COTA Austin - construction and infrastructure

[ecapox]

Give us off chamber, blind, top of a rise, downhill, decreasing radius or just corners with multiple options and a mix of all of the above. Test the drivers and the engineers to bring the best out in a race rather than a procession.

X 11,000,000,000,000,000

Those are the key items that i think this track has going for it.

[ringo]

Large scale PDF

I'm a bit dissapointed by the lack of elevation changes. There is one dramatical change in turn one and the rest is rather level. From early statements I expected more but the pictures and the video from the site agree more with the 3D plan. At least it is more than Silverstone probably.

The esses look challenging. They're on the the downhill, imaging the braking and rhythm required to go through cleanly without spinning around or going off. More difficult than the suzuka esses.
We have a section looking like the run up to the Turkey hairpin after that. A hill and a flat corner. Nice opportunity for overtaking there as well.
The hair pin itself is the second opportunity.
After the straight and then the final turn then the first are the other overtaking spots.
That's about 5 overtaking spots. The track looks really good, it's just a matter of scale. If it's very wide it will be fun.

The track needs to be easy for the drivers if we want to see them take risks. This one looks easy at the right points, while it also has some difficult parts to throw the drivers off.
What Tilke has been doing in the past is making difficult tracks to drive on, trying to create chances for driver errors. This had the opposite effect, the drivers were only more careful, and that's how his tracks seemed boring. Easy tracks are more exciting.

[toto1041]

What a terrible track. Tilke sucks so much that he had to copy corners from other tracks (and not good ones except Silverstone) to get something on paper. Unimaginative and stupid.

[WhiteBlue]

I think that this 3.4 miles long track is basically a good one and very suitable for F1. It will certainly be faster than the average Tilke project. I believe the track to be similar in character with Suzuka (3.6 mi) and Monza (3.6 mi), fast and relatively flowing.

In America I see some similarities with Road America (4.0 mi) which is only 12% longer. I would have loved an even longer track with more elevation changes but I think this will do very well. People who like Laguna Seca (2.2 mi) which is 40% shorter will also love this track which has by far superior design, more track configurations, length, location and facilities.

The design could perhaps be improved by connecting T13 and T17 by one big parabolica turn. To get the track length back they could make the straights between T20 and T1 and T18 and T19 longer extending the track further westwards.

I'm convinced that Austin will become a success.

[timbo]

I believe the track to be similar in character with Suzuka and Monza, fast and relatively flowing.

Eh?
Although T3-T9 might stand a chance, but only if they are banked quite a lot IMO.

[andrew]

You when a band has been on the go for a while, they inevitably release a "Best of ..." compilation? Well this is what this track is. The Best of Herman Tilke. Unfortunately he peaked with Sepang and has release any good material since. This track is soon to be found in all good charity shops!

The shape of the track is similar to Abu-Dhabi. Someone please ban this guy from having access to tracing paper! [-o<

[Giblet]

Tilke did some of the design, but was not given free reign. The fella in charge of the development told Tilke in the very beginning that he is being paid to make the track they want, so Tilke will not be able to shoulder all the blame like everyone seems to be spooning him.

[zen_tm]

I wish it was in scale, but turn/kink 10 looks exciting.

Me too - if it was as shown I'd be more interested; I guess we won't really be able to tell if it's any good until there's a race - but just to put the CGI elevation in perspective here is a quick and dirty "real" scale comparison:

[GTO]

I agree with WB. This layout looks interesting, with a good blend of fast & slow turns, long & short straights, hairping bends & bends that open out. The fast, flowing turns & S-curves (med. downforce 1st sector) looks great & will be similar to Silverstone & Suzuka esses. The longest straight (low downforce 2nd sector) looks approx. 1.2km which is about equal to Shanghai main straight. The tight, twisty bit (high downforce 3rd sector) right after the long straight includes the multi-apex parabolica turn. With all three sectors having different set-up requirments, the track looks rather difficult to find the optimum balance with most likely an overall med. downforce set-up. It won't be a low downforce track like Monza or Montreal. The track length of 5.4km is good & on par with Shanghai & Malaysia. Overall, I give it a thumbs up! =D>

[FW17]

Other than turn 15 the circuit looks good and fast (too bad there is no banked corner).

Why would you want the corners banked ? yes fun to drive but not really the biggest challenge.

Give us off chamber, blind, top of a rise, downhill, decreasing radius or just corners with multiple options and a mix of all of the above. Test the drivers and the engineers to bring the best out in a race rather than a procession.

I am not talking 4 left hand banked turns, but one high banked medium speed corner within rules of FIA that would allow the drivers a option with 2 distinct lines.

>> It offers drivers a passing opportunity
>> Keeps a celebrated tradition of US motorsport (which is very important)

[WhiteBlue]

Made screenshots on my biggest srceen from the PDF to get better resolution.

[Pup]

1 will be interesting if the incline isn't entirely in the braking zone.
2, someone pointed out to me that this could be a lot of fun, as it sits right at the bottom of the drop. Fast kink with lots of compression.
3-5, a good set of esses, progressively faster which is interesting.
6-10, my favorite part of the track. Again, progressively faster, and 10, at the crest, will be a make or break corner going into the hairpin.
11, hairpin - nothing special
12, same
13-15, waste of asphalt
16-18, parabolica/diabolica clone
19-20, I don't think there will be much passing here. I'd rather have seen something more like lesmo, as a setup to the straight.

So to me, Sectors 1&2 will be fantastic, but unfortunately sector 3 looks like your standard Tilke garbage. But I'll take it. Overall, great track. Let's hope they get it built.

Wouldn't it have been great if you went from 12 into the parabolic curve, and then 19 became a big opposite hand sweeper into 20 - almost like a double parabolica?

[WhiteBlue]

Wouldn't it have been great if you went from 12 into the parabolic curve, and then 19 became a big opposite hand sweeper into 20 - almost like a double parabolica?

It crossed my mind as well and an option would have been a super double carrousel with 9 apexes. I'm afraid that Bernie would have put in a veto to that. He wants the cars to have at least one very slow section on each track to make the logos visible for TV.

[Pup]

True, but imagine the spectacle of two great drivers battling it out side by side down the back straight, then into two big sweepers and out onto the main straight.

[WhiteBlue]

I agree that the old bugger is seriously oppressive and the sooner he goes the better. I'm afraid he will only go feet first and so we have to hope for that to come a bit sooner than he would like himself.