The Worst Tilke Tracks to Ever Grace Formula One

As Formula 1 grows, so does the list of tracks it have taken on. While some of the tracks have passed the test of time and still remain fan favourites, many have been flagged as ‘boring’ by the fans. While such boring tracks can be found throughout Formula 1 history, providing crucial information that what excite the fans, modern tracks can still prove to be boring, Many modern tracks, whether boring or exciting, have one name associated with them, Hermann Tilke. And here is the list of ‘Tilke’ tracks, that we wish did not exist.

Sochi Autodrom, Russia

High speed corners, high speed straights, close to ninety degree turns. Add them up and you barf out the Sochi Autodrom. If you have just a slightly better car set-up, you can pull out more than 2-3 seconds of lead in a couple of laps. You just see cars go around at a ‘safe’ distance as if they are testing, not racing. Huge run off areas limit penalty to drivers who go over the limit. One could say that Sochi is a car’s trench and not a driver’s track. All these factors result in an essentially boring grand prix and fans could not want more to eliminate it from the calendar.

Korea International Circuit, South Korea

It is well known that the Korea International circuit has never been a fan favourite. Drivers have also been critical about the track. The pit lane entry directly interfered with the fast racing line and drivers risked getting hit from behind by a speeding car if they attempted an entry. The exit for the pit and also saw drivers rejoining the track at an awkward spot. Due to this reason, the pit lane entry and exit where redesigned but the issue was never corrected sufficiently.  It has always been riddled with maintenance issues. Drivers have constantly complained that the uneven surface of the track is not the standard that it should be. No doubt the circuit made it to this list.

Valencia street circuit, Spain

Valencia may be a street circuit but it was designed to match stand-alone circuits. And this is why it found a spot on this list. Valencia bears very few of the street circuit elements. There are long flat out curves ending in big braking zones and huge run off areas for these braking zones. Despite lacking narrow sections (like in Monaco and Baku) through out the track, overtaking was minimum until DRS was introduced and still the number of overtakes for the track remained in the lower half for most of the seasons.

Buddh International Circuit, India

The Buddh International Circuit hosted its first grand prix in 2011. It received a positive response. It hosted a total of three races, and it soon became clear it was definitely not a fan favourite. Though it did challenge the drivers in a few corners, it did not provide much overtaking opportunities. Racers could not be seen battling out for positions in the corners. It was soon apparent that the best way was to stick to the car ahead till the back straight and pass it on the long straight using DRS. Sure turns 10 and 11 looked majestic, and the straight between turn 3 and 4 saw cars go as fast as they can, but nothing compensated for lack of battles.

Do you agree with our list of worst Tilke Tracks? Have we missed out on a track that should have made the list? Comment below to let us know!