F1GP/WC TRACK GUIDES
Note that not all of these tracks are present in the current FIA
calendar, and most of the ones that are have been changed somewhat.
Still, after getting familiar with the ones that are still raced
at, you
should feel quite at home riding with Michael Schumacher or Damon
Hill
via their in-car cameras.
This section is biased towards the PC version. The track
descriptions
are mostly valid for the Amiga and ST too, but the replays won't
work
and there are minor differences in the track layouts.
Phoenix Grand Prix Circuit, Phoenix, Arizona, USA
Moving down Jefferson Street, you brake for a right-hander into
Madison
Street, then for a left-hander onto Jackson Street. Then comes
another
left-hander, a right-hander, and a short straight down to the
hairpin.
Then there's a right hander leading to a very fast right-left
combination, exiting onto the back straight, Washington Street,
followed
by a right-left combination onto Adam(s?) Street. Then comes
another
left-right, then a long, accelerating left-hander leading back onto
Jefferson.
Autodromo Jos? Carlos Pace, Interlagos, Brazil
Moving across the start/finish line, you brake into the left/right
Descida do Sol (now renamed the Senna S). This is a great place to
try
an outbraking maneuver, but care should be taken not to tangle with
anyone leaving the pits, before entering the long left-hander Curva
do
Solthat leads onto the Rete Oposta, a very long straight where
there's
plenty of scope for slipstreaming. At the end of the Rete Oposta,
you
brake for the Subida da Lago left-hander. You can try outbraking an
opponent into here but often they will simply drive into you. This
corner is followed by another left-hander taken at full speed,
followed
by a short straight where you might be able to draft a car, before
Ferra
Dura, a totally evil fast extended right-hander. This is followed
by
Laranji, a slow right hander which is made tricky both by the AI
cars,
who brake ridiculously early for it, and by the fact that there are
no
brake markers, which will typically result in the inexperienced
driver
under-braking and ending up mowing the grass. Immediately after
comes
Pinheirinho, a slow left-hander where you may just be able to slip
past
an opponenet, especially on the exit where you may be able to blast
through on the left before they move over for Bico de Pato, a
right-hand
hairpin where late-brakers are again liable to end up on the grass.
Then
comes Mergulho, a left-hander which with a light fuel load (or a
high-downforce setup) can be taken flat out. After a short straight
you
come to Jun?ao, a left-hander which exits onto Subida dos Boxes,
the
segmented curves which form the start/finish straight.
Autodromo Enzo and Dino Ferrari, Imola, Italy (San Marino)
After crossing the line you sweep left into Tamburello, a
full-speed
left-hander. Then comes Rettifilo, a right hand flick, and Tosa, a
slow
left-hander. A right-hand flick leads into Piratella, a fast left,
followed by another left leading downhill to Acque Minerale, a
left-right-left combination. Moving back up the hill you flick
left,
then pass through the fast right-left Variante Alta chicane. Then
comes
a full-speed right hander, another left-hander, before going back
downhill into Rivazza, a pair of medium-slow left-handers. Then
comes a
short straight before Variante Bassa, a fast right-left chicane,
followed by Traguardo, a slow left-right chicane leading back onto
the
start/finish straight.
Circuit de Monaco, Monte Carlo, Monaco
The first corner is Ste Devote, a medium speed right-hander,
followed by
a "straight", Montee de Baue Rivage, which winds left-right uphill,
past
Roses Bar and into the Massenet left-hander, followed immediately
by
Casino, a slower right-hander. Then comes a short straight leading
down
to Mirabeau, a right-hander, followed Loews, the very slow
left-hand
hairpin. Then comes a right-hander followed by another, Portier,
which
exits into the tunnel, a long sweeping right hander. After that
comes
Nouvelle Chicane, a left-right followed by a faster right-left,
exiting
onto a short straight before reaching Tabac, a fast left-hander
which
tightens suddenly into the swimming pool complex, where you weave
right,
left, left, right, before sweeping left into the Rascasse double
right-hander. A tiny straight leads to Antony Noghes, a right
hander
which exits onto the right-hand sweeping start-finish straight.
Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, Montreal, Canada
Accelerating across the start line, you sweep left round T1 at full
speed (unleess you see computer cars trying to draft each other),
braking just for the Island Hairpin, a tight right-hander which is
a
good place for outbraking. A short straight follows where you might
be
able to pass, then you flick through T3 and T4, which form the
first
chicane, a very fast right-left comination, followed shortly by T5,
a
right hand flick. Brake into T6, slowish left-hander, followed
immediately by T7, a faster right hander. It is possible to
outbrake
someone into T6, but a better plan is to wait until the straight
that
follows T7 and slipstream past them, or outbrake them into T8, a
right-hander which, with the left-hander T9, forms the second
chicane;
watch out for the computer cars trying to outbrake each other here,
as
one of them usually ends up on the grass. The next straight has a
left-hand flick, after which you can get a tow and outbrake
opponents
into the Pits Hairpin, a slow right-hander. If you're still stuck
behind
someone, now is a good time to try to out-drag them because the
track
narrows and sweeps at full speed through the rapid right-left-right
combination of T11, Casino Bend, and T12, before coming up on the
pit
entrance. Finally you fly through the tricky final chicance,
T14/T15;
watch out for computer cars trying to slipstream each other here,
as it
invariably ends up with one spinning.
Autodromo Hermanos Rodrigeuz, Mexico City, Mexico
You fly down the very long main straight before coming into a
medium
speed left-right-left combination where with skill you can outbrake
other cars. If you are still behind someone upon exiting, you can
get a
tow and pass them on the subsequent short straight, and perhaps try
another outbraking move as you enter the nasty fast right, slow
left
combination waiting at the end. Then there's another short straight
followed by a slow right-hander, which leads into the Esses, a
series of
increasingly fast turns going left, right, left, right, left,
right,
left before exiting onto the back straight, to move past the
pit-entrance and into Peralta, a terrifyingly fast right-hander
which
leads back onto the main straight.
Circuit de Nevers, Magny Cours, France
Moving across the start/finish straight, you sweep left at high
speed
round Grand Courbe, where it's not advisable to try and get
alongside an
AI car as they're likely to move over into you. Then comes Estoril,
a
right-hander which leads onto the main straight, Golf, which is
divided
by two slight right-hand kinks where you do not want to be
alongside an
AI car. At the end of Golf you come to Adelaide, a very sharp
right-hand
hairpin where it's easy to outbrake a whole load of AI cars at
once. A
brief burst of acceleration must be curtailed whilst you pick your
way
through a right-left-right combination called Esse. A short
straight
leads to N rburing, a right-left chicane taken at full speed,
followed
by the unimaginatively titled 180 Degrees, a left-hand hairpin.
Next is
another straight where it's possible to do some more slipstreaming,
but
be careful to get back over to the left of the track before Imola,
a
high speed right-left chicane followed by Ch?teau d'Eau, a
moderately
slow right-hander where you may be able to outbrake one or two cars
before exiting onto a short straight which leads to Chicane, a
right-left chicane just before Lyc?e, the very sharp right-hander
which
leads onto the start/finish straight.
Silverstone, Northamptonshire, Great Britain
Crossing the starting line you approach the famous Copse, an
extremely
fast right right-hand bend followed by a short straight. Weave
through
the Maggots/Becketts right-left-right combination. The Becketts
right-hander is followed by Chapel, which leads to the long Hangar
straight. Coming next, sitting atop a rise, is Stowe Corner, a
double
apex right-hander followed by the Vale complex (a short straight
and a
fast left-hander and slow right-hander), then by Club corner, a
fast
left-hander, onto Abbey straight, followed by a left kink onto Farm
Straight and a very fast right called Bridge. Then there's a slow
left-hander, Priory, followed by another, Brooklands, then an
anonymous
right hander, and Luffield, a second right-hander leading onto
Woodcote,
a flat-out right hander which forms the grid and leads back onto
the
start/finish straight.
Hockenheimring, Heidelberg, Germany
The start line is followed by a flat-out right-hand flick onto a
long
straight leading to Schikane 1, a slow right-left chicane followed
by a
sweeping right hander leading round to the second chicane, a
medium-fast
left-right followed by the Ost Kurke, a fast sweeping right-hander.
