[yco]

never been fan of this circuit but it definitely a nice track to see some races.. i guess one of the best Hermann Tilke tracks.. though i wish Istanbul Park d be in the calendar one day back again as he is telling its in his top 5 tracks of all time..

video needs to be watched on Youtube to remember last year..

[racerbruce]

Sochi Autodrom is not the equivalent to a Spa, Monza or Singapore, for sure.

[M5Rick]

I gather it's safe to assume that it won't be a repeat of last year. RB and Ferrari will be on the case and not struggling from the Merc steamroller of then.

[apexit4]

Originally Posted by yco

never been fan of this circuit but it definitely a nice track to see some races.. i guess one of the best Hermann Tilke tracks.. though i wish Istanbul Park d be in the calendar one day back again as he is telling its in his top 5 tracks of all time..

video needs to be watched on Youtube to remember last year..

I would disagree that Sochi is one of the best Tilke tracks. He's penned many better tracks than this: Circuit of the Americas, Sepang, Bahrain and Istanbul. I really loved Istanbul when it was on the calendar, turn 8 was a properly challenging corner that hasnt been replicated anywhere else on the current calendar.

Fun fact about turn 8: the change in pitch in the engine through the turn is not the driver lifting off but rather because of the g-forces!

[minn19]

Originally Posted by apexit4

I would disagree that Sochi is one of the best Tilke tracks. He's penned many better tracks than this: Circuit of the Americas, Sepang, Bahrain and Istanbul. I really loved Istanbul when it was on the calendar, turn 8 was a properly challenging corner that hasnt been replicated anywhere else on the current calendar.

Fun fact about turn 8: the change in pitch in the engine through the turn is not the driver lifting off but rather because of the g-forces!

It's like a small run in a centrifuge.

[///M Power-Belgium]

Da

[Fender150]

Ahhh yeh the v10 orgasms

[///M Power-Belgium]

Originally Posted by Fender150

Ahhh yeh the v10 orgasms

#Eargasm ?

[apexit4]

Originally Posted by ///M Power-Belgium

#Eargasm ?

A little bit of both

[apexit4]

Originally Posted by Fender150

Ahhh yeh the v10 orgasms

I remember the first GP I attended and hearing the V10's. After about 10 or 15 minutes I had to put my earplugs in when standing trackside. I remember hearing them a mile away when driving into Montreal for first practice. The walkways above the track shook and vibrated every time one of them drove below to complete a lap.

It's a shame that experience is gone with the new V6 engines...

[M5Rick]

Originally Posted by apexit4

I would disagree that Sochi is one of the best Tilke tracks. He's penned many better tracks than this: Circuit of the Americas, Sepang, Bahrain and Istanbul. I really loved Istanbul when it was on the calendar, turn 8 was a properly challenging corner that hasnt been replicated anywhere else on the current calendar.

Fun fact about turn 8: the change in pitch in the engine through the turn is not the driver lifting off but rather because of the g-forces!

The perfect lullaby before sleep.

[///M Power-Belgium]

Originally Posted by apexit4

A little bit of both

Both ears ?

[apexit4]

Originally Posted by ///M Power-Belgium

Both ears ?

I'll let you make that call

[NickyC]

I love this race, the scenery is fantastic!

Boy do I miss that Instanbul turn combo though, man that was awesome!

[Fender150]

Originally Posted by apexit4

I remember the first GP I attended and hearing the V10's. After about 10 or 15 minutes I had to put my earplugs in when standing trackside. I remember hearing them a mile away when driving into Montreal for first practice. The walkways above the track shook and vibrated every time one of them drove below to complete a lap.

It's a shame that experience is gone with the new V6 engines...

yes! i regret never going to a live race with the v10s!

[Fender150]

Originally Posted by ///M Power-Belgium

#Eargasm ?

sometimes lol

[M5Rick]

Max and some other Honda engined cars taking grid penalties fitting lower mileage spec 4 engines while Kvyat possibly starting at the back for having literally everything changed.It's Max's 5th engine change and is expected to take him to the end of the season.

