____ ___ _ /\ _`\ /\_ \ /' \ \ \ \_\_\___ _ __ ___ ___ __ __\//\ \ __ /\_, \ \ \ _\/ __`\/\`'__\/' __` __`\/\ \/\ \ \ \ \ /'__`\ \/_/\ \ \ \ \/\ \_\ \ \ \/ /\ \/\ \/\ \ \ \_\ \ \_\ \_/\ \_\.\_ \ \ \ \ \_\ \____/\ \_\ \ \_\ \_\ \_\ \____/ /\____\ \__/.\_\ \ \_\ \/_/\/___/ \/_/ \/_/\/_/\/_/\/___/ \/____/\/__/\/_/ \/_/ __ __ ______ /\ \ /'__`\/\ ___\ \ \/ /\ \/\ \ \ \__/ \/ \ \ \ \ \ \___``\ \ \ \_\ \/\ \_\ \ \ \____/\ \____/ \/___/ \/___/ _____________________________________________________________________________ FORMULA ONE '05 FAQ ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sony Playstation 2 (PAL version) by Martin Reynolds (Sappy) mattbellamy(at)gmail(dot)com Version 1.0 Copyright Martin Reynolds 2005 _____________________________________________________________________________ +===========================================================================+ ¦ Table of Contents ¦ ¦ ----------------- ¦ ¦ ¦ ¦ 1.Update History ¦ ¦ 2.Rules & Basics ¦ ¦ 3.Game Modes ¦ ¦ > Instant Race ¦ ¦ > Timed Test Session ¦ ¦ > Race Weekend ¦ ¦ > World Championship ¦ ¦ > Career Mode ¦ ¦ > Online ¦ ¦ 4.Rewards ¦ ¦ 5.Teams and Drivers ¦ ¦ > Ferrari ¦ ¦ > BAR ¦ ¦ > Renault ¦ ¦ > Williams ¦ ¦ > McLaren ¦ ¦ > Sauber ¦ ¦ > Red Bull ¦ ¦ > Toyota ¦ ¦ > Jordan ¦ ¦ > Minardi ¦ ¦ 6.The Circuits ¦ ¦ > Australia ¦ ¦ > Malaysia ¦ ¦ > Bahrain ¦ ¦ > San Marino ¦ ¦ > Spain ¦ ¦ > Monaco ¦ ¦ > Nurburgring ¦ ¦ > Canada ¦ ¦ > United States ¦ ¦ > France ¦ ¦ > Britain ¦ ¦ > Germany ¦ ¦ > Hungary ¦ ¦ > Turkey ¦ ¦ > Italy ¦ ¦ > Belgium ¦ ¦ > Brazil ¦ ¦ > Japan ¦ ¦ > China ¦ ¦ 7.Contact & Legal ¦ ¦ ¦ ¦ ¦ +===========================================================================+ ~*~ 1.Update History ---------------- There are no current updates at this time. 2.Rules & Basics ---------------- Formula One is a complicated array or rules and jargon. In order to understand formula one and therefore this game. I have compiled a short section on the rules in relation to this game: Points ~~~~~~ The top eight finishers come race end are awarded with both drivers' points and constructors' points. Come the end of the season the driver with the most points is crowned world champion while the constructor (or team) with most points is crowned constructors' champion. The points are allocated as follows: 1st Place: 10 points 2nd place: 8 points 3rd place: 6 points 4th place: 5 points 5th place: 4 points 6th place: 3 points 7th place: 2 points 8th place: 1 point For example, if you won a race and your team-mate was third, you would get 10 points, your team-mate would get 6 points. Your team would get 16 points as well (10 +6). ~*~ Qualifying ~~~~~~~~~~ Qualifying is what determines the starting order for the Grand Prix. There are two qualifying sessions in which the times from both sessions are aggregated. The faster your aggregate time the higher up the grid you will be. Flags ----- Information is passed onto drivers by marshals who wave different colour flags at the side of the track, here is a run down of what they mean: Yellow flag ~~~~~~~~~~~ Indicates danger - a collision may have occurred so be extra careful. Overtaking is forbidden and drivers must be prepared to slow down or even stop. Note: I have on occasions in this game, ignored the yellow flag and continued racing as normal, there is no punishment for doing so, although in real formula one the driver would be handed a punishment (such as a drive through the pit penalty). Green Flag ~~~~~~~~~~ Signifies that any danger has passed. When a green flag is waved, any limitations previously indicated by a yellow flag are no longer valid. Blue Flag ~~~~~~~~~ Warns the driver that a faster car is about to lap them and that they must allow the faster car to overtake. Red and Yellow Striped Flag ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ You will see this a lot in this game, usually means that oil has spilled onto the circuit (usually from a blown engine). Black Flag with Orange Spot ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Alerts the driver to structural damage on the car such as a broken front wing. TIP: When racing with a broken wing it is sometimes not wise to pit. Although the handling becomes a lot more tricky you will get used to it. The time lost in an Unscheduled pit stop will far out way the time lost due to bad handling, especially in shorter races. Black Flag ~~~~~~~~~~ A black flag means that a driver has been disqualified from the race. In this game, its typically issued for driving round the track in the wrong direction. ~*~ Pit Stops --------- For the first time in a Studio Liverpool F1 game there are interactive pit stops. This means that it is up to your skill and judgement how fast (or slow) your pit stop will be. You can turn interactive pit stops on or off in the 'race options' menu. If you are wondering why there are no tyre changes during the pit stops it is due to a new rule for 2005 which states that only one set of tyres can be used for the race. This was put in place to save costs. Unfortunately it does make for some boring pit stops both in real life and the game. You decide your fuel levels before qualifying two. You can choose how many stops you would like to make along with when you want to make them. A full length Grand Prix can vary between one, two or even three stops. If you are racing in a relatively long race remember that on a two stop you will be faster in the race but will have to stop twice. Conversely, if you are on a one stop strategy your laps will be slower but you will only have to stop for fuel once. Come your lap to pit, an exclamation mark "!" will appear to the right of your screen. when you enter the pit lane you will automatically slow down to the pit lane speed limit. As you approach your garage you will be asked to push buttons in the correct order - remembering that the faster you do it the faster you can rejoin the race. If you have a broken wing or burst tyre then a question mark '?' will appear on the right side of your screen. if you want to pit then push 'select' to confirm. +=====================================================+ ¦A typical pit stop will go like this: ¦ ¦ ¦ ¦Fuel Nozzle attaches to your car (PRESS CIRCLE) ¦ ¦ + ¦ ¦Fuel Nozzle pulls away from your car (PRESS CIRCLE) ¦ ¦ + ¦ ¦Lollypop man lifts his lollypop :D (PRESS SQUARE) ¦ +=====================================================+ +=====================================================+ ¦If you have a damaged front wing then: ¦ ¦ ¦ ¦Fuel Nozzle attaches to your car (PRESS CIRCLE) ¦ ¦ + ¦ ¦Man takes off front wing (PRESS TRIANGLE) ¦ ¦ + ¦ ¦Fuel Nozzle pulls away from your car (PRESS CIRCLE) ¦ ¦ + ¦ ¦Man attaches new front wing (PRESS TRIANGLE) ¦ ¦ + ¦ ¦Lollypop man lifts his lollypop :D (PRESS SQUARE) ¦ +=====================================================+ ~*~ 3.Game Modes ------------ There are several Game Modes to choose from each offering a different style of game play, they are as follows: Instant Race ------------ Instant race is the