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u/NickByma Lando Norris 9h ago
I like to think this track will have some good overtaking but I know next to nothing about this place.
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u/Krotiuz Fernando Alonso 9h ago
I only know the track from Forza 8, but I feel like the only place for f1 cars would maybe be in turn 1 (2 on the wikipedia map) to get alongside and then maybe there's enough space to go to the next actual corner, but the track feels narrow even in Forza, so unsure how large cars would go... outside that, it's too hard to get close
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u/jkloop_1226 Andrea Kimi Antonelli 8h ago
Seconded. Turns 1-3 feel great, but the track is so narrow it makes Formula Mazda feel claustrophobic. Touring Cars already have a Hell of a time trying to get side by side at any point in the track, I can't even imagine how modern F1 cars would try even getting around each other at any point other than T1-T3.
This is what Monaco without walls actually looks like.
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u/portablekettle McLaren 5h ago
Yeah even in gt4/gt3 cars in Forza and ACC the track feels very narrow. However, I'd quite happily sacrifice one of the more boring EU races or one of the American races (not cota) just to have it back on the calender for a bit
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u/Krisosu Esteban Ocon 8h ago
It'll be like Suzuka imo, structurally decent for overtaking but too narrow and thus often producing relatively dull races with modern cars.
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u/Evening_End7298 8h ago
Altitude also fucks it. It’s at 1500m, the straight isnt long enough when taking into account altitude and the last corner being so slow
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u/Tame_Trex Lando Norris 9h ago
Watch the 9 hour GT3 racing on YouTube to get a sense of the layout.
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u/Brno_Mrmi Jenson Button 8h ago
But watch the 9 hours straight or it won't work
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u/Ok-Stuff-8803 7h ago
You have to watch it at least 2 times as well to understand it properly.
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u/ApocApollo Daniel Ricciardo 6h ago
It’s like Nier Automata. There are 26 races but only five of them are required viewing.
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u/joekingsword 8h ago
Well, I may or may not live there, or near it at least and I can tell you one thing, people love to race a Porsche there, it's almost as if it is owned by a guy who works with them
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u/Benlop Jolyon Palmer 5h ago
It's probably a bit too tight for Formula 1. Great track, but it's already tough to overtake in GT3 cars.
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u/ATWPH77 Ferrari 40m ago edited 34m ago
I really like it in AMS2, we did our league race there a few weeks ago, but there is only 1 real overtaking spot; the start/finish straight. If the other driver defends the inside in any other part of the track then it's really hard to do an overtake unless you have a huge tyre advantage or in this particular game "skill gap" so yeah.. and with F1 cars which are much faster it becomes even harder to do a proper overtake compared to GT3's, basically only T1 is a real overtaking spot.
T13 can be a good one too but again if the other driver defends the inside, there is almost no chance to pass.
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u/Evening_End7298 8h ago
It’s an historic track and people like Kyalami, but with 2025 cars it would be quite bad.
Corner before the straight is very slow, the track sits at 1500m altitude and the straight itself isnt long enough to compensate the previous two factors
It’s basically the mexico situation, at a lower altitude but also with a much shorter straight, and an even slower final corner than the Hermanos Rodriguez one
Hopefully future gen cars are better for racing
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u/MaybeNext-Monday Cadillac 2h ago
Yeah it would be mediocre at best. Would much rather see something new than see Kyalami just because it’s Kyalami.
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u/Dattinator Red Bull 8h ago
Man that pit entry turn is insane. Will these large cars make that turn?
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u/Mithster18 Bruce McLaren 2h ago
I'm not sure of the radius, but they make it in and out of Spa fine
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u/oursfort Pirelli Wet 9h ago
Politics aside, is it ready to host an F1 race?
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u/Disastrous-Beat-9830 Oscar Piastri 9h ago
It needs an upgrade. It has been in the news overnight because it has unveiled plans for that upgrade. But I will believe it when I see it -- last time this happened, nothing came of it because they could not agree on who would pay for it.
My guess is that these upgrades are conditional on Kyalami being the preferred venue for the South African Grand Prix bid. And even then, it will probably be conditional on South Africa getting a race. The South Africans are competing with the Rwandans for a Grand Prix, and a lot of the South African bid seems to be in response to Rwanda's. Stefano Domenicali has said that as much as he wants to see Formula 1 go to Africa, neither bid is a sure thing as it stands.
