11 Amazing Formula One Circuits Around the World
Formula One, also known as Formula 1 or F1 is the highest class of single seater auto racing sanctioned by the Federation Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA). The word “formula” itself refers to a set of rules which all participants’ cars must obey. The racing drivers, constructor teams, track officials, organizers, and circuits are required to be holders of valid Super Licences, the highest class of racing licence issued by the FIA. If you are a Formula One lover, I bet that you must have been familiar with many circuits used for Formula One. Designed by professional engineer, those circuits just look great with their long track, various corners, and their aerial view from top. The design work of the circuits are begun by considering some factors such as topography, wind direction, infrastructure and soil quality. The most well-known Formula One motor racing circuit designer is Hermann Tilke. Some of their works are Sepang International Circuit, Shanghai International Circuit, Circuit de Catalunya, Bahrain International Circuti, Valencia Street Circuit, Istanbul Park Circuit, Yas Marina Circuit, and Buddh International Circuit. Here you can enjoy eleven amazing F1 circuits either those designed by Hermann Tilke or those which are not.
Valencia Circuit
Valencia Circuit is a Formula One racing circuit which started to be used in 2008. The signing of the contract took place on June 1, 2007 by the relevant parties including the boss of F1 and the city of Valencia government. The contract is valid from the 2008 season through the 2014 season. The track is located on the port side with 11 corners. It utilizes the roads skirting around the city's harbour and America's Cup port area. Valencia has a total length of 4005 meters and a straight line with a length of 876 meters. With a width of only 12 feet, the Valencia circuit is quite narrow. It has a capacity of 120 thousand spectators with 60 thousand seats. It is estimated that for each race Valencia will spend 26 million euro.
Shanghai international circuit.
This circuit, which is located in Shanghai China, was opened in 2004 and immediately agreed to cooperate for 7 seasons. The track layout was inspired from the Chinese character shang (?) the first character in the name of the city Shanghai, meaning "above" or "ascend". Because it is so phenomenal, this circuit has never been dominated by one rider as the other circuits since it first held the F1 event. The modern design of the layout makes this circuit a favorite circuit in the world. This is because there are a lot of places becoming the spot to overtake opponents. Shanghai circuit has 16 corners and has a length of 5451 meters. The circuit is able to produce the fastest lap record of 1 minute 34 558 seconds which was achieved by Sebastian Vettel.
Istanbul Park Circuit.
Istanbul Park Circuit, Turkey, which is also known as the Istanbul Racing Circuit, began to be used for Formula 1 in 2005. At the same time MotoGP also used it for one of MotoGP races. Unfortunately, the circuit only held a MotoGP racing twice, which were in the early year of the opening of the circuit, and a year later in the 2006 season. But for the Formula 1 race, the circuit has become very phenomenal, because this circuit adopts an anti-clock-wise system. Furthermore, this circuit is considered to be one of the circuits that have a distinctive character because the layout is very challenging, and has adopted modern circuit design. The circuit and its facilities were designed by Hermann Tilke, who said he designed the track to try to catch the drivers out.With a length of 5338 meters and corners, the circuit is able to accommodate 155 thousand the number of spectators.
Circuit de Catalunya, Barcelona
Circuit de Catalunya is one of the circuits located on the outskirts of Barcelona, Spain, exactly in Montmelo. This circuit is used for Formula One, GP2, MotoGP, and the Spanish GT. The total length of this circuit is 4627 km with 13 corners. The construction of the circuit De Catalunya was done to provide beauty by combining the art state of the circuit to its location. It makes the circuit the most beautiful circuit in Europe. With this design, the Circuit De Catalunya wins the trophy from “Best Grand Prix " for the year 2001 and has a capacity of 104,000 spectators.
Yas Marina Circuit Abu Dhabi.
