Current Tracks

Track Measurements:
None of these measures means a lot by themselves, but together I think they provide a decent picture of what kind of track you are looking at.

• length: total spaces the shortest way around the track. By itself this is probably only a decent indication of how long it will take to play on the track. The median of the 12 tracks below is 75. On a track-by-track basis, one space converts to about 0.07 km, 0.04 miles, or 76 yards.
• 3-wide: number of spaces and percentage of the track that is 3-wide as opposed to 2-wide. Less 3-wide track will generally makes it harder to pass. Current track median is 28.5 spaces or 36% of the track 3-wide. Generally tracks will be described as narrow or wide based on these measures.
• straights: Number of straights with less then 5/5-9/10-14/and 15 or more spaces plus the length of the longest straight. Straights less then 5 spaces indicate corners strung together in rapid succession while straights of 15+ spaces are opportunities to hit top speeds. Median tracks are 2/3/1/1 with a median longest straight of 16.5
• corners: number of descrete corners on track. There is little variance in these numbers — most current tracks have 8 with a couple 7's and 9's and 1 track with 6 corners. But this can impact how much wear is needed around a track. Also noted here will be particularly slow or fast corners on track. Most corners carry speeds from 60 to 100 mph.
• avg. corner speed: the average of the fastest way through every corner without losing spaces relative to another way through the corner. The current track median is 92.1 mph.
• length/corners: length divided by corners. A very good indicated of how tight a track is. "Tight" meaning that a track generally packs more corners into less space which typically makes for a particular kind of track. Mean for the current tracks is 9.5 spaces per corner.

Track Design Conventions:

• green arrows: just like a normal arrow, but the user can exceed the posted speeds by 40 mph instead of 20 mph.
• grey borders: on one side of the track can be used to break ties for initiative instead of the old rule that "inside" of the track always wins ties.
• yellow background: highlights corner spaces.
• green and red dots: show the beginning and ending of racing lines, often more visible then the ends of arrows when a car is sitting on the space.
• speeds on space edges: indicate that the row spaces in front of it has the following speed limits, often more visible then the speeds on the corner spaces themselves when cars are sitting in the corner.
• stop watches: indicate the ends of the 3 sectors every F1 track is split into for official timing, the 1/3 green stop watch indicates the end of sector 1, the 2/3 green watch ends sector 2, and the full green watch is always at the end of the lap.
• grey number signs: indicate the number of spaces before the next corner space.
• text labels: indicate some corners or other frequently named features on the track.

Catalunya, Spain
single-page map (PDF)
length: 60 spaces, 24 (27%) are 3-wide
straights: 4, 4- | 2, 5+ | 1, 10+ | 1, 15+, longest is 17 spaces
corners: 8, 90 mph average speed with 1 120mph corner
length/corners: 7.5

style: Sector 1 has a decent sized straight that feeds into the fast and wide Elf corner which feeds directly into the second longest straight on track. Sector 2's 3 corners can be tricky to navigate in a crowd and tend to elongate the field a bit before the short run down to the tighly packed 3-corner in-field which is very technical. Overall a balanced track that can play quicker due to its shorter length.

notes: Corner 1 is a changing radius corner — getting faster on exit. Corner 2 has a staggered exit so the last space of the 100s lane is further up the track then the 80s lane, but the next space in both lanes is not speed limited and not part of the corners. Corner 3 has the inverse — a staggered entrance — so the space just before the 60s lane of that corner is further ahead then the space next to it. In this case it also means that although neither of those two spaces are part of the corner from a speed stand-point. If you end you turn on one or the other, you have commited to the lane in front of you for that corner. Corner 4 is also changing radius, getting faster on the way out — this time with an arrow. The final 4 corners are pretty standard but note that the last corner is 80 mph in both lanes.

