Favourite feature of a racing circuit?

[FIA]

What is your favourite feature of a racing circuit?

NOT like corners, but like, The Close Walls of Montreal, Sandoons of Zandvoort or Forrest of Hockhemheim.

[johnny shell]

the tree-lined straights of spa - which I only know through video games as not too many races from SPA are broadcast on american TV.

I also like tracks with boats - like monoco, cleveland, and long beach.

and that big arch think that's in montreal I think it is.

and the yard of bricks at Indy.

sorry if I took every one elses' answers :D

[johnny shell]

and I like cork screws, like at mid-ohio and leguna seca!

[Brown, Jon Brow]

Lakes :erm: , like Oulton Park

[FIA]

Is there one at Mid-Ohio, Is that as good as Laguna Seca's. I also forgot the figure of 8 at Suzuka and The Water around or in between Montreal and Melbourne.

Anyone Else, Lets Keep Going.

[johnny shell]

the one at mid-ohio isn't as good as the one at laguna seca, but it's still cool because the apex of the turn is also the crest of a hill, so the cars can get air born for a second.

here's a pic - the hard to see yellow car at the top of the pic is just about to crest the hill.

[FIA]

Is it also called "The Jump"

[Rollo]

Run off areas.
Motor racing thanks in part to Porsche's efforts and with the help of Jackie Stewart in the 1970s actually had to think about the safety aspect.

I suspect that the op called FIA isn't actually from said organisation because having walls close to cars doing +250km/h is quite frankly dangerous.

Formula One should be proud of it's safety record which has seen potentially dangerous accidents result in little more than nausea from the driver, though in some rare cases, even the greatest drivers are still mortal.

[wmcot]

Grid girls (but only ones with nice teeth!)

[Mark]

Elevation changes are always good, plus a little extra to look at. Not just track, gravel, grass, grandstands.

Monaco takes the crown in this regard ;)

[ArrowsFA1]

Genuinely challenging corners where time can be gained, and lost, in equal measure. The S Curves at Suzuka are a good example, as was 130R.

[johnny shell]

I think that turn at mid-ohio is sometimes called "the jump". it's not often called a cork screw, I know that much

oh yeah - I like it when you can see freeis wheels in the back ground too.

[ShiftingGears]

Genuinely challenging corners where time can be gained, and lost, in equal measure. The S Curves at Suzuka are a good example, as was 130R.

Agreed! Also, elevations and scenery in F1 circuits are nice (even if depressingly uncommon)
Really just something to make circuits distinctive and unique (from a drivers and spectators perspective) and with character.

[wedge]

Go back to using bigger kerbs. It's a challenge for the driver wrestle a car over the kerbs, the compression from the bump and rebound effect and the driver having to make steering wheel corrections.

I love watching Kubica and Hamilton and Liuzzi drifting over the kerbs.

I like the ones in Canada. There's just enough kerb width to straightline the corner/chicane but use too much and there's a bigger kerb on the inside!

There's the chicane at Knockhill and T4 at Sears Point where there used to be big kerbs on the brow of a hill and you'd see a lot of kerb-hopping. A shame we don't see that anymore.

Its a shame the teams and drivers/GPDA unwilling to compromise. They would rather set the car up as stiff as possible and straightline corners and purposely break the car just to make a point to the FIA and circuit owners - I remember the Hungarian GP a few years ago when the GPDA threatened not to race unless they shaved off one of the kerbs.

[msaxman]

i think circuits near large bodies of water are interesting. great scenery, unpredictable weather. thhough it's not an f1 circuit, the [hillip island circuit used by motogp and aussie super v8's is a perfect example.

as for the track itself, large elevation changes make for exciting racing. corners that crest over a hill can be blind, and the ups and downs can upset the balance of the aero and suspension, putting more responsibility in the hands of the driver.

[millencolin]

well it aint an f1 track...

but the back straight at surfers paradise that runs along the beachside is just beautiful. and for a spectator it provides extra comfort with the fresh sea breezes blowing in to combat the hot queensland sun

[Valve Bounce]

Zandvoort had a great corner which preceded a very nice climb. Basically three dimensional corners are much more demanding on both car and driver with both compression and negative vertical type loads in the middle of the corner. These would bring out the best in skill of drivers which cannot be compensated by Trax and the guys who can come out of these corners fastest then can carry that advantage down the following straight.
Flat tracks just don't have the same demands.

[Roamy]

eau rouge - what else is there???

[SteveMcQueen]

A no brainer: Eau Rouge in Spa

[Valve Bounce]

I could mention The Mountain at Bathurst that will simply blow your collective minds.