2021 F1 Schedule

https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/qatar-circuit-pitlane-entry-changed-dramatically-for-f1-race/6686840/

Qatar circuit pitlane entry changed "dramatically" for F1 race
By: Adam Cooper
Oct 15, 2021, 9:11 AM
FIA Formula 1 race director Michael Masi says that work to update the Losail circuit for November's Qatar Grand Prix has nearly been completed.
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Masi visited the regular MotoGP venue this summer immediately after the Hungarian GP, in company with F1 sporting director Steve Nielsen, while negotiations to hold a race were still under way.

Although the track has an FIA Grade 1 licence for car racing and was used for a GP2 Asia event in 2009, Masi's inspection confirmed exactly what work was required in order to make it suitable for current F1 cars.

As previously reported, a new pit entry was the only modification required to the actual track layout, while some kerbs and barriers needed some updating.

The venue was formally added to the 2021 F1 calendar last month and is due to host a race over the 19-21 November weekend, while an agreement has been reached for a new facility to host a race from 2023.

"They're changing the pitlane entry completely," said Masi. "So what was the pitlane entry for bikes will change, dramatically. That work is nearly completed.

"It's a very different ilk in the MotoGP or FIM world. So it's been trying to adapt in a relatively short period, which is the other part that we need to consider, that we're not talking about a huge period of time.

"I'll head there again next weekend, prior to Austin, to have a look, but nearly all the works have been completed."

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Atmosphere at pitlane

Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images

Updating a track that has long been established for the requirements of bike racing has presented an unusual challenge.

"Obviously the big parts have been safety requirements for bikes when it comes to Tecpro barriers and things like that," said Masi.

"There's a number of double kerbs that have been installed. Obviously, the circuit is ostensibly a bike circuit. So apex sausages, so people don't cut corners on the inside, double kerbs on exits, are the big one from a circuit perspective.

"As well there's a significant number of barrier upgrades, with regards to Tecpro and tyres around the entire venue. But the pitlane entry's probably the biggest actual track change, let's call it."

The existing pit garage complex at the venue was deemed to be suitable for F1.

"There's more than enough," said Masi. "I think it's about 40 garages as a base number. And when we were there, they'd already finished an extra 10, if I recall correctly. So there's 50 pitlane garages in total. There's more than enough space.

"Garages, paddock space, all things like that were all fine from the circuit end. I think it'll be a good little venue for this year."

Although not part of the actual FIA inspection, new paddock hospitality buildings are being put in place.

 

No real loss I think!

https://www.bbc.com/sport/formula1/58918353

Chinese Grand Prix: Shanghai race expected to be dropped from 2022 F1 calendar

The Chinese Grand Prix is expected to be dropped from the 2022 Formula 1 calendar when next year's schedule is published on Friday.

The Shanghai race has not been held since the coronavirus pandemic began and restrictions surrounding Covid in China mean holding it is impossible.

It will be replaced by the Emilia Romagna GP at Imola on 24 April.

F1 is set to publish a record 23-race calendar with all the other established events absent this season reinstated.

 

Won't miss it one bit.

Especially not if we can have places like Imola, Mugello and Portimao instead.

 

I'm actually looking forward to the return of the South African GP in 2023 at Kyalami.

 

F1: Kyalami wants South African GP confirmed by early 2023

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https://www.news24.com/wheels/formulaone/f1-kyalami-wants-south-african-gp-confirmed-by-early-2023-20211017

 

Looks already cool. I remember the barren "sand dunes" of the surrounding hills. It's sadly where my hero Marc Surer ended his F1 career in a crash that badly injured his legs.

 

Saudi ArabianGP dress attire. "We Race as One".......

Females:

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Damn, I love it! Could we please make that the dress code for US society as well?

 

This cannot be a surprise to anyone. A conservative society it is. Not news unless you have lived on the moon lol.

 

Saudi Arabian (Jeddah) update.....5 weeks to go.