most basic of race modes aimed at the novice player to help get to grips with the handling of the cars and the track layouts. Its very simple, pick your team and driver from the scroll along menus (which are all listed in the 'Teams and Drivers' section) and choose the circuit (all 19 are listed in detail in the 'Circuits' section). When you click 'start race' you are then transported to the grid where you can make adjustments to running order. Pushing 'X' on two drivers names makes them swap position on the grid, do this as many times as you like until you have the grid you want. The game also gives the player the option of turning on specific driving aids to aid the player complete a lap in a respectable amount of time, you have the option of turning on: Steering Assistance: When switched on, as long as you steer in the correct ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ direction for the corner you are attempting, the driving aid will do all the hard work for you. Remember that you still have to hold it in the correct direction for the length of the corner, it is an aid not an automatic driver! Braking Assistance: Braking assistance will help you learn how to navigate ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ the circuit you are driving by slowing down the car down automatically for the corners even if you are trying to accelerate. Gear Box : The automatic gearbox option will mean that the ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ correct gear will be selected for you. If you want to have complete control over your gears then the manual option is available. Suggested Gear : If you want some help judging the correct gear to ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ use turn this mode on (only available to turn on when gear box has been selected to manual). Corner Indicators : The corner indicators show you how severe the turn ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ you are approaching is, as well as changing colour to show you if you should lower your speed for that corner. Remember, red means you are going too fast so try and keep the indicator green! Virtual Line : The virtual racing line is a visual indicator the best ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ line to take through the circuit for optimal speed. It is coloured to tell you at what points round the circuit you should be accelerating and braking. Impact Protection : Impact protections guards your car against any damage ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ that would be incurred from an impact. Spin Recovery : Spin recovery helps your car if you want to be ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ automatically rotated to face in the correct direction after a spin. This helps your car get back in the race. Antilock Brakes : When the antilock brakes system is turned on you are ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ less likely to skid under braking. ~*~ Timed Test Session ------------------ A timed test session is basically your driving skills against the clock! As you would expect you can choose from any of the drivers and pick any of the 19 circuits you would like to trial on. You also have the option of turning on the driving aids, but from my point of view it is more of a challenge to leave them off so its a real sense of accomplishment when you achieve gold. Gold?! I hear you ask? Each circuit has three time benchmarks, bronze, silver and gold. Most players should be able to achieve bronze and silver easily but the gold times can be particualarly tough (well some anyway). My advice if your having difficulty is just to practice (and use my circuit guides) because you get an uber reward if you achieve all golds! You will also achieve goodies if you achieve the silver and bronze times. See the 'Rewards' section for more information. Here are the 19 circuits time benchmarks: Australia: ~~~~~~~~~ Gold: 01'27.600 Silver: 01'31.370 Bronze: 01'37.960 Malaysia: ~~~~~~~~~ Gold: 01'31.950 Silver: 01'35.720 Bronze: 01'42.070 Bahrain: ~~~~~~~ Gold: 01'33.680 Silver: 01'37.450 Bronze: 01'44.320 San Marino: ~~~~~~~~~~ Gold: 01'16.100 Silver: 01'19.870 Bronze: 01'28.550 Spain: ~~~~~ Gold: 01'16.610 Silver: 01'20.380 Bronze: 01'25.770 Monaco: ~~~~~~ Gold: 01'15.450 Silver: 01'19.220 Bronze: 01'24.350 Nurburgring: ~~~~~~~~~~~ Gold: 01'29.070 Silver: 01'32.830 Bronze: 01'36.010 Canada: ~~~~~~ Gold: 01'11.310 Silver: 01'15.080 Bronze: 01'19.260 United States: ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Gold: 01'12.510 Silver: 01'16.280 Bronze: 01'20.440 France: ~~~~~~ Gold: 01'13.960 Silver: 01'17.730 Bronze: 01'22.820 Britain: ~~~~~~~ Gold: 01'20.550 Silver: 01'24.320 Bronze: 01'31.040 Germany: ~~~~~~~ Gold: 01'16.570 Silver: 01'20.340 Bronze: 01'26.130 Hungary: ~~~~~~~ Gold: 01'18.320 Silver: 01'22.090 Bronze: 01'27.680 Turkey: ~~~~~~ Gold: 01'29.330 Silver: 01'33.090 Bronze: 01'40.870 Italy: ~~~~~ Gold: 01'24.810 Silver: 01'28.580 Bronze: 01'30.380 Belgium: ~~~~~~~ Gold: 01'47.980 Silver: 01'51.700 Bronze: 01'58.890 Brazil: ~~~~~~ Gold: 01'13.520 Silver: 01'17.290 Bronze: 01'23.120 Japan: ~~~~~ Gold: 01'32.480 Silver: 01'35.290 Bronze: 01'44.690 China: ~~~~~ Gold: 01'36.830 Silver: 01'38.460 Bronze: 01'40.100 ~*~ Race Weekend ------------ Pick a driver, pick a circuit, its that simple. A race weekend can be explained as simply a more extensive instant race. All the Driving aids are available to switch on or off depending on your ability and preferences. The 'race options' can be tweaked here depending on what kind of weekend you are after: Difficulty: The essentially selects all the race options for you. ~~~~~~~~~~ For example, putting it on hard will change the AI speed to hard, set the race distance to 30% and will change the weather to variable. If you want however, you can create a custom difficulty setting. By doing this, you can alter eight options: AI Speed : Decide how difficult you want the computer controlled ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ cars to be. Easy for beginners, medium for experienced racers and hard for experts. Race Distance : Select how long you would like the race to last. