Formula 1’s go-to circuit designer Hermann Tilke has defended his creations despite regular fans complaints.
The German has been in charge of every new track added to the calendar since 1997, with the revamped Osterriechring, now the Red Bull Ring, his first project.
Since then, he has become known for circuits that feature considerable run-off areas and layouts which typically follow a similar pattern.
“We never have a clean slate on which to draw,” Tilke argued in a rare interview to Italy’s La Repubblica.
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“But there are guidelines: There is the land of which we are not owners, the history has to be respected, the altitude, and also other elements such as the ‘feng shui’ philosophy in Shanghai.
“Then there are safety and security rules, which have evolved, and Imola taught us this with Ayrton Senna.
“There is also the costs, investors want multi-purpose facilities. The expenses for a Formula 1 circuit range from a 100 million to a billion, as is the case with Abu Dhabi, which incorporates a hotel.”
Some of Tilke’s work has been praised, venues like Sepang, Istanbul Park, COTA have become known for producing solid racing but there is also circuits like Sochi last weekend, which haven’t captured the imagination.
“Sochi was probably the most difficult project,” he said. “We had to insert it in the park of the Winter Games 2014, it was not easy.”
Next year sees another brand new circuit in Vietnam which again seems to follow the same layout formula as most of Tilke’s designs.
“On Hanoi, we hope to be ready for next year, the time available is short but we are used to it,” he said.
“It is an interesting challenge, especially for the configuration that requires us to use almost 70% of roads normally open to traffic and the rest completely new.
“Two short straights, one very long by 1.5 kilometres, a couple of very fast corners that are not usual in city circuits.”
While Tilke has tried to adapt his approach to circuit design by talking with drivers, he admits there was one who was more vocal than many on the matter.
“I owe a lot to Michael [Schumacher],” he said.
“I showed him my first sketches and he contributed suggestions to improve my ideas, spending a lot of his time.
“Even some drivers help me now, but not as deeply as he did.”