At last month’s Hungarian Grand Prix, the FIA confirmed that Formula 1 would be returning to Mexico in 2015 for the first grand prix to be held at the Autodromo Hermonos Rodriguez since 1992.
The news was received very well indeed: it is a classic circuit; there are two Mexican drivers on the grid; there is a huge fanbase hungry for Formula 1. It has all of the requirements to not only host a grand prix, but be a successful event.
On the same day, Bernie Ecclestone confirmed that F1 would also be heading to Azerbaijan for the Grand Prix of Europe, set to take place in 2016. The former Soviet state has little motorsport heritage; the track will be a street circuit constructed around the nation’s capital, Baku.
The two events provide a perfect juxtaposition for the future direction of Formula 1: the old and the new. However, as we head to Spa-Francorchamps this weekend for the Belgian Grand Prix, we are reminded about the rich history of this glorious sport, and how we must keep it alive.
F1 going to Azerbaijan is not a bad thing. Races in nations that would not immediately spring to mind for F1 have been successful: Singapore, Bahrain, Abu Dhabi etc. Of course, there have been failures (Korea, India) but F1’s global outlook is a good thing. It has been Bernie’s perfect formula since the 1980s that has made the sport so big.
However, we sometimes get a bit nostalgic on weekends such as this. When you drive into Spa, the first corner you see is Eau Rouge. No other corner is as recognizable or famous in Formula 1, but of course, the argument is: “Well it’s not what it used to be!”. And indeed, it is not – but it might just get close to its glory days this year with the new cars. Eau Rouge will no longer be a flat corner (apparently this is easy). Of course, you’ve got Blanchimont and Pouhons and La Source and… the list goes on. It is an awesome circuit.
It is a track that has hosted many a classic grand prix over the years. At its most fearsome, the circuit was some 14km long, seeing drivers such as Jim Clark, Jackie Stewart and Juan Manuel Fangio dart through the Belgian countryside at terrifying speeds. Much like the old Nordschleife circuit in Germany, it had to be changed to meet modern safety standards, but it does retain some of the old characteristics. It is still a favorite for all of the drivers on the grid.
Despite this, the Belgian Grand Prix is not secure on the calendar, nor has it been since the turn of the century. In 2003, the race was cancelled due to the nation’s stance on tobacco laws when cigarette advertising essentially funded the sport. The circuit owners were told to improve the facilities for the 2007 race, meaning that 2006 was also a Spa-less year. The new facilities and final sector are certainly improvements on what we had before, but when it comes to race fees, there are bigger fish to fry.
Take Monza. The track has been synonymous with Formula 1 and Ferrari since the first world championship race back in 1950, hosting all but one Italian Grand Prix in that time. However, the sport has said that a move away could be on the cards, perhaps in favor of a Rome street race or Mugello.
The most recent concerns about Monza arose when pictures revealed that the gravel at the famous Parabolica corner had been replaced by a tarmac run-off area. The F1 community cried out, bemoaning the fact that yet another classic corner had been neutered. However, as safety standards need to be improve, changes must be made, even if it does come at the cost of making a corner that extra bit more challenging.
So how relevant are Spa and Monza in the future of Formula 1? Will both races still be on the calendar in years to come?
Quite simply, they really need to be. Whilst the sport’s global expansion and outlook has been generally positive, we must hold on to some of the most famous and historic races. F1 must remember its roots.
It’s for this reason that Spa-Francorchamps is such a favorite on the calendar. The entire F1 community is excited for the sport’s return after the summer break, but at the same point, it is excited for Spa. If the Bahrain Grand Prix was the first race back after the summer break, it’s unlikely that this weekend’s race would be so hotly anticipated.
Driving into the circuit this morning with some colleagues, it was clear that the tiny town surrounding the circuit does love F1. The banners are up, the appropriately-named Pit Lane Cafe is open, the smell of Belgian waffles is in the air…
And through the mist, you see Eau Rouge. The fearsome kink peeks through the trees; there in plain sight is the reason why this circuit is adored by the sport’s following.
As impressive as the Abu Dhabis and the Singapores of Formula 1 are, there’s nothing quite like the Spa and Monza double-header to bring us back down to earth and remind us of where we came from. The sport may be focusing on moving forwards and continuing to expand, but at the same time, it must keep the classics alive.