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The options are; 3 laps, 10%, 20%, 30%, 50%, 75% and 100%. Fuel and Wear : You may choose to set this option to 'realistic', ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ in which fuel use, tyre wear and engine wear are set to realistic levels. The 'scaled' option increases the rate of fuel use, tyre wear and engine wear depending on the length of the race. Weather : The weather has a great impact on how the car ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ drives on the circuit. You can choose from variable, sunny, cloudy,light rain, heavy rain. Flags and Rules: Choose to turn the rules on and flags off (see ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ game rules and basics). Rolling Starts : Select rolling starts for qualifying and timed ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ sessions instead of having to complete an outlap from the pits. Animations : Decide which animation sequences you would ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ like to be shown. The options are grid walk, race introduction and podium celebrations. Interactive Pit: When interactive pit stops are turned on you ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ have the chance to improve your pit stop times by accomplishing a quick time event. Make mistakes and slower times will result. ~*~ World Championship ------------------ Just pick a Driver, its that simple. The World Championship mode is just 19 race weekends in a row! If you want to know what Driving Aids are available see my section on Instant Race as they are exactly the same! The same can be said for the race options, just look above! At the end of the season the driver with the most points is crowned World Champion and the team with the most points is crowned Constructors' Champion ( for a full run down of the points allocation see game rules and basics). ~*~ Career Mode ----------- When you first turn on this game you are asked to create a profile. With the profile it asks you to create a character. This is the character you will use for the main aspect of this game, career mode. Although the character creation screen is not that advanced (you can only choose your characters face) you can use your own face with the help of the EyeToy. Having not procured an EyeToy I cannot tell you much about it. If you need any tips on how to get the best shot etc. look through the manual, there is a pretty detailed section on how to use it. I suggest not attempting career mode until you're confident about the layout of most of the tracks. If when you've started a career you feel not so confident about any of the tracks (especially the new Turkish GP) take advantage of the practice sessions to improve your times. You start out as a rookie driver without a drive for the upcoming season but don't worry! Three teams are offering you a test, Minardi, Jordan and Red Bull. I suggest trying Red Bull first as they are the better of the three, if you can pass that great but if not, you still have the Jordan and the Minardi to fall back on. The trials are simple. Either you have one lap to beat the target time or you have five. When first starting out, the Red Bull is the hardest of the trials, but don't worry if you can only manage to pass the Jordan trial or the Minardi trial as you can work your way up the ranks! If you are not passing any of the trials at all, I suggest either lowering the difficulty level or going back to the drawing board and learning the tracks a bit better. Especially Spain, Italy and France as these are the tracks you will be tested on. Providing you pass the trial, you will be awarded a testing seat. It may not sound exciting, but if you pass the upcoming tests you should be in the second driver seat by the end of the year. From then on its basically up to you, for expert drivers it is possible to win races in the Jordan and Minardi which is a slightly disappointing aspect of the game, especially considering that you can blitz a McLaren on a straight. >_> If you do well at Jordan, Minardi or Red Bull then bigger teams will want your services. Don't expect to go straight into a Ferrari though as it takes a bit longer than one season! For me personally, I went from Jordan to a mid-field team which was Williams where I won the championship pretty easily. So if you've had enough of the lower end teams don't go wasting time applying for the 'big four' (McLaren, Ferrari, Renault and BAR) as they will only decline your application. The mid-field teams in the game seem to be Sauber, Williams and Toyota (although Red Bull aren't too shabby), so one of these teams is likely to be your second team. It is not really a challenge to win the Drivers' Championship in one of these teams, however it is difficult to win the Constructors Championship, since your team mate will not score too highly throughout the season. The first challenge of any Grand Prix Driver is to beat your team mate consistently. If you do not, expect to be demoted pretty sharpish! If you are blighted by a string of poor results then your team will have no hesitation in taking away your racing role and giving you a mundane testing role. Similarly, if your pace is not up scratch in the tests you will be sacked and its back to square one! If you find yourself struggling then put your career on hold and go participate in a single race to hone your skills. If you achieve consistent strong points finishes, podiums or even wins, it is likely that a top team will want you. McLaren is the strongest team in the game closely followed by Renault and Ferrari. BAR are slightly behind them in terms of the CPU race performances but once you get in one of the top teams you will not notice much speed differentiation, only slight handling differences. My personal favourite is the McLaren as it suits my driving style and looks the nicest :D. There is really no set career path, the path outlined above is only a guideline. Experiment, switch teams, play the field, perhaps your favourite team is Minardi and want to take them all the way to championship glory on hard mode?! Its possible! If you want to increase the longevity of this game then why not win the championship in all of the ten teams. Ahhhhhhhh D: Well, you don't have to if you don’t want to, but if you score 600 career points you will unlock all the helmets! See the rewards section. ~*~ Online Mode ----------- New for the 2005 game is online mode. Sadly, I’m too cheap/poor to afford the network adaptor at this particular moment in time. The only things I could tell you would be what's in the manual, but there would be no point to that, would there? I will update this here thing when I procure one. ~*~ 4.Rewards --------- You've lapped the 19 circuits dozens of times, toiled with your fellow drivers dozens of times but what do you get for your efforts? Apart from the Trophies you get for winning the race there is all this to unlock: Unlock the Williams FW08 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Get all bronze times in Timed Test Session mode. Unlock the Lotus 25 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Get all silver times in Timed Test Session mode. Unlock the Detroit Street Circuit (~!) