An interesting post on Triple League Racing regarding an ideal Formula 1 schedule got me thinking seriously – where would I have the races run and in what order. It’s taken me about three days, but based on there being 19 potential World Championship races in a season with one non-championship Grand Prix mid-season, here goes the F1 and Motorsports Archive Centre’s considered race schedule (with links):
- Monaco Grand Prix (Circuit de Monaco, Monte Carlo)
- Belgian Grand Prix (Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, Spa)
- Dutch Grand Prix (Circuit Park Zandvoort)
- Central European Grand Prix (Hockenheimring, Baden-Wurttemberg / A-1 Ring, Zeltweg)
- San Marino Grand Prix (Autódromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari, Imola)
- Canadian Grand Prix (Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, Montreal)
- US Grand Prix (Indianapolis Motor Speedway)
- Mexican Grand Prix (Autódromo Hermanos Rodriguez, Mexico City)
- ***The Race of Champions Non-Championship Event (Gesamtstrecke, Nurburg)***
- Britain Grand Prix (Silverstone Circuit, Northamptonshire)
- French Grand Prix (Circuit de la Sarthe, Le Mans)
- Spanish Grand Prix (Circuito de Jerez)
- Portuguese Grand Prix (Autódromo Internacional do Algarve, Portimao)
- Italian Grand Prix (Autodromo Nazionale, Monza)
- Bahrain Grand Prix (Bahrain International Circuit, Sakhir)
- Chinese Grand Prix (Guia Circuit, Macau)
- Japanese Grand Prix (Suzuka International Racing Course)
- Australia Grand Prix (Adelaide Street Circuit)
- Argentine Grand Prix (Autódromo Juan y Oscar Gálvez, Buenos Aires)
- Brazilian Grand Prix (Autódromo José Carlos Pace, Interlagos)
I’m going to do something a little different by starting off with a short European leg, then running a triple-tier North/Central American schedule, before heading back to Europe for the bulk of the European season. The final six Grand Prix would consist of the lone Middle Eastern Grand Prix at Bahrain, then onto stints at the legendary Macau and Suzuka tracks, before a long overdue return to the streets of Adelaide in Southern Australia. My season would finish with a quick one-two to the reinstated Argentine Grand Prix with the season-closer at Interlagos.
There are several things that need to be pointed out though:
There are several things that need to be pointed out though:
- Hermanos Rodriguez Circuit, Adelaide and Buenos Aires (1970’s fast layout please) have been out of use for a very long time and would need to be reinstated to their former layout (with modern safety specs) to make the grade. The classic Zandvoort has long since been nullified – this too would have to be brought back to original specification to be deemed “worthy”.
- Could someone please reinstate Hockenheimring’s long straights please? They always provided the most overtaking for the entire season.
- No South African Grand Prix – to be honest, I was never a fan of Kyalami,but upon its Grand Prix return in 1992, it had truly been butchered. So, no thanks.
- No Hungarian Grand Prix – there’s never been a whole lot of love for the Hungaroring. It’s a tough, technical little circuit, but the racing there is for the most part drab and still born.
- No Turkish Grand Prix (or Abu Dhabi, or Malaysian for that matter) – simple really. One superb corner does not make a great race track and quite simply that’s what these tracks have got. For the other sections of the the respective tracks are just not good enough and have a habit of repeatedly producing processions.
- Considering the economic pressures of holding a Grand Prix, I would consider alternating the Central European Grand Prix between the Hockenheimring in Germany and Austria’s A-1 Ring.
- A three week holiday would commence after the Mexican event, that would be broken with a non-championship event at the old Nurburgring circuit. The World Championship would begin again a week later at Silverstone.
If I can think of anything else to add, then I will add it at a later date.