The circuit is located on Yas Island, which is 30 minutes from the capital of the United Arab Emirates, Abu Dhabi. Yas Marina circuit was designed by Hermann Tilke by taking the concept of "Arab version of its" Monaco circuit. That's why this circuit has many narrow corners. Part of the track runs through one of the on site hotels. In total, there are 21 corners to in the track which has a length of 5554 meters. The number of corners on this circuit adds exciting racing moments, particularly the scene of overtaking. Just like the other buildings in the United Arab Emirates, this circuit is built with the best quality ranging from construction steel, the interior until the trajectory itself. In addition, the Yas Marina has now captured the title of the greatest sports arena that has permanent lightning.
Albert Park Circuit, Melbourne.
Albert Park Circuit is one of historical circuits in Australia. This circuit was first opened in 1953, but has ever been vacuum for a long time and was reopened in 1996. This circuit surrounds a lake which was also named after the circuit. Since most of its area is a public street, every year there is a check to know the condition of the road. The track is a temporary facility which follows the roads around Albert Park Lake. Albert Park circuit, which has a 5303 meter long track and 16 corners, adopts a contemporary layout. With the clockwise direction race, the circuit is able to produce the fastest lap record of 1 minute 24,125 seconds which was achieved by Michael Schumacher in 2004. Albert Park circuit itself is fairly easy to reach from the city of Melbourne, because the distance is only about 3 miles south of the city. This circuit can accommodate 300 thousand spectators for a single F1 event for 3-4 days.
Bahrain International Circuit.
Bahrain Circuit, which was built in 2002, is one of the circuits with modern characters. This circuit has 24 corners with a length of 6299 meters. The first F1 race held in this circuit is the one in the year of 2004. Unlike the previous years, in 2010 this circuit use a different layout which is a layout used in an endurance race. To prevent the dessert sand blowing onto the circuit, the organizers spray an adhesive on the sand around the track.
Budd International Circuit, India.
This international circuit is located in India. India was praised for its unprecedented management and coordination for the racing held on this circuit. What made Buddh circuit so exciting is the dramatic turns and changes in elevation. Such challenges are very interesting for racers. Michael Schumacher even said that the 5.137 km track has a challenging lay out. There are some tight corners, but there is also a lot of high-speed stuff which feels a lot faster than initially thought it would.
Nurburging Circuit, Germany
Nurburgring circuit is located in the town of Nurburg, Germany 70 km south of Cologne, and 120 km northwest of Frankfurt. It was built in 1984 with the length of 5148 meters and 16 corners. The fastest lap record is still held by Michael Schumacher in 2004 which is 1 minute 29,468 seconds. This circuit requires maximum downforce settings. If the drivers want to win races or record the fastest lap, they must have a competitive car. Due to the location of the circuit which is close to the Eifel mountains, the weather can play an important role. Once, the Nurburgring was not included in the F1 calendar, because F1 Germans have biennial cycles between the Nurburgring and Hockenheim.
Monaco Circuit
Monaco circuit is located in the city of Mone Carlo and La Condamine around the Monaco harbour. It is a street circuit with the lap itself is dominated by slow speed corners and undulations playing havoc. This circuit is known as "Monte Carlo" because most part of the circuit is in the area of ??Monte Carlo, Monaco. This circuit is used in one week every month of May each year as the host of Formula 1. It has a lot of rise and fall, tight corners, and a short straight line that make this circuit the most exciting Formula 1 race. Despite the fact that this circuit has changed several times throughout its history, the circuit is still the biggest test for the ability to race a Formula 1 racer. With the tight and narrow, it is clear that driver skill is more important than the power of the car itself. Therefore, the possibility to overtake the other is very small and dangerous. The famous tunnel section gives an obstacle to the driver to get through because of the rapid transition from light to dark, then back to light again.
Sepang Circuit, Malaysia
Sepang circuit is a circuit that is quite successful in holding a variety of racing events because in addition to F1 and MotoGP, this circuit also held various other racing events. The circuit has a length of 5543 meters, has 15 corners. Sepang circuit has applied a modern circuit layout since the design is made directly by Hermann Tilke. Actually, this circuit has been available since around 1962. But the design was originally intended for the dirt circuit, so there were not many racing held. In 1968 it was initiated a big significant change so that Formula One can already be held on this circuit. In 1991 the circuit was also used as a venue for the first race of MotoGP with its new design.