Hockenheim, Germany
single-page map (PDF)
length: 68 spaces, 51 (54%) are 3-wide
straights: 2, 4- | 3, 5+ | 1, 10+ | 1, 15+, longest is 20 spaces
corners: 7, 94 mph average speed with 1 120mph and 1 140mph corner
length/corners: 7.5

style: Hockenheim is all about massive speeds heading into slower corners. The very fast Nordkurve ends the front straight but doesn't burn off much speed before the pack must fit through the tighter, slower second corner. Then the 3rd longest straight amongst these tracks leads into slowest corner on the track. There is then a short run up to the next corner which marks the start of the 2-wide and is a place where the pack tends to spread out again. This track plays very quickly with fewer corners then most and is very wide-open with a remarkable 75% of the track 3-wide.

notes: Corner 1 has a green arrow in it that can be used freely at 140 mph (alternately the track can be raced pretending the green arrow is not there). Corners 2 and 7 are increasing radius corners without lines. Corner 5 has a staggered exit and corner 6 is 60s in both 2-space-long-lanes, but with an arrow inside. Corner 3 is the odd one in this bunch though with one regular arrow and one that starts half-way through the corner. The second arrow can be used just like any other arrow such that using it allows you to go 80 through those last two 60 spaces. Also note that first 60 space and the secon 80 space line up so you can hit the 60s arrow from the 80s spaces and stay at speed or treat it like an increasing radius corner from the 60s lane.

Hungaroring, Budapest, Hungary
single-page map (PDF)
length: 63 spaces, 24 (29%) are 3-wide
straights: 5, 4- | 3, 5+ | 1, 10+ | 0, 15+, longest is 14 spaces
corners: 9, 82 mph average speed
length/corners: 7.0

style: The modern definition of a tight track. Lots of corners packed into a short track means lots of corners that are right on top of each other and only 1 section of straight longer then 10 spaces, and its only 14 long. Passing is at a premium here but as tires wear down opportunities can present themselves. The first sector the only 3-wide sections including the only significant straight which leads into the unique corner 1 then a short run to the slower corner 2 then a modest run to the in-field section. The next 4 corners are each seperated by no more then 3 spaces, which makes it very tricky to navigate, especially in traffic. A short run seperates that sector from the final series of 3 tightly-packed corners — each a little longer and faster then then next. Interestingly, Hungaroring is the only track here with no corners faster then 100 or slower then 60.

notes: Corner 1 is increasing radius in the outside and inside lanes but not in the middle lane. The rest of the corners are pretty normal again until the last corner where the track widens to 3-wide in the middle of the outside lane. Two straights — between corners 2 and 3 and between corners 6 and 7 include a kink that looks like a corner in that one lane has more spaces then the other but neither have a speed limit.

Istanbul, Turkey
single-page map (PDF)
length: 76 spaces, 36 (47%) are 3-wide
straights: 3, 4- | 3, 5+ | 1, 10+ | 1, 15+, longest is 22 spaces
corners: 8, 98 mph average speed with 2 120mph and 1 140mph corner
length/corners: 9.5

style: Istanbul is perhaps the most "normal" track in this bunch. Only 1 of the above measurements is more then 1 standard deviation removed from the median — the 22 space longest straight is the longest among these tracks. The first sector thins the track 3-wide along the front straight, through a basic 3-wide corner, the 2-wide section then continues for a short run to a tricky corner #2, then a short run puts the cars into the mid-field section. Sector 2 includes the 3 very fast corners on the track back to back to back before exiting out onto the long back straight. The 3-wide, 22 space long straight ends in a 2-corner combination seperated by a 1-space straight. The slow, 2-wide corners include overlapping arrows and dump the drivers back onto the front straight. This track does not really have a slow, tight in-field section and always feels like you need to stretch for 1 or 2 more spaces to line up the next corner. The last 2 corners are brutal after the long straight.

notes: Pretty normal from a corner design stand-point — just a couple increasing radius corners at corners 2 and 6.