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Get all golds in Timed Test Session mode. Unlock the Lotus 79 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Win a race (except online). Unlock the Williams FW11 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Win a Drivers' Championship in career mode. Unfortunately the special cars are only available to drive in the timed test session mode, not any racing modes. The Detroit circuit is excellent and I will add a track guide at a later date. Helmet Unlockables ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Yellow helmet...Accumulate 30 career points. Green helmet....Accumulate 60 career points. Orange helmet...Accumulate 90 career points. Red helmet......Accumulate 120 career points. White helmet with red banding..........Accumulate 150 career points. Yellow helmet with black banding.......Accumulate 180 career points. Green helmet with black banding........Accumulate 210 career points. Orange helmet with black banding.......Accumulate 240 career points. Red helmet with black banding..........Accumulate 270 career points. Yellow helmet with white banding.......Accumulate 300 career points. Green helmet with yellow banding.......Accumulate 330 career points. Blue helmet with green banding.........Accumulate 360 career points. Red helmet with orange banding.........Accumulate 390 career points. White helmet with blue banding.........Accumulate 420 career points Purple helmet with violet banding......Accumulate 450 career points. Red helmet with bigger black banding...Accumulate 480 career points. Brown helmet with '3' crest............Accumulate 510 career points. Blue helmet with '2' crest.............Accumulate 540 career points. Red helmet with '1' crest..............Accumulate 600 career points. Oddly enough, you cannot select the helmet you choose you are only allowed to use the latest one you have unlocked. ~*~ 5.Teams and Drivers ------------------- The 2005 game as you would expect contains the new Red Bull Racing team (formed from the ashes of the Jaguar team) as well as the rookie drivers. Here they all are in full: Ferrari ~~~~~~~ Michael Schumacher: Born: 1/9/69 Nationality: German First GP: Belgium 1991 Wins: 83 World Titles: 7 Previous Teams: Jordan, Benetton 2004 Position: 1st Rubens Barrichello: Born: 23/5/72 Nationality: Brazilian First GP: South Africa 1993 Wins: 9 World Titles: 0 Previous Teams: Jordan, Stewart 2004 Position: 2nd BAR ~~~ Jenson Button: Born: 19/1/80 Nationality: English First GP: Australia 2000 Wins: 0 World Titles: 0 Previous Teams: Williams, Benetton/Renault 2004 Position: 3rd Takuma Sato: Born: 28/1/77 Nationality: Japanese First GP: Australia 2002 Wins: 0 World Titles: 0 Previous Teams: Jordan 2004 Position: 8th Renault ~~~~~~~ Fernando Alonso: Born: 29/7/81 Nationality: Spanish First GP: Australia 2001 Wins: 2 World Titles: 0 Previous Teams: Minardi 2004 Position: 4th Giancarlo Fischella: Born: 14/1/73 Nationality: Italian First GP: Australia 1996 Wins: 2 World Titles: 0 Previous Teams: Minardi, Jordan, Benetton, Sauber 2004 Position: 11th Williams ~~~~~~~~ Mark Webber: Born: 27/8/76 Nationality: Australian First GP: Australia 2002 Wins: 0 World Titles: 0 Previous Teams: Minardi, Jaguar 2004 Position: 13th Nick Heidfeld: Born: 10/3/77 Nationality: German First GP: Ausralia 2000 Wins: 0 World Titles: 0 Previous Teams: Prost, Sauber, Jordan 2004 Position: 18th McLaren ~~~~~~~ Kimi Raikkonen: Born: 17/10/79 Nationality: Finnish First GP: Australia 2001 Wins: 2 World Titles: 0 Previous Teams: Sauber 2004 Position: 7th Juan Pablo Montoya: Born: 20/9/75 Nationality: Colombian First GP: Australia 2001 Wins: 4 World Titles: 0 Previous Teams: Williams 2004 Position: 5th Sauber ~~~~~~ Jaques Villeneuve: Born: 9/4/71 Nationality: Canadian First GP: Australia 1996 Wins: 11 World Titles: 1 Previous Teams: Williams, BAR, Renault 2004 Position: 21st Filipe Massa: Born: 25/4/81 Nationality: Brazilian First GP: Australia 2002 Wins: 0 World Titles: 0 Previous Teams: N/A 2004 Position: 12th Red Bull Racing ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ David Coulthard: Born: 27/3/71 Nationality: Scottish First GP: Spain 1994 Wins: 13 World Titles: 0 Previous Teams: Williams, McLaren 2004 Position: 10th Christian Klien: Born: 7/2/83 Nationality: Austrian First GP: Australia 2004 Wins: 0 World Titles: 0 Previous Teams: Jaguar 2004 Position: 16th Toyota ~~~~~~ Jarno Trulli: Born: 13/7/74 Nationality: Italian First GP: Australia 1997 Wins: 1 World Titles: 0 Previous Teams: Minardi, Prost, Jordan, Renault 2004 Position: 6th Ralf Schumacher: Born: 30/6/75 Nationality: German First GP: Australia 1997 Wins: 6 World Titles: 0 Previous Teams: Jordan, Williams 2004 Position: 9th Jordan ~~~~~~ Narain Karthikeyan: Born: 14/1/78 Nationality: Indian First GP: N/A Wins: 0 World Titles: 0 Previous Teams: N/A 2004 Position: N/A Tiago Monteiro: Born: 24/7/76 Nationality: Portuguese First GP: N/A Wins: 0 World Titles: 0 Previous Teams: N/A 2004 Position: N/A Minardi ~~~~~~~ Christijan Albers: Born: 16/4/79 Nationality: Dutch First GP: N/A Wins: 0 World Titles: 0 Previous Teams: N/A 2004 Position: N/A Patrick Friesacher: Born: 26/9/80 Nationality: Austrian First GP: N/A Wins: 0 World Titles: 0 Previous Teams: N/A 2004 Position: N/A ~*~ 6.The Circuits -------------- The 2005 season is the longest season in living memory with 19 races in total. The new season sees the new Turkish Grand Prix making its debut which you can actually race on before the drivers do! As usual it all kicks off in Australia: The Grand Prix of Australia : Albert Park - 6th March 2005 --------------------------------------------------------- Number of Laps: 58 Circuit Length: 5.303km Race Distance : 307.574km From the start, cars accelerate to 185 mph as they reach theFangio Stand. Flanked by the Fangio and Brabham Stands are two 45-degree right- and left-handers - Turns 1 and 2. Turn 1 is the hardest braking point in the circuit. A change down to 2nd gear sees the first turn taken at 70 mph before a short acceleration into Turn 2, which is taken at 100 mph. Turn 2 and Turn 3 mark the bumpiest parts of the circuit. From here the cars accelerate to 180 mph before braking hard again towards a sharp right -left S-bend, taking Turn 3 in 2nd gear at around 55 mph. Accelerating again the cars catapult out through Turn 4 at 80 mph, accelerating past the Whitford Stand in 5th gear at 170 mph. A short, sharp right-hander marks Turn 6 with cars again braking hard and slowing to 70 mph. The circuit then loops round to the right, negotiating Turn 8 at 155 mph, and then past the Clark Stand at 175 mph. The Fittipaldi Stand is at Turn 9 where cars brake hard again before setting off to a long, inner-loop curve turning the cars left at a speed of 160 mph. They slow to 90mph and swing right, past the Waite Stand and changing up to 5th and 140 mph before passing the Hill Stand at 160 mph. Braking hard again the cars change down to 3rd gear and enter theright-hand Turn 13at 80 mph. Accelerating to 100 mph in front of the Stewart Stand, Turn 14, another right-hander, is taken in 3rd gear at 100 mph. The Prost Stand marks the entrance to the most difficult section of the circuit with the cars turning through two sharp 90-degree turns, going first left (Turn 15) and then right (Turn 16). Cars approach Turn 15 at 130 mph, braking hard and changing down from 4th to 2nd to negotiate the near hair-pin turn at 50 mph. Turn 16 is less demanding but still requires 2nd gear with cars accelerating in front of the Senna Stand