Reject Grands Prix / Circuits

[ADx_Wales]

I've not been on this forum long, but it appears that even though we discuss the Drivers and Teams that sucked, or to put it politely for some, the drivers that were in the wrong place at the wrong time, there doesnt seem to be any discussion about the worst races, that we as armchair enthusiasts, had to put up with during our years of enjoying the fastest sport in the world.

Do tracks fall under this bracket too? Because I'm pretty sure every member of this forum can think of 5 tracks that F1 should never have to go to (Barcelona, Hungaroring), or never have to go back to (Magny-Cours, Fuji 2007+), or even the tracks that thanks to the kneejerk of safety in F1 (yes I know its paramount) tracks have been modified to keep their F1 status (Suzuka, the 130r is never what it used to be).

Maybe it's more appealing to talk about the teams and drivers because even though they may not have done well as an F1 driver there are certain elements that we do appreciate of the names that have done well in other disciplines, such as David Brabham who is now a successful sportscar driver winning Le Mans, drivers like Olivier Grouillard and Luca Badoer helped the FIA and F1 introduce the 107% Qualifying limit to eliminate the majority of backmarkers.

[shinji]

One word - Valencia.

[ADx_Wales]

Agreed, presuming your talking about Valencia Urban Circuit and not the other abomination that MotoGP use, which would also be a terrible F1 circuit.

[shinji]

Agreed, presuming your talking about Valencia Urban Circuit and not the other abomination that MotoGP use, which would also be a terrible F1 circuit.

The F1 one. It's just so depressing that I can't even be my usual awkwardly witty self when writing about it.

[DemocalypseNow]

Any street circuit, ever.
I can't think of a single good one off the top of my head.
Except Macau, but they don't have that in F1...

[shinji]

Any street circuit, ever.
I can't think of a single good one off the top of my head.
Except Macau, but they don't have that in F1...

And if they did, everyone would be killed by asphyxiation.

[ADx_Wales]

I'm tempted to say all street tracks in that, including Monaco and Singapore.

The only thing thats not letting me say singapore is that the race itself is a novelty, not the venue.

[watka]

Any street circuit, ever.
I can't think of a single good one off the top of my head.
Except Macau, but they don't have that in F1...

And if they did, everyone would be killed by asphyxiation.

I actually think that F1 cars are wide enough to get jammed between the walls at Macau.


Valencia is obviously poor, Barcelona was always made and has since get even worse. Magny-Cours and Singapore are not so made, although Singapore really suffers because the race is so long. TI Aida was crap from what I remember.

[Phoenix]

Nobody has pointed out the Hungaroring so far...Also, Abu Dhabi has sucked mightily. I also dislike the modern Hockenheim. Other clear nominations are, of course, Sepang and Bahrain.

I don't think Monaco stinks; it's a twisty, narrow, technical circuit, and that's always funny!

[shinji]

Nobody has pointed out the Hungaroring so far...

Adx did in the first post.

[DemocalypseNow]

I know its not a Grand Prix track, but I have to mention AVUS Berlin. It was two straights with hairpins at each end. And that was it.
Though I suppose if they made F1 regs so all cars had zero downforce it would actually produce rather much more overtaking than usual.

Edit: I just remembered something...it actually did host a Grand Prix! Waaaaay back in 1959...

[thehemogoblin]

I still stand behind my once-publicized point about the Hungaroring:

If you take the double-hairpin at the end of the lap out and replace it with a high-speed right hand combo, it would spice up the racing a lot.

[Collieafc]

But here's the catch. Once it rains, any track can be good. Look at China or Hungary for example...

[ADx_Wales]

Monaco is the round in F1 where the things that F1 Armchair Enthusiats like us dont see the things we want to happen, High speed, battles for the lead (ok ONCE 1992 THATS ALL), overtaking (Only the keke rosbergs and nigel mansells had the gaul to pull such feats off, maybe F1 drivers should grow moustaches).

Instead its the biggest PR stunt ever (PR stands for Prostitution of Racing) the venue where F1 bends over spreads its arse cheeks and says "ok commerce screw me until i have no dignity left", How many of the A-List have turned up in recent years, Puff Diggidy, Sly Stallone, Paris bloody Hilton??? These are people who turn up only cos theres cameras pointing somewhere and they want to be in front of them, Puff turned up expecting Lewis Hamilton to be buddies with him, Stallone turned up expecting to destroy F1 in cinema form (a plan pulled off by destroying the champcar series in cinema form), and paris hilton..............cos she shagged someone once on camera...and is apparently related to someone with money.....there fore she has money.....but we still think of her as someone who shagged someone......and is now famous for it........and monaco is the same.