Following Spa and Monza, just two of the tracks left on the calendar this season – Suzuka and Interlagos – are ‘classics’. The others are all new-builds, typified by lots and lots of corners, long straights and hard stops. They are impressive, but lack the charm that only a circuit with history can boast.
Spa or Abu Dhabi? As grossly impressive as the latter is, I think I speak on behalf of the entire F1 community by saying that I would take Spa any day of the week. Long may it be a part of the F1 circus – it is a favorite act for many.
DETROIT – A lap in the IndyCar Grand Prix had yet to be turned on the streets of Detroit, and race drivers were doing what they sometimes do best – expecting the worst of a new race course.
It was the Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix, and some of the top drivers in the NTT IndyCar Series, including pole winner Alex Palou, were questioning the nine-turn, 1.645-mile street course in downtown Detroit. Even after he won the pole on Saturday, Palou had said the Indy cars were too big, the race course was too small, too tight and too bumpy for the series to put on a competitive race.
It was Sunday morning, five hours before the race, and the IndyCar morning warmup session just had ended. Penske Corp. president Bud Denker, the Detroit GP chairman, was talking to NBC Sports as the Indy cars were being wheeled back to the paddock following the warmup session.
Instead of his trademark smile and optimism, Denker was determined and stern. As Palou’s No. 10 Honda was being pulled by the team’s tire wagon into the paddock, Denker expressed his feelings.
“I’m really not happy with some of the comments that driver has been making,” Denker said.
Denker’s team had spent the better part of two years envisioning and developing a street course that could create a major racing event without shutting down the Detroit business community.
Jefferson Avenue, the main thoroughfare in the city’s business district, remained open thanks to some creative track design (because the race course crossed Jefferson over a bridge and also couldn’t impede the adjacent tunnel that was an international crossing to Windsor, Canada).
Alex Palou leads into Turn 1 on the start of the Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix (USA TODAY Sports Images Network).
From an event standpoint, the Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix was already electric with a vibe that brought tens of thousands daily to this revitalized urban center known as “Motor City.”
“Alex and I actually had a conversation after the race on the way to pit lane,” Denker told NBC Sports. “I congratulated him because he was a worthy champion, did a great job, great win, great run, pole qualifying also.
“His comment to me was, ‘This track proved very worthy.’
“I’ll take that from him.”
The race itself exceeded expectations. It may have been the best street race of the season on the NTT IndyCar Series schedule.
The racing was fierce, the competition phenomenal, and the restarts brought even the most jaded motorsports observers to their feet.
“Oh yeah, myself included,” Palou admitted to NBC Sports. “The event was amazing. The crowd we had was unbelievable. The energy was great. It was a really great race.”
Palou’s complaints entering the race were from his frustrations in finding a clean lap during qualification sims in practice and the actual qualifications on Saturday.
With 27 cars on a 1.645-mile street circuit, just do the math – it’s hard to get a gap.
But the race course proved to be a much better “race” track than a qualifying layout.
“Yes, 100 percent,” Palou said. “I like to go fast. I like to race. When you have traffic every single lap, you don’t like it that much, but for the race, it was great. It was a great event for the fans, for the teams and for the drivers.
“The energy we had here was amazing.”
The drivers’ worst fears never developed in the race. There were no blocked corners. No red flags. Plenty of passing zones.
Denker and his team could feel vindication and a strong sense of redemption.
“It is ironic,” Denker said of Palou winning the race. “I think a lot of the comments early on was because of the first practice. There was no rubber on the track. A new track for them. A lot of cars going into the runoff and stalling their cars in the runoff, not turning the cars around fast enough. I think a lot of perceptions were created in that first practice.
“Some of our turns look tight. Turn 1 for instance, the apex is 27 feet, much larger than some other tracks where it is tight. The issue going into the race was, are you going to have two cars block the entire track and then you have to go Red Flag.
“We never had that situation today where you had a car block the track, even in the tightest turns. We never had an issue where cars could not get around you.
“The corners were wide enough to support the fact that when you had an issue, cars could get around and continue moving around without having a red flag.”
Will Power enters Turn 3 during the Detroit Grand Prix (USA TODAY Sports Images Network).
It also proved that in an actual competition, the teams and drivers in IndyCar can figure out how to adapt and put on a good race.