from 80 mph on to the finishing straight. The longest section of straight on the circuit, cars can go flat out in 6th gear at 180 mph as they flash across the Start-Finish line. ~*~ The Grand Prix of Malaysia : Sepang - 20th March 2005 ----------------------------------------------------- Number of Laps: 56 Circuit Length: 5.543km Race Distance : 310.408 Cars arrive at Turn 1 having built up speed down half the length of the main straight in 6th gear, at about 185 mph. The right-hand corner leads immediately into the left-hander with 2nd gear being held all the way through and the speed dropping to 60 mph. A high positive camber promotes a good overtaking opportunity. The track forms a sweeping right hand curve that takes cars onto a short straight where the speed will reach around 155mph in top gear before hard braking for turn 4 - a tight right hander - brings them down to 2nd or 3rd gear and 75mph. Turns 5 and 6 are short high speed left and right handed corners requiring precise positioning and a slight lifting of the throttle to get through them successfully. Then it's through gears 4 and 5 up to 140 mph to the double apex of turns 7 and 8 which are taken in 4th gear at around 110 mph. A short 5th gear straight taken at 170 mph leads into the very tight turn 9 which is navigated in 1st or 2nd gear at 50 mph. Accelerating briefly to 4th before dropping to 3rd leads to three fairly quick corners. Turn 10 is taken at around 135 mph breaking to 90 mph for the long right hander, Turn 11, that leads into the back straight where 6th gear takes cars to 155 mph through Turn 12 before slowing to negotiate a relatively slow Turn 13. The pick-up from 30 mph to about 80 is an ideal place for the well placed driver to out-drag his opponent before the all important 185 mph back main straight leads cars to the final hairpin. This is taken in 2nd gear at about 65 mph and can seem endless as drivers pass the end of the futuristic main Grandstand before accelerating up to the start finish line. ~*~ The Grand Prix of Bahrain: International Circuit - 03/04/05 ----------------------------------------------------------- Number of Laps: 57 Circuit Length: 5.417km Race Distance : 308.523km Cars arrive to the first corner at the end of a very long straight at around 200 mph. The slow hairpin is taken in first gear at 50 mph, then it’s on to a flat left/right hander up through the gears until the cars reach 110 mph on the exit. Then the cars proceed onto another straight before turn 4 which is taken at 75mph in second gear. Then the cars accelerate onto a short straight and lift off slightly for turn 5, which leads instantly onto turn 6 taken in third gear at 120 mph. Accelerate onto another short straight and again lift off for turn 7, again taken at 120 mph. Turn 8 is where the drivers experience maximum G-force (3.3Gs), it is another hairpin taken at 75 mph, which leads the cars onto turn 9, an unusual double left hander taken at 80mph at the first part and 60 mph at the second. Another very long straight precedes the never-ending turn 11 taken in third gear at 60 mph, keep the throttle balanced until you suddenly reach turn 12 taken at 110 mph The exit of turn 12 marks the entrance to turn 13 taken in 5th gear at 100 mph. Another fairly long straight is ahead until the hard braking zone of turn 14 taken at just 55mph thismarks the end of the lap and onto the main straight. ~*~ Grand Prix of San Marino: Imola 24th April 2005 ------------------------------------------------ Number of Laps : 62 Circuit Length : 4.933km Race Distance : 308.355km Tamburello is the first corner from the start and cars brake heavily at it’s entrance. The corner is a left-handed S-bend which is entered in third gear at 75 mph and exited in fourth gear at 125 mph as cars power up the straight to Villeneuve. This is a second S-bend that slows the approach to the forthcoming hairpin and slows cars down from 130 mph to 105 mph in fourth gear. Accelerating quickly up to 150 mph, cars almost immediately brake for Tosa, a tight hairpin from right to left taken in second gear at around 55 mph. On exit, cars accelerate to 175 mph and climb towards Piratella. This is a somewhat blind left-hander that is taken in fourth gear at 100 mph and accelerated away from at 160 mph. The approach to Acque Minerali is downhill at 130 mph - a very bumpy and uncomfortable chicane that turns slowly right and finally sharply right with cars down to 70 mph and third gear at its tightest point. Pulling away the track swings slightly left at 100 mph. Variante Alta is next, coming off a short straight, it is a fast chicane that can be tackled in third gear. It is entered in sixth gear at 170 mph and speeds of 75 mph are maintained through it. Drivers tend to take more chances at this chicane because it does have a safe run-off area. Out of the chicane and the track plunges downhill through some stunning countryside, arriving at a sharpish double left-hander called Rivazza which swings the cars through 180 degrees. This requires very hard braking, down from sixth (180 mph) to third gear (60 mph) Shifting up briefly before changing down to tackle the final turn, which is taken at 80 mph, the cars arrive on a curving right-hand line and fly through the Variante Bassa, accelerating all the time up to 170 mph. The Tragurdo then looms up as a left-right chicane that feeds the pits and is taken in second gear at around 55 mph. Cars then accelerate to 185 mph across the Start-Finish line. ~*~ Grand Prix of Spain: Barcelona 8th May 2005 ------------------------------------------- Number of Laps : 65 Circuit Length : 4.730km Race Distance : 305.256km From the starting line cars accelerate downhill at 190 mph to Elf. The approach to Elf is downhill until almost the corner itself when it rises to the left. Braking hard, this corner is taken in 3rd gear at 85 mph on the inside so that the car can drift out to the left for the next bend taken in fourth at around 100 mph. Curvone Renault is the first long, sweeping 180-degree right-hander, entered in fourth gear at 100 mph with 140 mph attained during its course. Out of Renault and accelerating to about 180 mph before the circuit loops back on itself at Revolt Repsol. Entered in second gear at 85 mph, cars catapult out up to 155 mph and in fifth gear along a short straight to Revolt Seat. Hard on the brakes, this tight left-hand hairpin drops the cars downhill at around 60 mph through a gentle left-handed sweep at 160 mph before braking again to enter Revolt Würth. Here, the track takes a sharp left-hand turn, which is almost 90 degrees and is entered in second gear at 85 mph. On exit, the circuit turns slightly right as fifth gear and 155 mph is reached. Revolt Campsa is a blind right-hander but can be navigated safely in fifth at 135 mph. Then it's down the short straight called Nissanin top gear at 185 mph, on the run into 180 degree hairpin Revolt La Caixa, which is taken in second gear at 65 mph as it climbs to the right into