The Campaign for Real Corner Names (TM, patent pending)

[Captain Hammer]

There is a major difference between the crcuits of old and the circuits of today. I'm not talking about Tilkedromes in general, here; rather, it's something absolutely cosmetic, which nevertheless gives a circuit charisma: the corners have actual names. In Bahrain and Turkey, Valencia and China and Abu Dhabi, the corners are simply numbered. How would Spa-Francorchamps b is Eau Rouge was simply known as "Turn Two"?

Marina Bay in Singapore has done something to reverse this trend, naming three of its corners. The first is Sheares, named for one of the nation's first leaders. Turn seven, after the long straight it known as Memorial because it is near the Singapore War Memorial. And the infamous chicane at the bottom of the circuit is the Singapore Sling, after Singapore's famous cocktail (and also because if you cross it up, the kerbs will sling you into the wall). But it doesn't go far enough. So here at F1 Rejects, we're going to see if we can name the corners to at least give the modern circuits some character of their own. I'll start.

Circuit: Istanbul
Corner: Turn Eight
New Name: The Haymaker
And Why?: A haymaker is a wild punch, often thrown in street fighting. It's an almighty swing that can do a lot of damage, designed to knock an opponent out by using all of the aggressor's strength; the downside is that if you miss, you can over-balance an dleave yourself wide open to retribution. Turn Eight i the same thing: an almighty swig to the left, designed to catch the drivers out; if they get it wrong, they'll be in the scenery.

Circuit: Abu Dhabi
Corner: Turns Eight and Nine
New Name: Safety On and Safety Off
And Why?: A lot of people have noted that the Yas Marina circuit is shaped like a gun. If this is the case, Turns Eight and Nine are where the safety could be located. Turn Eight becomes Safety On, because the drivers jump on the brakes to take the corner safely (geddit?), and Turn Nine becomes Safety Off becausetey can get back on the power almost straght away.

Your turn.

[CarlosFerreira]

Top Gear's CAMRRAD is going to get you for that...

China, turn 1: Snail
One of most unpleasant corners in F1 today, never satisfying to see a car there. Tightens all the time, until it turns left - like a snail's carapace pattern.

China, last corner: Off-Board motor
... because thus year the combination of intense rain and the control tower discharging there meant you needed one to stay on track.

Singapore, turn 2: Straight Cut corner
... because that's what everyone does there anyway.

[thehemogoblin]

*insert corner here*

The Jesus corner! If you don't have the grace of God on your side, you'll end up all crossed up!

[Bleu]

I was thinking of Shanghai corners to be named after Chinese horoscope. There are 12 astrology signs.

Corners 1-2, 3-4, 12-13 and 14-15 are basically same corner IMO. So that would make it exactly 12 places to be named.

Singapore then:

8 Double intersection 1
11 Cricket Club
12 St Andrews (for the Cathedral next to it)
13 Maybank corner (for the tower nearby)
14 Double intersection 2
17 Piquet corner
18-19 Spectator underpass
20-21 Highway chicane

[Yannick]

Turn 17 of Singapore was already being called "Piquet Corner" by every single TV commentator I listened to on the broadcast on the particular race.

[Tealy]

It might not be on the calendar anymore but turns 9 and 10 at Indy should be known as the Tilke switchbacks. Because they were slow, boring and characterless corners.

I'm not very good at this, I want a good name for turn 10 at Bahrain but can't think of anything that represents the corner well.

[muttley]

Turn 17 of Singapore was already being called "Piquet Corner" by every single TV commentator I listened to on the broadcast on the particular race.

What a great idea, to celebrate a 3 times World Champion by naming a corner after him! What? Not THAT Piquet?!?!?

[Jordan192]

Good corner names aren't typically descriptions of the corner or its charcteristics*, they're related to local (often before it was a circuit) landmarks, famous people and events with a connection to the circuit, or sponsors. Or Ayrton Senna.

Also, even named corners seem to be dying out as far as the drivers are concerned, Jenson referred to his lap 1 belgium incident as being at 'turn 5' - not 'les combes'


*I could only think of the Corkscrew at Laguna Seca. and 130R, but that's not a very good name either.

[Pieman]

While on the subject of corner names, does anyone know where Goddard's at Donington got its name from?

[shinji]

Why do those Tilke corners need names? They're so bland and not-distinctive it would just seem false.

[RejectSteve]

Good corner names aren't typically descriptions of the corner or its charcteristics*, they're related to local (often before it was a circuit) landmarks, famous people and events with a connection to the circuit, or sponsors. Or Ayrton Senna.

Also, even named corners seem to be dying out as far as the drivers are concerned, Jenson referred to his lap 1 belgium incident as being at 'turn 5' - not 'les combes'


*I could only think of the Corkscrew at Laguna Seca. and 130R, but that's not a very good name either.

The drivers often refer to the corners as 'turn #' on the insistance of the engineers. Left brainers, you know.

*And the Karussel at the Nurburgring, Indianapolis at Le Mans, Parabolica for Estoril and Monza...

[Bleu]

The problem with corner numbers is that when tracks change, corner numbers change too.

Let's use Hungaroring as example since there corners were numbered.

OK, some information is different whether that kink after is turn 1 or not counted but still. Also take account that track had that chicane in 1986-88 too. So in different layouts, the corner where Massa hit the wall after hit by the spring could be classified 4, 5 or 6 (or even 7 if you count the kink before it)

[Jordan192]

*I could only think of the Corkscrew at Laguna Seca. and 130R, but that's not a very good name either.

*And the Karussel at the Nurburgring, Indianapolis at Le Mans, Parabolica for Estoril and Monza...

*And after watching FP2, Ferradura at Interlagos, so yeah, I guess there's a few at least

[Yannick]

And the Karussel at the Nurburgring, Indianapolis at Le Mans, Parabolica for Estoril and Monza...

Now to reverse this game, just for fun, I wonder which number the Karussell of Nürburgring would be getting