F1GP/WC Track Guides
Note that not all of these tracks are present in the current FIA calendar, and most of the ones that are have been changed
somewhat. Still, after getting familiar with the ones that are still raced at, you should feel quite at home riding with Michael
Schumacher or Damon Hill via their in-car cameras.
This section is biased towards the PC version. The track descriptions are mostly valid for the Amiga and ST too, but the replays
won't work and there are minor differences in the track layouts.
Moving down Jefferson Street, you brake for a right-hander into Madison Street, then for a left-hander onto Jackson Street. Then
comes another left-hander, a right-hander, and a short straight down to the hairpin. Then there's a right hander leading to a very
fast right-left combination, exiting onto the back straight, Washington Street, followed by a right-left combination onto Adam(s?)
Street. Then comes another left-right, then a long, accelerating left-hander leading back onto Jefferson.
Moving across the start/finish line, you brake into the left/right Descida do Sol (now renamed the Senna S). This is a great place
to try an outbraking maneuver, but care should be taken not to tangle with anyone leaving the pits, before entering the long
left-hander Curva do Solthat leads onto the Rete Oposta, a very long straight where there's plenty of scope for slipstreaming. At
the end of the Rete Oposta, you brake for the Subida da Lago left-hander. You can try outbraking an opponent into here but often
they will simply drive into you. This corner is followed by another left-hander taken at full speed, followed by a short straight
where you might be able to draft a car, before Ferra Dura, a totally evil fast extended right-hander. This is followed by Laranji,
a slow right hander which is made tricky both by the AI cars, who brake ridiculously early for it, and by the fact that there are
no brake markers, which will typically result in the inexperienced driver under-braking and ending up mowing the grass. Immediately
after comes Pinheirinho, a slow left-hander where you may just be able to slip past an opponenet, especially on the exit where you
may be able to blast through on the left before they move over for Bico de Pato, a right-hand hairpin where late-brakers are again
liable to end up on the grass. Then comes Mergulho, a left-hander which with a light fuel load (or a high-downforce setup) can be
taken flat out. After a short straight you come to Junçao, a left-hander which exits onto Subida dos Boxes, the segmented
curves which form the start/finish straight.
After crossing the line you sweep left into Tamburello, a full-speed left-hander. Then comes Rettifilo, a right hand flick, and
Tosa, a slow left-hander. A right-hand flick leads into Piratella, a fast left, followed by another left leading downhill to Acque
Minerale, a left-right-left combination. Moving back up the hill you flick left, then pass through the fast right-left Variante
Alta chicane. Then comes a full-speed right hander, another left-hander, before going back downhill into Rivazza, a pair of
medium-slow left-handers. Then comes a short straight before Variante Bassa, a fast right-left chicane, followed by Traguardo, a
slow left-right chicane leading back onto the start/finish straight.
The first corner is Ste Devote, a medium speed right-hander, followed by a "straight", Montee de Baue Rivage, which winds
left-right uphill, past Roses Bar and into the Massenet left-hander, followed immediately by Casino, a slower right-hander. Then
comes a short straight leading down to Mirabeau, a right-hander, followed Loews, the very slow left-hand hairpin. Then comes a
right-hander followed by another, Portier, which exits into the tunnel, a long sweeping right hander. After that comes Nouvelle
Chicane, a left-right followed by a faster right-left, exiting onto a short straight before reaching Tabac, a fast left-hander
which tightens suddenly into the swimming pool complex, where you weave right, left, left, right, before sweeping left into the
Rascasse double right-hander. A tiny straight leads to Antony Noghes, a right hander which exits onto the right-hand sweeping
start-finish straight.
Accelerating across the start line, you sweep left round T1 at full speed (unleess you see computer cars trying to draft each
other), braking just for the Island Hairpin, a tight right-hander which is a good place for outbraking. A short straight follows
where you might be able to pass, then you flick through T3 and T4, which form the first chicane, a very fast right-left comination,
followed shortly by T5, a right hand flick. Brake into T6, slowish left-hander, followed immediately by T7, a faster right
hander. It is possible to outbrake someone into T6, but a better plan is to wait until the straight that follows T7 and slipstream
past them, or outbrake them into T8, a right-hander which, with the left-hander T9, forms the second chicane; watch out for the
computer cars trying to outbrake each other here, as one of them usually ends up on the grass. The next straight has a left-hand
flick, after which you can get a tow and outbrake opponents into the Pits Hairpin, a slow right-hander. If you're still stuck
behind someone, now is a good time to try to out-drag them because the track narrows and sweeps at full speed through the rapid
right-left-right combination of T11, Casino Bend, and T12, before coming up on the pit entrance. Finally you fly through the tricky
final chicance, T14/T15; watch out for computer cars trying to slipstream each other here, as it invariably ends up with one
spinning.
You fly down the very long main straight before coming into a medium speed left-right-left combination where with skill you can
outbrake other cars. If you are still behind someone upon exiting, you can get a tow and pass them on the subsequent short
straight, and perhaps try another outbraking move as you enter the nasty fast right, slow left combination waiting at the end. Then
there's another short straight followed by a slow right-hander, which leads into the Esses, a series of increasingly fast turns
going left, right, left, right, left, right, left before exiting onto the back straight, to move past the pit-entrance and into
Peralta, a terrifyingly fast right-hander which leads back onto the main straight.