the two 100-degree bends at Banc Sabadell. Entered in 3rd at 80 mph, it is exited in fifth gear as the car accelerates towards the penultimate corner, another right-hander that turns into a short straight leading to the final bend which is taken in fifth gear at about 140 mph. On to the Start-Finish straight where cars reach a maximum of 190 mph on the kilometre-long straight. ~*~ Grand Prix of Monaco: Monte Carlo 22nd May 2005 ----------------------------------------------- Number of Laps : 78 Circuit Length : 3.370km Race Distance : 260.520km The start of the Monaco Grand Prix is all about getting to, and through, the very first corner safely.The Virage de Sainte Devote is a near 90-degree right-hander that is approached from the Start-Finish line at 170 mph. Then, it's a hard brake and down to a second-gear 55 mph for cornering. The Montée du Beau Rivage is a short straight that takes the cars past the world famous Rosie's Bar in sixth gear at 165 mph and then it's over the crest of the hill and down to fourth gear as Virage Massenet beckons.A long left-hander, the car must be kept close to the inside kerb in third gear at 80 mph. The cars then come to Virage Casino, which is a quick right-hander that is taken in second gear at 70 mph. Coming out of Casino the cars get a chance to accelerate briefly along a short straight before they enter one of the most complex sections of the course. The Virage Mirabeau is approached downhill in fourth at 130 mph, requiring fast gear changes to get into second gear for this bumpy right-hander, taken slowly at 30 mph. Out of this comes the short approach to the Virage Loews, a left-hand hairpin negotiated in second gear at about 20 mph with the steering turned full lock, then right - this is one of the most famous TV and photographic views in F1. The turns are ended by the Virage du Portier, another sharp right-hander cleared in second gear at 50 mph. Coming out of the turns, the cars start on a long sweep through the Tunnel. Noise and sparks fly as the cars change up to fifth gear and 145 mph. Once out of the tunnel, left-right Nouvelle Chicane is approached at 175 mph before drivers change down to second gear and a sedate 30 mph. The most spectacular and glamorous part of the course is Tabac, lying, as it does, alongside the harbour, which is driven through at 95 mph in 4th gear. Piscine or the Swimming Pool complex provides a short kink in the circuit which pushes the drivers through a succession of gear changes and speeds ranging from 50 mph to 100 mph. Virage de la Rascasse is the slowest part of the circuit with a very tight hairpin that is taken in 1st gear at a crawling 20 mph. Along a very short straight and a faster right-hander, Virage Anthony Noghes, is taken in second at 45 mph before accelerating and climbing upwards into the Start-Finish straight. ~*~ Grand Prix of Europe: Nurburgring 29th May 2005 ----------------------------------------------- Number of Laps : 60 Circuit Length : 5.144km Race Distance : 303.863km Out of the blocks and into top gear at 180 mph towards the Castrol 'S' bend. This is exited at around 100 mph as drivers change quickly up to sixth gear, accelerating to 165 mph for the approach to Valvoline Kurve. This is entered at 105 mph in third gear and leads directly into the Ford Kurve at 65 mph in second gear. Then, hard on the throttle, the cars approach the Dunlop Kurve at 170mph in fifth gear. The Dunlop Kurve is a right-hand 190-degree loop, making it the second-slowest part of the circuit at under 60 mph in second gear. Provided cars have managed a good line through the loop, they can get on to the gas quickly and through 135 mph as the track swings gently left and right through the Audi-S. Out of here the approach to the Michelin Kurve (also known as the RTL Kurve) sees the cars in top gear at 170 mph, which is halved to third gear at 85 mph through the near 90-degree left-hand turn. Having swept left, the Bit Kurve sweeps another 90 degrees through a right-hand turn, again in third gear at around 100 mph. On to the straight, taken full-out in top gear at 180 mph, cars brake to the Veedol Chicane, which is the slowest part of the course as cars brake down to 60 mph and sweep left and then right in second gear, before accelerating to 135 mph in fourth gear. Out of here comes the sharp right-hand turn through 160 degrees which marks the Coca-Cola Kurve. This is taken in second gear at 70 mph before accelerating out into the finishing straight at top speed. ~*~ Grand Prix of Canada: Montreal 12th June 2005 --------------------------------------------- Number of Laps : 70 Circuit Length : 4.361km Race Distance : 305.270km From the starting grid, the cars accelerate to 170 mph and swing quickly through Turn 1 as the track waves right and left. Once through they brake heavily, pulling 3.8g at the entrance to Virage Senna. This hairpin is marked by a tight 90-degree turn to the left before the hairpin itself turns the cars through 180 degrees and it is negotiated at 45 mph in second gear. Cars quickly accelerate to 150 mph and fifth gear as the track curves gently to the right. A series of bends (Turns 2-6)see the cars down to third gear and speeds averaging 60 mph as the circuit turns to the right. Turn 7 marks the Pont de la Concorde which occupies about a third of the track length. This is a long straight, broken up by a quick right-left turn - Turn 8 and Turn 9 - that can be negotiated in third gear. Decelerating from 170 mph, the right bend is entered at 50 mph and then exited at 65 mph. The lead-up to Turn 10, which marks the Virage du Casino, is done at full throttle with a top speed of around 170 mph. This hairpin comes at a point where the entrance and exit run side by side, and so it gives the drivers a chance to see who is behind them. It is a relatively wide portion of the track and it is common to see overtaking manoeuvres here as cars try to out-brake one another. It is also the slowest part of the track, with cars braking down from 180 mph to around 40 mph. The Casino Straight is the fastest section of track with cars hitting speeds of 195 mph in top gear. Turn 11 marks the hardest braking point on the circuit with drivers experiencing 3.8g. This was modified for the 1996 Grand Prix, from the Casino Bend (Turn 12 and Turn 13) which used to be a chicane, slowing the cars down into the final straight. Now it is much shallower, with cars swinging through it at around 60 mph before accelerating again as they cross the Start-Finish line. ~*~ Grand Prix of USA: Indianapolis 19th June 2005 ---------------------------------------------- Number of Laps : 73 Circuit Length : 4.192km Race Distance : 306.016km The cars will cross the start/finish line reaching a peak speed of over 200 mph before braking hard for the first comer, a 90 degree right hander taken in second at 62 mph which flows into another 90 degree left hander. This is 
even tighter and the cars will remain in second gear, 
accelerating to around 70 mph.