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https://www.gpblog.com/en/news/97571/no-dress-code-in-saudi-arabia-after-fuss-and-criticism.html

 

Pitty.

 

Does that mean MTS will show-up again in her "fashionable" attire.

I bet once she got off the plane, a Saudi official would have told her to change.

 

Hope they sent a copy of that to Lewis.

 

Interesting read on new circuit assessment/preparations -- https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/the-secrets-of-preparing-for-a-new-f1-circuit/6722030/

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Autosport Plus
Formula 1 Special feature
The secrets of preparing for a new F1 circuit
By: GP Racing
Oct 29, 2021, 7:07 AM
No Formula 1 team arrives at a ‘new’ circuit entirely unfamiliar with it. As PAT SYMONDS explains, simulation and artificial intelligence does the hard work even before the driver takes their turn
The 2020 and 2021 seasons will be remembered for many things, including the significant disruption caused by a calendar that often shifted in response to an ever-changing pandemic. While nothing good came out of the global crisis, F1 fans were at least able to enjoy their sport and see some variety compared with the formulaic calendars of the previous few years.

Imola and Istanbul were reintroduced in 2020, while F1 raced at Mugello and Portimao for the first time. This season, Jeddah in Saudi Arabia and Losail in Qatar have been added, as well as returning again to Imola, Zandvoort, Istanbul and Portimao to help achieve a 22-race championship.

One might argue that Imola and Istanbul are not new to F1, and cars have tested at Mugello and Portimao in recent years, but while historic data provides an indication of what may be expected of a track, cars and the tyres have changed so much in the intervening period that much of the data is comparative and anecdotal, not quantitative.

So how does a team go about preparing for a new circuits? The answer, of course, lies in simulation – but the initial work will not be done on a simulator, it will be done on a computer with a ‘virtual’ driver so that set-ups and driving lines can be optimised without the initial distraction of subjectivity.

In order to start this simulation, the standard car model will be used, generally with a known set-up that might have been used at another circuit with similar corner speeds and lengths of straights. This will provide a good starting point for the iterations that are needed to get close to an ideal set-up. The car model itself will be extremely sophisticated. Such is the computing power available these days, that is no problem. The first lap time simulation I used was in 1986 and, although it only optimised about five different aero levels and the gear ratios, it took all night to run. Today the simulation will analyse a lap in much less time than it takes to drive it.

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Jeddah Street Circuit, Saudi Arabian GP, F1

Photo by: Steven Tee / Motorsport Images

This first simulation sweep will still concentrate on wing levels to get the right compromise between downforce and drag, but will now be able to adjust all the other settings on the car – such as rideheights and spring stiffnesses – to obtain an optimum. Unlike our early simulations, which always drove the car over a racing line that the engineer would determine by eye, these days the minimum lap time algorithms will seek the ideal racing line for each different set-up to ensure maximum performance.

Of course a good car model and an ‘artificial intelligence’ driver are of no use if we can’t accurately describe the track itself, and in these early runs we may not have particularly sophisticated track information. For a new circuit, the first information the teams will get is a 2D architectural map which they then have to digitise, converting the track limits to X-Y coordinates over the entire area. This early map may or may not have elevation information as well – often this comes in a later version. As the map will generally be based on what the architect intends for the circuit, long before it is actually built, it certainly won’t have all the details of the kerbs so the simulation will generally assume the car stays entirely within track limits.

Simulation is a double-edged sword. Teams love it as they strive for perfection in a controlled environment, but that reduces jeopardy, which in turn reduces the appeal for spectators
The first stage of the investigation will generally look at a multi-factor optimisation. For this, the engineer will set certain bounds of a number of parameters that can be altered. For example, they may set the front rideheight to be investigated between 15mm and 20mm, the front roll stiffness between 1 and 1.2 Newton meters per radian, and the downforce to be in the entire range the wings designed for the car can obtain.