Moving across the start/finish straight, you sweep left at high speed round Grand Courbe, where it's not advisable to try and get
alongside an AI car as they're likely to move over into you. Then comes Estoril, a right-hander which leads onto the main straight,
Golf, which is divided by two slight right-hand kinks where you do not want to be alongside an AI car. At the end of Golf you come
to Adelaide, a very sharp right-hand hairpin where it's easy to outbrake a whole load of AI cars at once. A brief burst of
acceleration must be curtailed whilst you pick your way through a right-left-right combination called Esse. A short straight leads
to Nürburing, a right-left chicane taken at full speed, followed by the unimaginatively titled 180 Degrees, a left-hand
hairpin. Next is another straight where it's possible to do some more slipstreaming, but be careful to get back over to the left of
the track before Imola, a high speed right-left chicane followed by Château d'Eau, a moderately slow right-hander where you
may be able to outbrake one or two cars before exiting onto a short straight which leads to Chicane, a right-left chicane just
before Lycée, the very sharp right-hander which leads onto the start/finish straight.
Crossing the starting line you approach the famous Copse, an extremely fast right right-hand bend followed by a short
straight. Weave through the Maggots/Becketts right-left-right combination. The Becketts right-hander is followed by Chapel, which
leads to the long Hangar straight. Coming next, sitting atop a rise, is Stowe Corner, a double apex right-hander followed by the
Vale complex (a short straight and a fast left-hander and slow right-hander), then by Club corner, a fast left-hander, onto Abbey
straight, followed by a left kink onto Farm Straight and a very fast right called Bridge. Then there's a slow left-hander, Priory,
followed by another, Brooklands, then an anonymous right hander, and Luffield, a second right-hander leading onto Woodcote, a
flat-out right hander which forms the grid and leads back onto the start/finish straight.
The start line is followed by a flat-out right-hand flick onto a long straight leading to Schikane 1, a slow right-left chicane
followed by a sweeping right hander leading round to the second chicane, a medium-fast left-right followed by the Ost Kurke, a fast
sweeping right-hander. Then another straight leads to Schikane 2, a very fast left-right chicane and a left-hand flick at the
exit. Another straight leads down to the Agipkurve, a fast right-hander, followed by Sachskurve, a slow left-hander. Then you wind
through the Stadium complex, right, right, and right through the Opelkurve and back over the start line.
[To be rewritten.]
The only Eastern European takes place here at this slow and narrow circuit. Passing is very difficult, even with late braking due
to the narrowness of the racing line. Once off this line it can be hard to keep up are racing speed without going off. Despite all
this, a fast lap is very rewarding and achieving a good set-up is also a nice bonus. Any passing opportunity should be taken but
getting trapped behind a long snake of cars can be very frustrating, especially if you reach them just after the main straight. Due
to the profusion of corners, the cars are set up with plenty of downforce.
[To be rewritten.]
The real drivers favorite, this is a long street course with an excellent lay out, this is the course that features the best
corner in the world, Eau Rouge. Eau Rouge is an amazing left, right, left sequence which can be taken almost flat out, but will
bite you back if anything goes wrong. The race begins with a short straight followed by a very tight hairpin where there is almost
always a crash on the first lap, the track is then made up of long straight connected by twisty sections that test a drivers
ability. The lap finished with the Bus Stop chicane which the computer cars take in 3rd but with the right line, you should be
able to take in 5th.
[To be rewritten.]
The home of the Italian Grand Prix, and the Tifosi. Always a large Ferrari following here, though any Italian driver will get a
huge boost here. This track held the fastest Grand Prix ever, but now the huge straights have been broken up with chicanes. The
track is still quick, however, so the cars don't carry all that much downforce. Most overtaking will be done through slip streaming
and during slowing down for the chicanes. It is possible to go quite quickly through the first chicane if your line is right, but
this can be tricky and will certainly cause a spin if done wrong.
Coming off the start-finish straight you sweep right round T1 and then T2 before braking for the slower right T3. Then comes T4, a
left-hand hairpin, followed by a straight broken up by T5, a right-hand kink. This is followed by T6, a left-hand 180, then by T7,
a right-hander, and T8, a faster right. Then comes T9, a fast right, and T10, a slow left leading into T11, a long and very fast
right-hander leading back onto the start-finish straight.
[To be rewritten.]
Strangely similar to Estoril, this circuit follows the same basic design, except the back section is very twisty, so quite a bit of
downforce is required on the cars. The flat out corner is moved from the end of the straight to the start, and this resembles
Mexico in some way, although the corner does not have the same length as Peralta.
[To be rewritten.]
The season ends with a long haul out to the East for the Japanese and Australian Grand Prix. Suzuka circuit is the only figure of 8
in the season, and the track was designed to fit into as small a space as possible so the track is incredibly twisty with many
corners and turns. The track also features the Casio Chicane, which is infamous for deciding championships, in past years two
championships have been decided here, and there is always a controversial accident here every year. A good set up can be hard to
achieve, since all the corners look as if they can be taken flat out, and it isn't until you spin off that you realize that they
cant! Any overtaking chances should be taken as there are not that many places to overtake, even with out breaking.
From the start line you fly through the frightening left-right chicane and flick left through the following corner onto Wakefield
Road, before braking for the right hander into Flinders Street, which is ended by a left-hander, then a right-hander onto East
Terrace before a fast left-right chicane terminated abruptly by a slow right-hander leading onto the short Jones Straight. A
right-hand flick leads to Brabham Straight, a very long straight run leading down to a very slow right hander, followed by a left,
left combination, Wakefield Road, then a fast left, fast right, before the right-hand hairpin which leads onto the start-finish
straight.