From there they accelerate through the sweeping right hand 
comer leading to turn 3, which will be taken in third gear 
at around 130 mph. A very short straight, where the cars 
will reach around 140 mph before braking leads into turn 
4 taken at 80 mph. Cars accelerate away from turn 4 and 
approach the 45 degree turn 5 at 105 mph. Hard braking sweeps 
the  drivers through the 180 degree turn 6 at 75 mph which 
swings right, through turn 7 on to the back straight at 
185 mph turning 75 degrees left into the 'ess' bends of turns
9 and 10 which is similar to turn 6 but taken at 60 mph.

The curve of turn 11 taken at 80 mph pulling over 3 G's sets 
the car up for the most crucial turn of the circuit at 12. 
Slowing fractionally from 155 mph on the short straight the 
drivers will feed in the power to round the long right hander 
and onto the main 'straightaway' accelerating to their maximum 
speed having stayed at full throttle for around 19 seconds.

~*~


Grand Prix of France: Magny-Cours 3rd July 2005
-----------------------------------------------
Number of Laps :  72
circuit Length :  4.251km
Race Distance  :  308.56km

From the starting grid, cars accelerate up to 170 mph before 
entering Grande Courbe, a long, left-hand bend which is driven 
in fourth gear at 125 mph. Drivers take great care to get the 
right line out of the curve into Estoril, which is a sweeping 
right-hand turn that goes through 180 degrees. Here, fifth gear 
is maintained at a speed of 110 mph. Understeer can be a real 
problem for drivers and time can be lost if the entry into Golf 
is not right. Golf itself is very nearly a straight but has a
gentle curve to the right throughout its length. As such, 
it is taken full-out in top gear with speeds around 180 mph.

