Full Throttle

The Formula One Teams’ Association (FOTA) will reveal their blueprint for the future of the sport on Thursday. A series of radical, cost-cutting measures were agreed upon with FIA president Max Mosley in December in a bid to steer F1 away from potential ruin following Honda’s demise.

I’ve read several reports on Luca Di Montezemolo’s remarks but one line from Autosport caught my eye.

Although not a direct quote of Montezemolo Autosport claims part of the FOTA initiative will be “plans to look into future track designs to help overtaking, plus implement further cost cutting measures for 2010.”

To us purists of the sport, well ok… old timers if you prefer, the name of track designer Hermann Tilke conjures up visions of flat-as-a-pancake circuits completely devoid of any personality whatsoever. No hills, no valleys and plenty of high-speed sweepers and his trademark track feature: a long back straight followed by a hairpin turn.

With the exception of the Tilke designed Istanbul circuit in Turkey all his purpose-built (as opposed to the street circuits in Valencia and Singapore) F1 venues don’t exactly match his early experience in racing and oddly enough the inspiration behind his becoming a track designer.

And do I really have to note the complete castration Tilke performed on a once great circuit, the Hockenheimring in Germany?

The included Discovery Channel interview of Tilke outlines his early inspiration as the Nürburgring a circuit Tilke competed on driving touring cars mainly on the old Nürburgring Nordschleife portion of the circuit. He also competed several times in the 24 Hours Nürburgring.

It all makes you wonder what went wrong. What happened to Tilke’s love and adoration of one of, if not the most famous road circuits in the world?

What happened when pen hit paper and Tilke turned out Bahrain or Shanghai?

Hell if I know, but if FOTA and Luca Di Montezemolo are looking at future track design they can start by tearing up those two tracks and starting from scratch. Hell the addition of a couple trees in Bahrain would be an improvement over the barren landscape that exists now.

FOTA can also step-in before it’s too late and modify the Tilke designs for the Volokolamskring in Russia, Moscow Raceway (’cause you know Bernie wants in there), Donington Park, Korean International Circuit and the planned F1 Venue in India.

But that’s just me. What say you?