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Silverstone confirms “Arena” circuit for 2010
Posted by on February 11, 2010
Silverstone's layout for 2010
The “Arena” version of Silverstone circuit has been approved by Formula 1 Managment, meaning the new layout will host the British Grand Prix in 2010.
Silverstone is currently undergoing redovelopment to coincide with the new circuit, and will be completed in the next few months. It is believed that it was the redevelopment of the facilities of Silverstone that convinced FOM to allow the circuit onto the calendar. We all know that Ecclestone has been complaining about Silverstone’s poor facilities for quite a while now, so he must have been eager to take up this opportunity. However, the new paddock and pits will only be completed for the 2011 race.
As I have previously stated, the corners Bridge, Priory, and Abbey, replacing them with two straights separated by a slow corner. There will be 17 corners, instead of the previous 18, and there will be probably 52 laps instead of 60.
Last year’s pole position was set by Sebastian Vettel, a 1.19.509. It has been predicted that this year’s pole lap will be around 1.23.130. This is mainly because of the increasing of the track’s length from 5.14km to 5.9km.
The managing dorector of Silverstone, Richard Phillips, said:
“The new sections of circuit were initially brought in to comply with Moto GP safety regulations, but the ‘Arena Complex’ was always designed with both two and four-wheeled racing in mind. We have been very careful, working closely with drivers and riders, to make sure we are improving and enhancing what Silverstone already has to offer – from a drivers, riders and spectators point of view.”
“Some will miss not seeing modern day F1 cars accelerating through Bridge, but we have to move with the times and continue looking at ways to improve the overall experience. The new layout will bring an extra dimension to Silverstone, a new challenge for the drivers, and will enable fans to get closer to the action. We have a very exciting year ahead of us, with F1, MotoGP and World Superbikes all coming to Silverstone, and I can’t wait to see how the drivers and riders tackle the new circuit.”
The overall cost of the redovelopment of Silverstone is estimated at around £5m.
I quite like this new layout on paper, but I really want to see it in action.
Damon Hill has made it quite public that he doesn’t like it. In the Friday (Feb 12) Daily Mail he said: ‘If you are asking me to say it’s fantastic, I’m afraid I am not going to do that. I am not satisfied that we will be providing the best facility we could.
‘More money goes out of the sport than comes in. It means we have to be as tight as a duck’s backside. We need every penny to survive. You end up having to do things you don’t want to. It is very frustrating.’
But what Hill seems to be forgetting is that we can always go back to the original Grand Prix circuit. The Arena layout is ment for the Moto GP primarilly aanyway.
I’m quite sure that the new layout will be better, because I never liked the last section on the old version, too slow and was impossible to overtake on. The new straight suits the rest of the track’s fast nature better.