SUSO

FIRST NIGHT

Night racing and the controversy of Mr. Tilke.

It’s the 800th Grand Prix since the format’s inception, the first in Singapore for 35 years, the first on an Asian street circuit, a pivotal race for the Driver’s Championship, there’s a forecast of torrential rain, and, most importantly, it’s the first Formula 1 race ever to be held at night: is this weekends spectacle destined to be remembered as rampant globalisation-inspired innovation, the death of Formula 1 or the birth of a brave new era? 

It will require 3,180,000 watts to light the track - not exactly a feather in the cap of F1’s green credentials - but the controversy doesn’t stop there. Lurking in the background, casting a proud eye over his latest creation, Hermann Tilke, the track designer, will be on tenterhooks. The multi-millionaire racing driver-cum-engineer-cum-architect provided the blueprints for all 5 of the new races on the calendar: Bahrain, China, Valencia, Turkey and Singapore.

Dubbed the Lord of the Chicanes, he’s a figure that polarises opinion in the F1 world. He ripped out the famous forest section at Hockenheim and threatens to get rid of the iconic Eau Rouge corner at Spa Francorchamps in Belgium. His motivations, apparently, are safety for the drivers and entertainment for the audience. Conspiracy theorists, however, are concerned that his rolling contract with bosom buddy Bernie Ecclestone is the real driving force behind these constant innovations. Under the veil of creating a visual feast of safe overtaking, is he cashing in on a quick fix solution to ‘boring’ races?  

Not so fast. Overtaking should be a function not of the track, but of the cars. The addition of wings has started a long line of developments that create incredible downforce. To cut a long story short, braking distances have been slashed, leaving little to no time for even the most kamikaze driver to out-brake his opponent. In the longer, sweeping corners, this huge downforce eradicates braking altogether, so all the cars are on the limit, and all follow an identical line. 

So, don’t blame Tilke for the boring races; just blame him for being too ruthlessly forward-thinking in the face of tradition, as he was with Hockenheim. The pressing matter is the Singapore Grand Prix. The track winds through the heart of one of the world's most striking cities and passes some of its famous landmarks, including the Raffles hotel, an icon of the British colonial era. With historic buildings and skyscrapers looming above the racing line - many of which will be lit up on Sunday - not to mention the green acres and Victorian splendour of the Singapore Cricket Club, it promises to be one of the most memorable sporting events of all time. 

Categories Design Sport Tags F1 Sport Design

By on 25/9/08