“We saw them figure it out in the Indy NXT race on Saturday,” Denker said. “It was a great race. We saw so many IndyCar drivers go off into the runoff on Friday that there were concerns. Many of them were stalling their cars and couldn’t get them spun around.
“That led to, ‘Oh my gosh, we’re going to have caution after caution after caution because we aren’t going to be able to get our cars stopped to make a turn, or slowed down to make a turn, and the runoff will happen continuously.’ “Guess what? We had seven cautions for 32 laps and very few of those were for a stalled car in the runoff. It was for a mistake on the race track made by a driver.
“We proved the thoughts that came out on Friday, we proved them very, very wrong in the race on Sunday.”
Fans watch from the Franklin Garage parking deck near the GM Renaissance Center as safety workers attended to David Malukas after he hit the wall out of Turn 9 during the Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix (USA TODAY Sports Images Network).
As the president of the Penske Corp., Denker is a man who understands business and decorum. He is one of Roger Penske’s most valued executives, practically his right-hand man.
The impeccably dressed Denker is never rattled, and he backs up his style with substance.
IndyCar racing, however, is a highly competitive game and in the heat of battle, the energy level tends to increase.
That is why Denker was more emphatic than usual once the Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix had concluded.
“Eighteen months ago, it was an idea that Michael Montri had after the success of the Nashville Grand Prix and what it did for that city,” Denker said. “The businesses coming together, the community coming together and the city just glowing.
“We came back in August of 2021 and asked if that could ever happen in downtown Detroit and off Belle Isle. We found a great circuit that was worthy of that, that wouldn’t compromise business or the international tunnel in the middle of our race track. That was a dream at the time.
“It’s a cliché, but dreams really came true this weekend. We saw the success of great racing, competitive racing, safe racing and very importantly, fans that we haven’t seen came out in a very diverse way and enjoy this sport.”
Reminiscing about the amazing performances by @atrak and @BigBoi at the Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix presented by Lear. Thanks to everyone who made it unforgettable. Who should perform next year? Share your thoughts in the comments. pic.twitter.com/iLBxGPBgJe
It was certainly a major weekend for Detroit as the Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix was the lead story on seemingly every TV newscast in the city. The business community of the city flourished – something that didn’t happen when the Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix was held 4 miles up Jefferson at Belle Isle Park from 1992-2022.
“One hundred percent,” Denker agreed. “The fact of the matter is most of the people that come to our race are within a four-county area. Just like Indianapolis, one state for them.
“I think the fact is Belle Isle you came down, you parked in the same parking deck where the sponsors parked that had been there for 13 years, get in a bus, come back, get in their car, they go home.
“Here you had to park somewhere. You had to come downtown. Took the People Mover, the Q Line, all these different places and you came downtown. That was the difference for us.
“Belle Isle in my mind, it’s 50 miles away from Detroit in some respects because we didn’t see the benefit the city would get. We saw the benefit this time because of how busy it was. You saw it. You were staying here at a hotel somewhere and saw it.
“We know we made a big impact on the city. Why? Because the hotels were all filled up. They weren’t filled up when Belle Isle was there.”
As the city's streets get back to normal, we wanted to reflect on what a great weekend the hometown @IndyCar race was for @FleetCostCare & @jjcurrancrane. Bringing the @detroitgp back to the city was a blast! Big thanks to all of our customers who came out to join in the fun and… pic.twitter.com/RxpKHWyTYp
Already on its way to have a dramatic economic impact to Detroit, on Sunday, the competitive level of IndyCar was on full display.
“The facts are there were 189 on-track passes at Detroit, 142 of them were for position,” Denker said proudly. “At St. Pete, great race this year, 170 on-track passes versus Detroit’s 189 and 128 for position versus Detroit’s 142.
“Long Beach, great race this year, had the same for position passes as Detroit had. I think we had a pretty good race.”
Although Palou won the race, it was Team Penske’s Will Power that put on the show. He was a master on the restarts, going full throttle into the end of the long straightaway, pulling out from behind Palou and taking the lead by diving to the inside in the turn.
That move worked throughout the race until the final restart, when Palou was able to protect the inside line and make Power go to the outside.
The Team Penske driver (whose race weekend highlight was hanging out with Flavor Flav) was unable to use the high line and then proceeded to get into a street fight with Scott Dixon and others for second place in the closing laps.