Then
another straight leads to Schikane 2, a very fast left-right
chicane and
a left-hand flick at the exit. Another straight leads down to the
Agipkurve, a fast right-hander, followed by Sachskurve, a slow
left-hander. Then you wind through the Stadium complex, right,
right,
and right through the Opelkurve and back over the start line.
Hungaroring, Budapest, Hungary
[To be rewritten.]
The only Eastern European takes place here at this slow and narrow
circuit. Passing is very difficult, even with late braking due to
the
narrowness of the racing line. Once off this line it can be hard to
keep
up are racing speed without going off. Despite all this, a fast lap
is
very rewarding and achieving a good set-up is also a nice bonus.
Any
passing opportunity should be taken but getting trapped behind a
long
snake of cars can be very frustrating, especially if you reach them
just
after the main straight. Due to the profusion of corners, the cars
are
set up with plenty of downforce.
Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, Francorchamps, Belgium
[To be rewritten.]
The real drivers favorite, this is a long street course with an
excellent lay out, this is the course that features the best corner
in
the world, Eau Rouge. Eau Rouge is an amazing left, right, left
sequence
which can be taken almost flat out, but will bite you back if
anything
goes wrong. The race begins with a short straight followed by a
very
tight hairpin where there is almost always a crash on the first
lap, the
track is then made up of long straight connected by twisty sections
that
test a drivers ability. The lap finished with the Bus Stop chicane
which
the computer cars take in 3rd but with the right line, you should
be
able to take in 5th.
Autodromo Nazionale di Monza, Milan, Italy
[To be rewritten.]
The home of the Italian Grand Prix, and the Tifosi. Always a large
Ferrari following here, though any Italian driver will get a huge
boost
here. This track held the fastest Grand Prix ever, but now the huge
straights have been broken up with chicanes. The track is still
quick,
however, so the cars don't carry all that much downforce. Most
overtaking will be done through slip streaming and during slowing
down
for the chicanes. It is possible to go quite quickly through the
first
chicane if your line is right, but this can be tricky and will
certainly
cause a spin if done wrong.
Autodromo de Estoril, Portugal
Coming off the start-finish straight you sweep right round T1 and
then
T2 before braking for the slower right T3. Then comes T4, a
left-hand
hairpin, followed by a straight broken up by T5, a right-hand kink.
This
is followed by T6, a left-hand 180, then by T7, a right-hander, and
T8,
a faster right. Then comes T9, a fast right, and T10, a slow left
leading into T11, a long and very fast right-hander leading back
onto
the start-finish straight.
Circuit de Catalunya, Barcelona, Spain
[To be rewritten.]
Strangely similar to Estoril, this circuit follows the same basic
design, except the back section is very twisty, so quite a bit of
downforce is required on the cars. The flat out corner is moved
from the
end of the straight to the start, and this resembles Mexico in some
way,
although the corner does not have the same length as Peralta.
Suzuka, Shiroko, Japan
[To be rewritten.]
The season ends with a long haul out to the East for the Japanese
and
Australian Grand Prix. Suzuka circuit is the only figure of 8 in
the
season, and the track was designed to fit into as small a space as
possible so the track is incredibly twisty with many corners and
turns.
The track also features the Casio Chicane, which is infamous for
deciding championships, in past years two championships have been
decided here, and there is always a controversial accident here
every
year. A good set up can be hard to achieve, since all the corners
look
as if they can be taken flat out, and it isn't until you spin off
that
you realize that they cant! Any overtaking chances should be taken
as
there are not that many places to overtake, even with out breaking.
Adelaide Grand Prix Circuit, Adelaide, Australia
From the start line you fly through the frightening left-right
chicane
and flick left through the following corner onto Wakefield Road,
before
braking for the right hander into Flinders Street, which is ended
by a
left-hander, then a right-hander onto East Terrace before a fast
left-right chicane terminated abruptly by a slow right-hander
leading
onto the short Jones Straight. A right-hand flick leads to Brabham
Straight, a very long straight run leading down to a very slow
right
hander, followed by a left, left combination, Wakefield Road, then
a
fast left, fast right, before the right-hand hairpin which leads
onto
the start-finish straight.
Christian Peper aka Dreams Email: j.c.a.pe...@research.kpn.com
PAV B38, +31-50-58(21054), KPN Research, the Netherlands
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