy: he used softer tires and never filled up past half a tank. This gave him greater speed around corners due to the softer tires and lighter load.

Fangio had a 30 second lead on the competition during his first pit stop, but things went terribly wrong. His pit team lost a tire. Fangio exited 48 seconds behind first place. Fangio broke the fastest lap record 9 times to take back first place and go home with the Championship.

1981 Spanish Grand Prix

Gilles Villeneuve’s journey from qualifying seventh and taking home the victory is another legendary race.

Villeneuve’s car had the clear advantage on straight stretched, but he was lacking speed around corners. It was his excellent strategy that earned him the victory. Villeneuve’s car was in the right places at all the right times, stopping Laffite from ever being able to pass him.

Not everyone will agree with these choices because there are countless classic races in Formula 1.

 

Changes Coming to F1 for 2019 Racing Season

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Those who are fans of Formula One racing are well aware of one of the problems the sport faces. In most Formula One races, those who start in the first rows almost always win unless there is an accident on the track.

There are two reasons for this. Formula One teams are experts at what they do. They know how to pace out a race to make sure that nothing goes wrong from start to finish. Another problem is that it is very hard to pass and overtake on the track.

In order to make it easier for drivers to pass, and to add some more excitement to F1, there are changes being made to the setup of the cars for the 2019 racing season. These changes are in anticipation of more extensive changes that are to be implemented in the 2021 season.

For 2019, the front wings on an F1 car will be wider, and there will be fewer flaps. This is being done in order to make it more aerodynamically possible for a driver to follow another driver closely. Right now, the setup of the cars causes turbulence when in the following position. This makes it harder for drivers to maintain the position that they need to be in to take advantage of passing opportunities.

There will also be a change in the design of the front brake ducts. There are currently small wings on the brake duct assemblies. In 2019, these will no longer be used. With this redesign, the brake ducts will be more apt to serve their intended purpose of providing cooling. It is hoped that this change will also help to end the problem of blown front axles that plagued several of the racing teams such as Ferrari, Force India and Haas during the current racing season.

There will be changes in the rear wing of the cars in 2019 as well. The rear wings will be taller and wider. The design of the rear wing will be simplified. This change will increase the downforce on the vehicle. This will stop the practice of coasting that some drivers currently use to make sure that they don’t run out of fuel.

With these changes in place for the 2019 Formula One season, the racing should be more exciting. There may be more chances for drivers to make a move resulting in fewer pole to win situations.