“The restarts were great because we have this long straightaway,” Denker said. “We started the restart between coming out of Turn 1. Those that got a good jump, like Will Power did on Alex Palou on the second-to-last restart, could make a good pass. Those that had push-to-passes left later on could make a good pass.
“The fact we had this seven-eighths of a mile straightaway where the restarts were coming into was a great place to start the race versus an area not as long. We had the benefit of having a straightway as long as the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and speeds that were just unbelievable going down through this track.
The view down the nearly 1-mile Jefferson Avenue straightaway that separates Turn 2 and Turn 3 (USA TODAY Sports Images Network).
“I thought the restarts were great because of the positions Kyle Novak (IndyCar Race Director) and his team made for that.
“The other thing was the dual pit lane. This was really interesting because it hasn’t been done before to have 13 cars pitted on one side and 14 cars pitting on the other side and have six lanes merging to one in 315 feet. How is that going to happen?
“This time, because of the yellows, we never had a situation with 27 cars coming in at the same time. It was sporadic. That issue we thought would happen to create a calamity on pit lane never happened.”
Two of the Arrow McLaren drivers got into their own shoving match on the track with Felix Rosenqvist getting the best of Alexander Rossi for third place.
But none of the Chevrolet drivers were able to catch Palou at the end as the No. 10 Honda took the checkered flag.
“When you have Chevrolet as the backdrop, and them being the key partner and sponsor of this thing, you want to keep them happy,” Denker said. “They also know competition drives this sport. We saw some great action. Will Power made a great move late, some great action there. The competition between the Arrow McLaren cars were unbelievable the last 10 laps. Will Power made a great pass of Alexander Rossi to get position to take over second place. I loved the competition.
“We saw some passes late between Turns 8 and 9 and Turns 1 and 2 that I don’t think anybody thought would happen. This turned into a very, very competitive race track.
“Once this track rubbered up, the drivers said this track was very worthy.
Indy 500 winner Joef Newgarden enters the Turn 3 hairpin during the Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix (USA Today Sports Images Network).
“It’s a new place. They have to learn new things. There are some bumps in certain corners. Guess what? We’ll fix those things.
“No one got to test here because we couldn’t close the roads down a week ahead of time or a month ahead of time or two days ahead of time. I got some feedback from drivers who did simulation. I ground some track areas they wanted fixed. I put new pavement in Turn 3 to drivers right because of feedback.
“I got no feedback to repaving drivers left. If I had, I would have repaved that, also. It shows that I will make those changes because I made those changes to driver right, but I never got that feedback.
“It goes both ways. Provide me the feedback, I’ll make those changes. But now that we’ve had the race, we have a lot more opportunity to make changes based off of what actually happened.”
There were accolades and plaudits from some of IndyCar’s most accomplished drivers afterwards, including six-time NTT IndyCar Series champion and 2008 Indianapolis 500 winner Scott Dixon.
“It was wild,” Dixon said. “I had a lot of fun. The car was super difficult. The track was difficult. It had a lot of character. It was interesting but very difficult on the restarts.
“These things aren’t meant to be easy. I had a lot of fun, just frustrated with how my day went and not getting the most out of a really good car.”
From both an event and race standpoint, team owner Dale Coyne believed it was a blockbuster.
“This is a really big event,” Coyne said. “We’ve brought Long Beach to a major city like Detroit. This is the type of event that we should be doing in IndyCar.
“I would rather be in Detroit than in Milwaukee. Events like this one in Detroit are IndyCar’s future. Milwaukee is IndyCar’s past.”
While that comment may not resonate with some of IndyCar’s older fan base who long for the days of The Milwaukee Mile as the first race after the Indianapolis 500, that distinction has belonged to Detroit since it returned to the IndyCar schedule in 2012.
The signs and structures may be coming down around the track but the good vibes remain from the 2023 #DetroitGP! We can't wait to see everyone back in Downtown #Detroit next year. pic.twitter.com/VqInGqwGcx
Now that it’s back on the streets of downtown Detroit for the first time since 1991, Denker predicts even bigger events to come for the Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix.
“Our city was showcased to the world in ways that people had probably never thought,” Denker said proudly. “The riverfront, you couldn’t tell if you were in San Diego, or even Monaco, these boats that were out there harbored. We couldn’t be more proud of our team.