[apexit4]

Originally Posted by M5theonlyone

Max and some other Honda engined cars taking grid penalties fitting lower mileage spec 4 engines while Kvyat possibly starting at the back for having literally everything changed.It's Max's 5th engine change and is expected to take him to the end of the season.

Came here to post the same update but you beat me to it

Didnt Albon take a new PU in Spa and Max at Monza? Weren't those the spec 4 units or was I mistaken?

[M5Rick]

Originally Posted by apexit4

Came here to post the same update but you beat me to it

Didnt Albon take a new PU in Spa and Max at Monza? Weren't those the spec 4 units or was I mistaken?

Not 100% sure on those but these have delivery miles only on them and Honda maybe did a reliability mod also.I'm thinking why else would they do the change.

[apexit4]

Also, it seems that the Russian GP may leave Sochi after next year's race. There are new development plans around the track area that would necessitate shortening it down to around 2km, which would be too short for F1 standards. Saint Petersburg is being mooted as a possible alternative. I kind of hope this is true, Sochi is one of the most underwhelming races on the calendar.

https://www.racefans.net/2019/09/26/...hi-after-2020/

[racerbruce]

Originally Posted by apexit4

Also, it seems that the Russian GP may leave Sochi after next year's race. There are new development plans around the track area that would necessitate shortening it down to around 2km, which would be too short for F1 standards. Saint Petersburg is being mooted as a possible alternative. I kind of hope this is true, Sochi is one of the most underwhelming races on the calendar.

https://www.racefans.net/2019/09/26/...hi-after-2020/

Sochi is underwhelming and there are other new F1 GP venues that would be more interesting.

I stated this in another thread regarding Formula E....bringing the Circus to the streets of major metropolitan areas creates interest in F1, reduces carbon footprint issues due to the mass of spectators are within a relatively close proximity, etc.

The day may be coming when Formula E replaces F1 as we know it (another thread I started some months ago)....

[apexit4]

Originally Posted by racerbruce

Sochi is underwhelming and there are other new F1 GP venues that would be more interesting.

I stated this in another thread regarding Formula E....bringing the Circus to the streets of major metropolitan areas creates interest in F1, reduces carbon footprint issues due to the mass of spectators are within a relatively close proximity, etc.

The day may be coming when Formula E replaces F1 as we know it (another thread I started some months ago)....

Also recently read an article that the new Dutch GP could be cancelled. The organizers apparently still havent received all the permits they need for the track changes. Part of the reason for that is push-back from environmentalists...

I dont necessarily think that more street circuits would be beneficial to F1. Racing on street circuits tends to be less exciting than on proper race tracks (aside from the Azerbaijan GP, but even 2 of the 4 races there were a little "meh"). While street races may create more buzz about the event, its a huge inconvenience for the residents. I'd argue that, overall, more people are inconvenienced by the race and have a negative view on it rather than a positive one. Look at the proposed Miami GP. One of the main reasons that didnt go through was because of the push-back from local residents. But the other issue is ticket prices. Even if people who normally wouldnt travel to a race decided to go, a good portion would probably opt not to based on expensive grandstand seating. General admission is usually cheap but its hard to find good viewing spots on GA tickets at normal race tracks, let alone on street circuits (I've experienced this first hand). Even if there was an increase in people getting GA tickets, they'd probably opt not to go the following year due to the lack of visible action with GA tickets. A small subset might opt for grandstand seats the following year though.

More street circuits might be a good idea if they rotate a new venue every year for a given spot on the calendar. You'd have the exposure to get new fans interested in the sport who would get into watching the sport and attending a proper race at a track.

Formula E works on street courses because they emit hardly any noise and pollution. Practice, qualifying and the race happen on the same day so impact to residents is minimized. The paddock and team garages are basically tents, further limiting the amount of time required for set up and disruptions.

If Formula E eclipses F1 in the future, it definitely wont be the same Formula E that we know today IMO.