- 15 Feb 09, 23:27#90650Good idea Ewan, gives me something to do on a boring sunday night. Here's my calendar for if I overthrew Bernie and took control of FOM.
1. Interlagos (Brazilian GP) - I was going to say Jacarepagua but sadly that circuit has now been torn up. Brazil has traditionally hosted the first round (or one of the first rounds of the season), so I'm restoring it to its former glory.
2. Imola (San Marino GP) - It's spring, and for lunch today it's lasagne or pasta. The perfect sunday meal to have whilst sitting down to watch the San Marino Grand Prix after I have rescued it. It's not been quite the same since that tragic weekend in 1994, but there have been some great moments since then such as Schumacher and Alonso's scrap in the closing laps of the 2005 race.
3. Monte Carlo (Monaco GP) - Where would the May bank holiday weekend be without the streets of Monte Carlo? Overtaking may be limited but you can't afford to not have Monaco on the calendar.
4. Autodromo Hermanos Rodrigues (Mexican GP) - One of my all time favourite tracks. The Peralta may not be banked anymore (and it now has a baseball stadium on the inside of the corner!!) but it's still one of my favourite corners, particularly for Mansell's pass on Berger at the 1990 race when he went round the outside! One of the bumpiest tracks and lots of very tough twisty, variable speed corners for the drivers to contend with.
5. Phoenix Street Circuit (US GP) - If 80 laps around this tough but relatively quick street circuit doesn't sort the men from the boys, the 100 degree Arizona summer heat will. My early memories of racing there were Jean Alesi re-overtaking Senna for the lead in 1990.
OR
Dallas Street Circuit - Why this track was only used once I'll never know. The one time it was used in 1984 produced a classic. Plenty of argy-bargy action, Mansell pushing his car across the line and then collapsing, Jacques Laffite turning up at the track in his pyjamas (!), J.R from the "Dallas" TV series waving the green flag for the formation lap and Keke Rosberg surviving the crumbling track and unforgiving concrete walls. In the modern days of the safety car coming out at the drop of a hat, this race would probably see the safety car as the winner considering the amount of time it could potentially spend on track!
OR
Long Beach - Although Phoenix and Dallas haven't been used for such a long time, the streets they used are still there and if a race was hosted there it would still be possible to use the same layout. However if neither qualify I would choose Long Beach. A nice long curved start/finish straight, hosted some classic races in F1 and Indy cars over the years. A good way to bring out the American fans.
6. Montreal (Canadian GP) - Bernie was a total idiot for dropping this track, it's a classic. Even with no Canadian driver in the current field, the fans always turn out in their droves and know how to create an atmosphere, even when drivers are too scared to come out during qualifying (anybody remember the 1997 qualifying session when nobody came out for well over half an hour and the fans were still Mexican waving?).
7. Paul Ricard (French GP) - The French GP is back, Magny-Bores has been dropped and we're off back to Paul Ricard relaid with its French patriotic blue-coloured gravel traps and the VERY long back straight. This track should never have been dropped.
8. Silverstone (British GP) - Where would a classic British summer be without a trip to Silverstone? Come rain or shine, Silverstone is still one of the quicker tracks despite the additions of slower corners over the years. Keeping this on is what everybody except Bernie would love.
9. Nurburgring (German GP) - My heart wants me to say the legendary and terrifying Nordschleife circuit. But my head says the "New"burgring as I like to call it. It's not a bad track, but I only chose it because "classic" Hockenheim cannot be re-incarnated.
10. Zaandvoort (Dutch GP) -A classic track built by the late, great John Hugenholtz - a man whose shoes Hermann Tilke would not even be worthy enough to polish. Mika Hakkinen once said he wish every track in the world was built by Hugenholtz.
11. Spa Francochamps (Belgian GP) - Only a fool, an idiot or Bernie wouldn't have this track on the calendar. Enough said.
12. Monza (Italian GP) - In the modern age of Tilke's crap tracks F1 has lost a lot of its high-speed tracks. Monza still provides the high-speed thrills.
13. Estoril (Portuguese GP) - Estoril is sadly not the same as it used to be with its fast opening two right handers, but it's still a decent track and who can forget JV overtaking Schumacher on the outside of the parabolica?
14. Jerez (Spanish GP) - Now I have ditched Catalunya-wn and Valenci-yawn, this is the best of the Spanish tracks, famous for Mansell and Senna's last lap duel in 1986 and Schumacher's infamous lunge on JV in the title decider in 1997. Bernie only threw it off the calendar when the local mayor screwed up the podium ceremony, very petty if you ask me.
15. Brands Hatch (European GP) - The leaves are starting to turn brown, there is a chill in the air, but who can resist the sight of an F1 car launching down Paddock Hill bend at 100mph and then up again towards Druids? Who care if Dr Palmer says the circuit's not big enough today? He wouldn't say no if I offered the circuit a spot on the calendar. A good way to end the European season.
16. Kylami (South African GP) - The track isn't as good as it used to be, but it's still a race that is missed on the calendar. A good stopover between Britain and Japan.
17. Suzuka (Japanese GP) - The drivers love it, the fans love it, I love it, and it's another track built by John Hugenholz. Who wouldn't want it on the calendar??
18. Adelaide (Australian GP) - Where would F1 be without what used to be the classic "end of season party atmosphere"? Especially after either a hard, tough 81 lap race or a 2 hour slog through a track that is like driving on ice when it rains.
If another track was allowed, I would have also included Buenos Aries for the Argentine GP, and if the 2009 cars work well, the Hungaroring could be spared too (ONLY if the 2009 cars work there).
"And Mansell was lucky not to be taken off by that
RIDICULOUS bit of driving by Alliot!!" - James Hunt
"AAAAAND into the pitlane.....
OHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!" - Murray Walker
