Formula One's design king rules new tracks

LONDON, England (AP) -- From the tight twists of Monaco and the Hungaroring to the fast, flowing curves of Interlagos and Spa, Formula One is contested on circuits of every type.
Hermann Tilke has designed every new track in Formula One since 1999.

The great tracks of yesteryear always seemed to come together as if by chance. Silverstone is an old airfield, Spa is partly run on public roads and Monza's park setting still features the banking of its historic predecessor.

These days, though, nothing is left to chance when it comes to putting a circuit together -- and the risk-free designer du jour is Hermann Tilke.

German-born Tilke has been the go-to man for every new track on the calendar since he turned Austria's legendary Osterreichring into the A1-Ring in the mid-90s.

Tilke, an architect and engineer by trade, founded Tilke Engineering in 1984, which today has 130 employees. Although a lifelong motor-racing fan, he had to be content with more mundane designs, such as tennis centers, in the early days.

"I always wanted to design brand-new race tracks, but it was only a dream. I didn't think that it could happen," he said.

It was Tilke's work on the A1-Ring that saw F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone turn to him for the design of Malaysia's Sepang circuit in 1999.

He has not looked back since, with F1's growth pushing the construction of new tracks.

He has designed the circuits in Bahrain and Shanghai and this season will see his street venues in Singapore and Valencia make their debuts.

He has also overseen the transformations of the Fuji Speedway, the Nurburgring and Hockenheim.

Tilke's tracks have been criticized for being bland and somewhat uniform. He favors a long straight followed by a sharp turn, which is meant to encourage overtaking in a sport often lacking in on-track excitement.

Outlining his design philosophy, the 52-year-old said: "The balance between F1 driver, track safety and the needs of the spectator is not so easy to work out. In the design process we talk to current and former drivers and they have an influence.

"When we design a new circuit, we have a clean sheet of paper and we start with fresh ideas. We learn from every circuit and, step-by-step, the result is a little bit better than before."

Few would quibble that his most recent creation, Istanbul Park in Turkey, is his best yet.

Not only does it incorporate the tricky slow corners so beloved by sponsors hungry for airtime, but it also features a heart-stopping quick 180-degree corner and utilizes the undulations of the land to great effect.

"It's very important to have some elevations -- it's the third dimension," Tilke explained. "When a corner goes over a hill, it behaves completely differently because it goes light. It's very difficult to drive this very fast."

His designs have usually been backed by governments eager to get onto the F1 calendar. The complex in Shanghai, for instance, cost a reported $450 million to construct.

F1's drive into the Middle East and Asia means more and more lavish tracks will be constructed, all to Tilke's exacting standards.

He has also been instructed to work on new venues in Abu Dhabi, South Korea, Moscow and New Delhi, which are set to be on the F1

 

Excellent Article, thanks for the Post, Neil.

 

I still prefer the old Hockenheim. I used to love to see the cars in thier ultra low downforce configurations and then have to deal with the infield.

 

I knew you would like it, can I have $20,000 so I can start building a race track? If that's a little steep for you, how about $1 for a 3 inch by 3 inch square of sponsorship on the track that I'll build?

 

I agree with that.

The new Hockenheim is a shadow of what the old track was.

And it was fabulous to see bikes racing here too!

 

So true...the old 'Hock' was my first live race. It was amazing and as you mentioned, seeing the cars deal with that first turn in the stadium was magic. It was like there was a patch of ice there. I miss it.
The Tilke tracks remind me of my Lexus....technically very interesting, but lacking character and soul. (maybe I'm getting old)

 

I think you have the wrong Senna, I think that is Ted your looking for.

 

Herman.
How about a bit of divided track, with alternative routes?
It'd make great TV, add some passing and Bernie would love it.

 

the old hock was really great. the current one is probably one of the most boring ones in the calender.

 

I'm not crazy about Tilke's tracks. I think they're victims of the modern era where the track is designed in conjunction with the facilities and amenities. Kind of funny that HT has made millions using his education and technical tools creating race tracks, yet the favorite circuits of both drivers and fans alike are those set up over country roads created by rural townspeople decades ago.

 

Great article.

So much of the current track design is guided (mandated) by the safety campaigns of the FIA and the national sanctioning bodies, so before you anguish about what you see Tilke doing, he's working within a very restrictive environment.

Turkey is a phenomenal track, by any measure...

 

Good article, thanks for the thread. It guys like Tilke that do not get the appreciation they should.

 

So will Tilke design the street course in Paris?

 

Are the track design parameters available anywhere?

 

The track project that I am working for is a Tilke design (www.TheRingoftherockies.com) kinda futuristic, but his tracks seemed to be liked by most of the drivers.

 

Yep, on the FIA site. http://www.fia.com/en-GB/sport/regulations/Pages/Circuits.aspx

I've been recently working at the New Jersey Motosports Park Thunderbolt Circuit and have done significant work at VIR.

 

Hmm.
No negative camber corners.
No gradient changes within braking or cornering zones.
Still coming to terms with the formula for gradient radius and changes but these three combine to restrict some interesting layouts.
Varying radius vertical or combined axis corners seem stopped by the formula. No dips or crests of any note allowed.
Ah well.

Was expecting to see some track viewpoint percentages etc but seems not.

Must be possible to allow passing by alternative line choice somehow.

 

The FIA parameters seemed to deal mostly with requirements like building materials, safety roads, corner beds, etc. Other than a maximum straight length of 2km, and stating that overall track length is recommended not to exceed 7k, I didn't read much that dictated the actual track layout. My personal feelings are that Tilke's designs are just OK, and that the FIA has basically enlisted his company to preserve a continuity and consistency with every new track. They speak each others language.

 

It is interesting to see that the people complaining about Tilke's tracks (not directed at you guys here) are those who also complain that there's no overtaking at all in, let's say, Monaco or Hungary. The Tilke tracks might indeed miss a certain history and kind of magic, but at least we usually see some racing there!

 

He may have gradually improved, but he ruined the Osterreichring. Was the Nurburgring his? Malaysia looks good on paper, but doesn't deliver. The re-designed Hockenheim is horrible--the races tend to be good but usually due to attrition. I don't know the full list, but they said all the new ones are his. Does that include Indy? That was a bad layout.

 

he re designed the 1st corner and leading into the 2nd corner of the 'Ring.

when Malaysia first started hosting the race back in 1999, there was plenty of overtaking. but it's just the current aero designs of cars that makes overtaking so hard these days. look at Indy last time, and Indy last year.

 

Yeah, except most of the Malaysian track is a never-ending sequence of turns with two long straights. The only legitimate chance at passing is before the hairpin.

 

i remember, few years ago, i think 2002, MS had he's front wing broken by JPM at the 1st corner, dropped him all the way back to the grid. he was fighting, and overtaking cars all over the track. the crowd went wild with amazement. i was sitting thru turn 3-4...trully spectacular

but the best was the 2001 Malaysian GP race, in the rain