Melbourne, Australia
single-page map (PDF)
length: 76 spaces, 32 (42%) are 3-wide
straights: 1, 4- | 4, 5+ | 3, 10+ | 0, 15+, longest is 12 spaces
corners: 8, 90 mph average speed with 1 140mph corner
length/corners: 9.5

Monaco, Monte Carlo
single-page map (PDF)
length: 51 spaces, 23 (45%) are 3-wide
straights: 3, 4- | 3, 5+ | 0, 10+ | 1, 15+, longest is 15 spaces
corners: 7, 63 mph average speed with 1 40mph corner
length/corners: 7.3

style: Far-and-away the shortest track there probably ever will be in F1. One good thing from a game play perspective is that it plays pretty quickly. It is also the slowest track in this collection as its the only track in this group without a corner of 100mph or more and with one of the two 40mph corners among these tracks. Despite all that it plays very well and is probably only a problem if you try to run a full field of cars on it. The very short front straight ends in the tricky Sainte Devote. The run up Beau Rivage ands in the tightly packed in-field section including 4 corners seperated by no more then 2 spaces each. However, the run through the tunnel is a decently long back straight that ends in the difficult chicane before a run up to La Rascasse. Lining up La Rascasse can be tricky. Its short and slow in some places but still an interesting challenge.

notes: Corner 1 is probably the trickiest design here because if you end your move on the inside space right before the corner you have to use the inside lane of the corner without an arrow. Corner 6 is 80s in both lanes. Corner 7 is a pretty standard increasing radius corner without an arrow. Oh and corner 4 is the only time I've ever written 20 mph on a track, so even though it does have an arrow, its arguably THE slowest corner among these tracks.

Monza, Italy
single-page map (PDF)
length: 81 spaces, 45 (56%) are 3-wide
straights: 1, 4- | 1, 5+ | 1, 10+ | 3, 15+, longest is 18 spaces
corners: 6, 110 mph average speed with 2 120mph and 2 140mph corners
length/corners: 13.5

style: A long track, very fast corners (and few of them), and lots of 3-wide track combine to create a true high-speed circuit. Although the longest straight is a modest 18 spaces, no other track has 3 straights of 15 spaces or more. Since all but 2 corners are 120mph corners many of those straights seem like fewer, longer straights. The track starts with the long front straight that ends in the slowest corner on the track, and a chicane to boot. Another long straight ends in another chicane, only slightly faster then the first. Two shorter straights link two short, fast corners before starting the back straight which is essentially interupted by a long but fast chicane before continuing down to ultra-fast Curva Parabolica and back to the front straight.

notes: Corner design is pretty basic on this track although the Variante Ascari is a bit of a Frankenstein monster: the first part of the corner has a 120 speed limit both inside and outside of the corner, the next part of the corner is 1 space wide in both lanes, and the third part of the corner continues at 120 inside but allows 140 outside. This is a hard corner to get through in a single move. The final Curva Parabolica is essentially an increasing radius corner, but since the part where the speed limits increase line up, its possible to jockey lanes at that point. This track also has a couple of places where straights narrow from 3-wide to 2-wide in the middle of a long straight.

Sao Paulo, Brazil
single-page map (PDF)
length: 67 spaces, 31 (46%) are 3-wide
straights: 4, 4- | 2, 5+ | 0, 10+ | 2, 15+, longest is 22 spaces
corners: 8, 85 mph average speed with 1 140mph and 1 40mph corner
length/corners: 8.4

style: This track has a bit of an identity complex. Its a short track with an average number of corners 4 of which are packed into a nicly technical in-field. But it also has 2 long straights, one of which is one of the longest. The massive front straight ends by narrowing to 2-lanes a space before a tight and slow, 2-corner combo Senna S — immediately follwed by the long back straight. After corner 3 there is a short run up to a fast decreasing radius corner that begins the tight infield section. These 4 corners are sperated by no more then 2 spaces each. Interesting non of them have arrows and each is diffent. Exiting that section there is a short tun to the last corner before begining the front straight again. The start/finish line is located very close to corner #1 and so there is a lot of straight between the last corner and the finish line at the end of the race.

notes: Curva Do Laranjinha starts with 2 140 spaces side-by-side before a more normal 120-140 section, allowing lane changes in the middle of this corner. The next corner (#5) is 40mph both inside and outside. The front straight has two sections where the outer two lanes have 2 spaces where the inside lane has only 1.