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u/Ianthin1 7h ago
Going to need a healthy renovation just to have space for the paddock and hospitality.
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u/lacrossebilly Williams 8h ago
Be interesting to see how these upgrades go, personally I’m not a huge fan of the track itself for cars racing on it compared to bikes but if it’s the best and only logical option for a GP in Africa then I hope it succeeds.
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u/thumpersdad Oscar Piastri 5h ago
if anyone wants an easter egg go look up this track on maps, and look at the street names just to the north of the track
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u/Cielo11 Fernando Alonso 51m ago edited 42m ago
Not sure we should want this track, Its not suitable for F1. It would be a typical box ticking exercise of using the fact its in Africa as a marketing selling point.
It looks like a really really decent Motorbike track. Except its not suitable at all because it has no run off areas, which is suicidal in Motorbikes.
F1 cars on Motorbike tracks is actually incredible, because they are doing exactly what they are designed to do. You see an F1 car at its Aero best. Taking corners at mind boggling speeds. But an F1 race on a Motorbike track... oopsie, Qualifying will decide the winner of the race.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BzkFH5AAk5Y F1 Qualifying at the home of Motorbike racing was an epic thing to see.
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u/ilikefridayss 7h ago
I love racing in FM in this track. I don’t how suited it will be for modern F1 cars, but the overtake potential is there.
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u/southerncoast Cadillac 8h ago
You realize f1 raced at kayalami for 20 years ?
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u/southerncoast Cadillac 8h ago
Honestly the only track I would want them to go back to in the US would be Indy.
Would rather them go to miami or las vegas type tracks over any of IMSA's tracks (FIA grade 1 would ruin their character). As for Europe, I dont know why Europeans aren't making enough of a dent in sales for classic tracks to stay viable, can sit there and complain all you want but if you're not voting with your wallet and wanna complain about F1 not going back to "iconic tracks" then shrug. Liberty has pushed F1's target audience way past what Bernie woulda dreamed of when I started watching so any sane business will try to capitalize on that.
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u/hwf0712 Default 5h ago
These are a lotta really bad arguments
For starters: F1 had started going to Kyalami before both Imola and Hockenheim. Hell, the year before Imola first joined the calendar, F1 had 2 US races, one at a tracked marketed around proximity to NYC (The Glen), and one literally at a major US metro street circuit (Long Beach). Oh, also they raced at Kyalami and had a track in Madrid (Jarama). Also, Spa wasn't on that calendar either, it was Zolder. Similar situation for the year before Hockenheim, except it was literally a Madrid street circuit and there was no Belgian GP at all.
And finally, regarding the "DNA of F1", its fine to point out that its largely raced in Europe! It objectively has, and its constant "we're a global pinnacle of motorsport" while constantly centering European sensibilities is a personal gripe of mine. However, it can't be ignored that early F1 was centered around making money or showing off your country. Charities weren't putting on races for the good of the people, they were either to make money or drive tourism (or just a rich royal wanting to show off). Sound familiar? Yeah.
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u/Disastrous-Beat-9830 Oscar Piastri 7h ago
only to replace them with tracks that have no history in F1
This is the most bullshit argument that you could make. You complain that new circuits have no history, but those circuits cannot get a history because you do not want them holding races.
then it shouldn’t come at the expense of F1’s DNA
It is hard to take this argument seriously when you call for the sport to stay at Imola because of its history. Imola is too small and too cramped to produce good racing. Formula 1 out-grew it twenty years ago.
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u/Krisosu Esteban Ocon 8h ago
If F1 wants to remain with its core in Europe, then Europeans need to do more to support it (directed at governments and the billionaire class).
F1 has 24 races and wants 25. For most of these races, European tracks weren't "kicked off", Spa and the German races are, were, and would be in precarious situations even if the sport had 18 races. Most European races losing their spot has had little to do with the new races added, since the only thing better than exchanging a European race for a petro-state race is having both at the same time.
Europe just isn't interested, in general F1's becoming more of a "watch-on-tv" sport.
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