Monaco is the Paris Hilton of F1, it may have money but everyone knows it sucks, on camera.

[Nessafox]

the enlightening of the zolder circuit since 2009 (of course, that only happens in the dark )
not like in singapore, no, even worse, just like in any traditonal belgian highway at night, boring and an obviously athmosphere-killer
because for some reason, the rich amateur drivers and some profs who think they are world class don't want to race in the dark in a 24 hour race

[ADx_Wales]

Has Zolder hosted an F1 race since the 80s tho? To be honest have any F1 tracks ,where someone has died on during an F1 weekend, are in use nowadays? Zolder and Imola arent, Montreal had the start moved whether that was any coincidence with the start line disaster in 1982, Spa had to be shortened way back when..

[Nessafox]

well, we had some euroboss f1 races and a fx2-demo by minardi (i've actually seen paul stoddart walking in real life )
it hosted a race of the last champ car season ever
after gilles villeneuve death they returned once, in 1984, that's the last race until now but the circuit is still regularly in use, unlike most other formerly-formula one tracks.
but zolder still looks like it looked in 1984... i guess the villeneuve chicane was allready there in 1984, don't know
did you know zolder once was a chichane-less fast flowing circuit?

[ADx_Wales]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=29BDH5vuMr0

The last FIA F1 World Championship GP at Zolder, the newest chicane wasnt there yet, maybe more people had incidents there. The race in 1984 wasnt THAT bad either.

[Nessafox]

but anyway, it's always been known as a rejects track (especially by teams, but drivers didn't like it either) and it would be reject if it returns, if champ cars couldn't overtake, then f1 certainly couldn't
there is no space in the pitlane, and the track is way too narrow

i actually love the track, it's 20 km to my home, but it's rejects all the way

[ADx_Wales]

It's not been totally abandoned tho has it, like Nivelles.....which had it been in use 30 years later would have been a brilliant circuit....it was a track too far ahead of its time.

[Nessafox]

nivelles doesn't even exist anymore today, sadly they built an industry zone over it

[ADx_Wales]

Much like the old front straight of Kyalami, such a shame, I saw footage of Nivelles on a 70s season review... both tracks before my time.

[thehemogoblin]

Zolder is reject-worthy, if only for any race it hosts is a Belgian Grand Prix not at Spa.

[RejectSteve]

I know its not a Grand Prix track, but I have to mention AVUS Berlin. It was two straights with hairpins at each end. And that was it.
Though I suppose if they made F1 regs so all cars had zero downforce it would actually produce rather much more overtaking than usual.

Edit: I just remembered something...it actually did host a Grand Prix! Waaaaay back in 1959...

Well, AVUS didn't quite have a hairpin at the north end but the high-banked brick Wall of Death (officially, Nordkurve) which Jean Behra went over the top of. On the 'all speed' circuits, Indianapolis Motor Speedway has to be on the list for when the 500 was in the world championship.

I actually like the Hungaroring because you get quick changes of direction in rapid succession and that is part of what F1 is all about. I disagree that all street circuits are rejectful. The ones primarily littered with right angle turns are, Detroit and Phoenix (esp. 89-90 layout)spring to mind. Adelaide, however, was interesting despite the first sector. Okayama (ex-TI Aida) deserves to be included in the rejectful list with pretty much all the Tilke abominations except Istanbul (i.e. "bring in the B-list celebrities to have a show").

Lest we forget, there is a Reject Centrale article about the Caesars Palace car park circuit.

[dr-baker]

Has Zolder hosted an F1 race since the 80s tho? To be honest have any F1 tracks ,where someone has died on during an F1 weekend, are in use nowadays? Zolder and Imola arent, Montreal had the start moved whether that was any coincidence with the start line disaster in 1982, Spa had to be shortened way back when..

Monza?

[Valrys]

Has Zolder hosted an F1 race since the 80s tho? To be honest have any F1 tracks ,where someone has died on during an F1 weekend, are in use nowadays? Zolder and Imola arent, Montreal had the start moved whether that was any coincidence with the start line disaster in 1982, Spa had to be shortened way back when..

Monza?

Not in it's current configuration, I don't think any drivers have died there since they put the chicanes in (there was the Marshall in 2000, but you could then lump Melbourne into that category as well)

[ADx_Wales]

When someone dies on a particular circuit they change it, even when someone gets severely injured they change it, Alan McNish's toyota went through a barrier on the exit of the 130r in 2002, the turn has never looked or felt the same since.

[Bleu]

Russian Grand Prix is real reject event. It has been talked many times but it hasn't been held.

[ADx_Wales]

If events that never happened count then surely the envelope i sent to bernie with a map of Swansea counts

Neither should the London GP either, no matter how entertaining the thought might be.