style: Note that this is the pre-2010 version of Silverstone. An interesting combination of very fast corners on a generally narrow track without a really long straight. Its like a combination of Melbourne and Monza. The modest front straight leads into the very fast Cops corner then into the tricky Maggots-Becketts-Chapel section where the track thins out. Another moderate run up from there ends in the Stowe corner. Between Stowe and Vale it widens again for a short run, but Vale is a tough corner with a long line exiting into another moderate straight that concludes with the Abbey corner and the beginning of the slower in-field section. The last three corners are all seperated by a single space each. Although the first is very fast, the middle is slower and the last starts slow but ends quicker before dumping you quickly back onto the front straight. Usually slow tracks can be harder to pass on but this track is fast and hard to pass on.

notes: Cops includes a green arrow (alternately the line could be considered a regular arrow). Becketts starts with two 140mph spaces side-by-side before slowing significantly in a more standard corner arrangement, all with an arrow passing through it. Vale has almost the exact opposite set-up: starting more normal and ending with a quicker side-by-side 80mph section. Luffield (the last corner) is a pretty basic increasing radius corner.

Spa-Francorchamps, Belgium
single-page map (PDF)
length: 96 spaces, 57 (60%) are 3-wide
straights: 2, 4- | 4, 5+ | 1, 10+ | 2, 15+, longest is 18 spaces
corners: 9, 104 mph average speed with 1 120mph, 2 140mph and 1 160mph corner
length/corners: 10.6

style: The longest current track on the F1 calendar and likely the longest one they'll use going forward. This track is all about the two very long straights that end in slow, tricky corner complexes. Its also about being a huge track. The short front straight tightens up for the narrow and slow La Source before heading back onto a run to the very fast, 3-arrow Eau Rouge. A long straight from there ends in the narrow and slow 2-corner complex of Les Combes. This is followed by three corners with small runs between them all 2-wide. The first two corners as long and fast before an increasing radius chicane dumps cars right into a long, very fast corner that begins the very long back straight. That straight ends in the very technical Bus Stop Chicane and last corner before the finish line. This is a really nice track, its just long and that means it takes longer to race, but its worth it.

notes: Corner 2 includes a green line that can be ignored if you so chose. Corner 9 (The Bus Stop Chicane) is the odd one on this track. It would actually be pretty normal except that the racing line is essentially broken in half to create two racing lines. So your option is to use both just like it was a single un-broken normal line or use just the first line or use just the second line. Usually the second two options being reserved for when other people get in your way. Corner 7 is of note as an increasing radius corner with an arrow.

style: The longest track in this group not named Spa is nearly as fast as Monza with four different decreasing radius corners. It is also the thinest track in this group. The circuit starts with 3 very fast corners in quick succession before a short run up to the Degner Curve which feeds into another short run to the slowest corner on the track. Then its back up to speed and into the long and fast but also decreasing radius Spoon Curve. Maintaining speed through the Spoon Curve is crucial as it leads into the back straight. It may only be 12 spaces long - technically - but it plays more like 19 since the infamous 130R corner is one of the fastest corner around. But quickly after 130R the very slow, decreasing radius Casio Triangle marks the end of the lap.

notes: First Curve starts with 2 parallel spaces as it slows down so there can be much lane-chaning here. Corner #2 has a split arrow in the middle. The Degner Curve is essentially a deceasing radius corner but the last space of the inside lane also has an arrow start over it. Spoon Curve is a more traditional decreasing radius corner. Casio Triangle is a deceasing radius chicane with an arrow, so there is a lot going on here. This track also has a number of areas along straights where the outside lane has more spaces then the inside lane.

style: Only Monaco has a slower average corner speed but Valencia has the most straights of 10 or more spaces among these tracks. And that defines the track -- straights followed by really slow corners.

notes: The corners on this track are very normal in construction but there are a number of places on the tracks -- mostly right before the last corner but also right before the first corner.