It would not be unusual to allow nine or 10 set-up parameters to be investigated this way. The simulation then automatically runs many combinations of the variables and presents the results in a specific type of diagram (below), where each of the input parameters is displayed in multiple axes alongside the output parameters such as lap time, maximum speed and end of straight rideheights. At first sight this might look like a spider's web, but a little inspection shows the trade-offs between lap time and end of straight speed, to name but two.

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Photo by: Pat Symonds

From this, a basic set-up is adopted and it’s time to move to the full simulator. This is sometimes known as the ‘driver-in-the-loop’ simulator, as the inputs and line seeking algorithms of the first simulations are replaced by a driver using visual and vestibular feedback to drive the car. At this stage a lot more detail is needed, and lidar scans of the circuit are used to give photo-realistic scenery and track markings. This adds a lot to the computing power needed, as does simulating the engine and transmission dynamic responses – which will be done by a control unit identical to that used in the real car.

The driver now works with the engineer to hone the set-up to his or her liking. Lap time is the ultimate goal, but using the same data analysis tools as they would use trackside, the engineering team will also examine factors such as stability, tyre energies and even, if the scenery detail is good enough, practice the pit entry for faster pitstops.

Simulation is a double-edged sword. Teams love it as they strive for perfection in a controlled environment, but that reduces jeopardy, which in turn reduces the appeal for spectators. However, the genie is out of the bottle. Simulations will only become more sophisticated in the years to come.

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Circuit pitlane

Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images

 

A First Look At The Jeddah Corniche Circuit






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I thought there was a specification in the "rules" that stated a new road racing surface had to be "on the track" at least 2 months before the scheduled race.

 

Pics of Yas Marina's new turns configuration (resurfaced area)

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For Yas the description of work and different pictures -

https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/abu-dhabi-gp-bosses-reveal-first-images-of-f1-track-changes/6758948/#gal-6758948-p0-north-hairpin-1
Abu Dhabi GP bosses reveal first images of F1 track changes
By: Jonathan Noble
Nov 8, 2021, 4:15 AM
Abu Dhabi Formula 1 chiefs have revealed the first images of the major track changes at the Yas Marina Circuit aimed at helping overtaking.
North Hairpin - 1
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1/6
After complaints last year about the venue not delivering enough of a spectacle for F1, circuit bosses gave the green light for a major overhaul of the layout.

Following months of work, the raft of tweaks in three areas of the track have now been completed and resulted in the track being slightly shorter at 5.28km.

The biggest tweak is at the newly renamed Marsa corner at the end of the second backstraight, where a sequence of 90-degree bends have been replaced by a single banked turn. Simulations suggest cars will take this at 240km/h.

The hairpin before the first back straight has also been changed, with the chicane before it removed and the tight turn itself widened to a 20-metre wide corner.

It is expected that cars will be approaching this hairpin at 300km/h.

A less obvious change has also been made at the hotel complex, where the corners have been opened up slightly to try to allow cars to follow each other better.

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Hotel Section - 1

Saif Al Noaimi, Deputy CEO of Abu Dhabi Motorsports Management that runs the event, said: “It’s an incredible moment in history for Yas Marina Circuit.

“These are the first upgrades to the track since the circuit was first constructed in 2009, since then Formula 1 cars, along with others in our fleets, have evolved in their design and performance and as such, we are committed to progressing with them to offer the ultimate racing experience across the events held at the circuit.

“The changes will amplify the competitive nature of all motorsports events held at the venue but, with it right around the corner, we are of course especially excited to see how the action unfolds on the new circuit layout during next month’s season finale.”


Mark Hughes, Managing Director of Mrk1 Consulting with consulted on the track design, added: “After almost a year of planning with Abu Dhabi Motorsports Management, it’s amazing to see the designs come to life over the past few months.

“Yas Marina Circuit is already one of the most modern and impressive Formula 1 tracks in the world, and these enhancements will ensure spectators in attendance will see a wealth of entertainment across all motorsports disciplines moving forward, as well as providing exhilarating racing for those on the track.”

T

 

https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/f1-chiefs-admit-work-finishing-jeddah-circuit-will-go-down-to-the-wire/6787806/

F1 chiefs admit work finishing Jeddah circuit will go "down to the wire"
By:Adam Cooper
Nov 16, 2021, 6:41 AM
Formula 1 chiefs admit Saudi Arabia's work on finishing its Jeddah Corniche circuit will go "down to the wire", but remain confident enough essential components will be ready for the race to go ahead.


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Reports suggest that the facility is still far from finished ahead of its inaugural race on December 5.

F1 race director Michael Masi, who has to formally sign off the track as being fit for use, will pay a visit on Tuesday to assess progress at first hand.

F1 sporting director Steve Nielsen, who plays a key role in approving the facilities at new venues and helping promoters to meet F1 standards, is also confident that it will be ready, but admitted organisers are "up against it".

"It's an ambitious project, it will be a great facility," he told Autosport.

"They're up against it, they are. But they're literally working 24/7 as they have been for quite a long time now. I saw some more photos this morning, and they've made huge progress. But still a lot to do.

"So it really is going to be down to the wire. But they'll get it done. Everything we need to put the race on safely we'll have, I'm confident of that."

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Jeddah Street Circuit overview

Photo by: Uncredited

Masi flew straight to Doha after Sunday's Brazilian GP, and the Australian is making a quick trip to Jeddah from there before the action kicks off in Qatar next weekend.

"As I said last week, I'm confident that it will be ready," he said. "The fact that it's a three-hour flight it became quite convenient just to go there and have a look."

Masi acknowledged that the original schedule for the building of the venue involved a late finish.

"It was always going to be very close. There's no doubt about that. Everything that I've seen, the progress day-on-day and week-on[week has been amazing since I was there last, and looking forward to having a look on Tuesday."

Formula 1 CEO Stefano Domenicali also remains confident the circuit will be ready in time.

"I think that we are confident with a promoter that he is working day and night, even night and day to arrive there," Domenicali told Autosport. "And I'm confident that they will arrive like this [puts thumb to chin].

"But they are really working very, very hard. And you will see the level of investment that they will provide. It will be perfect, I'm sure, in the next season, but it will be very, very, very good already for this year."

Domenicali conceded that some elements of the venue that aren't essential to running the race might not be ready on time.

 

Spa's new grandstand taking shape.

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https://www.crash.net/f1/news/993603/1/jeddah-f1-circuit-nears-completion-ahead-inaugural-saudi-arabian-gp

Jeddah F1 circuit nears completion ahead of inaugural Saudi Arabian GP
F1
Connor McDonagh
21 Nov 2021

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The all-new Jeddah Formula 1 circuit is nearing completion ahead of next month’s inaugural Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.

Circuit organisers have released images of the Jeddah Corniche Circuit - dubbed as the world’s fastest street circuit.

The latest images have erased any doubts that the circuit wouldn’t be ready in time for the penultimate round of the 2021 season.

The circuit itself looks ready to go, while the infrastructure around the circuit still needs some work.

Organisers confirmed that construction of the circuit was “accomplished under the strictest health and safety conditions” and “with millions of man-hours of work taking place on-site with no serious incidents. All work was carried out according to detailed and robust Saudi Arabian Labour Laws, guaranteeing the protection of the rights of workers on-site including the limiting of working hours in direct sunlight”.


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Speaking after the Mexico City Grand Prix earlier this month, FIA race director Michael Masi always remained confident about the race going ahead, comparing the situation to F1’s first visits to Korea (2010) and India (2011).

“I’m quite confident, having been involved in Korea in 2010 which was the last one talked about, I think India was talked about, both of those went off no problems at all and I’m quite confident that Saudi will be exactly the same,” Masi said.

“Effectively if you take it back to its core element, everything track and safety-related is the core element, so from FIA perspective they’re all the critical things. Having discussed it in detail with Tilke and the promoter I’ve got no concerns in that perspective.”

 

Jeddah pics from yesterday.

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No fat whites guys?
Gonna cut down on ticket sales