Adelaide is a second-gear hairpin that brings the drivers back 
to earth. Braking hard at 3.2g, and at 40 mph, it turns through 
180 degrees and takes the vehicle back in the direction from 
which it has just come with the track immediately to the right. 
This leads straight into a fast right-left that is cleared in 
fourth and which leads to Nurburgring, a chicane that wriggles 
the cars left and right - not as tight as Adelaide but, 
nevertheless, tricky because it closes up in the middle. Hard on
the throttle, cars approach 150 mph and brake hard at the
entrance to 180 Degrees. This is another hairpin and again brings 
the cars through180 degrees and back upon themselves - taken in 
second gear at 50 mph.

From the 180 it's up quickly through the gears to sixth and 
170 mph before changing down to meet the challenge of Imola at 
110 mph, a right-left that protects the Chateau d'Eau, a virtual 
90-degree turn entered in fourth and exited in second at 55 mph 
on to a straight that leads onto the newly revised section of the 
course. Turn 14 is nothing and can be taken flat out then its 
quickly on to the Lysee Pin, down from sixth gear to first then 
immediately is turn 16 and 17 taken at 50 mph exit speed is 
important here as the cars cross the start-finish line.

~*~


Grand Prix of Great Britain: Silverstone 10th July 2005
-------------------------------------------------------
Number of Laps :  60
Circuit Length :  5.141km
Race Distance  :  308.355km

From the grid, cars pull away and the straight allows speeds of
175 mph to be reached on the approach to Copse. This right-hand
corner is blind but, at 140 mph, very fast, so fast in fact that
drivers don't normally brake - just change down a gear. Switching
back up, cars thunder on towards Maggots at 175 mph and shift down
twice as they wave their way first through Maggotts and then
Becketts - as the track wiggles left-right, left-right, slowing
down to 100 mph before Chapel ends the series of left-right bends
and is accelerated through, coming out at 155 mph in sixth gear.

The Hanger Straight is the fastest part of the circuit, at 185 mph
in top gear, before braking hard into Stowe, a right-hand turn that
can be taken in fourth gear and speeds of 105 mph maintained. Vale 
is a quick straight in which the cars go through at something like
160 mph with a second-gear, sharp left into Club, a right-hand 
corner taken at 50 mph and then accelerated through and the cars 
swing back on themselves at 130 mph. Both Vale and Club present
good overtaking opportunities, not least because they are tricky to
negotiate and understeer comes into play. Up through two gears
into sixth and 170 mph towards Abbey, a third-gear, 75 mph corner
which flips into Farm at 100 mph and up to 160 mph along Farm 
Straight.

Bridge marks the entrance to the 'Complex', a section of the track
containing bends at Priory, Brooklands and Luffield. The corners 
at Bridge and Priory are fast, entering the first at 150 mph and 
exiting the second at 100 mph. Priory, along with Brooklands, steer 
the car through 180 degrees. Brooklands, along with Luffield, again 
turn the car around and are both negotiated in second gear at between 
50-80 mph. Luffield used to be two corners called Luffield 1 and 
Luffield 2 prior to 1996. On exit, it's a quick dash through 
Woodcote at 165 mph and a smooth turn to the right before hitting 
the Start-Finish straight at 175 mph.

~*~


Grand Prix of Germany: Hockenhiem 24th July
--------------------------------------------
Number of Laps :  67
Circuit Length :  4.574km
Race Distance  :  306.458km

The Hockenheim circuit, current home of the German Grand Prix, 
underwent major changes two years ago two where a large part of 
the famous forest section was removed. The Jim Clark Kurve, the 
original Ostkurve and the Ayrton Senna Kurve have all disappeared,
but the tighter stadium section of the circuit remains.

From the Start-Finish line, cars approach Nord Kurve, a fast 
right-hander that is taken in fourth gear at 125 mph and exited 
in fifth ready to accelerate towards Entrance Parabolica, a tight
right-hander that replaces the Jim Clark Chicane. This takes the 
cars on to a very long and sweeping left curve, which ultimately 
leads them flat out into the tightest corner of the lap, a 
right-handed hairpin, replacing the former Ostkurve. The cars 
then rejoin the old circuit, and are likely to hit top gear before 
a new combination of corners, named Spitzkehre, which replaces the 
former Ayrton Senna Kurve. An initial, fast right-hander leads into a 
short straight before a much tighter left turn. The drivers then 
sweep quickly left and right as they rejoin the original main 
straight.

From there it's full-power as the cars accelerate back up to 195 mph
before the stadium complex begins to come into view. The Mobil 1 
Kurve is a fast right-hander that is taken in fourth gear at 105 mph 
and leads quickly into the Sachs Kurve as drivers shift down to a 
60 mph second gear for the hairpin that has a well-earned reputation 
for being slippery. The final section in the stadium complex that 
leads back to the start line, the Süd or Opel Kurve, is a double-apex 
hairpin with both right-handers taken in third gear at an average 
of 90 mph and leading into the finishing straight where cars can 
accelerate to 175 mph.

~*~


Grand Prix of Hungary: Hungaroring 31st July 2005
-------------------------------------------------
Number of Laps :  77
Circuit Length :  3.975km
Race Distance  :  306.663lkm

From the Start-Finish line it's full power to Turn 1 the newly 
revised turn 1. Turn 1 is now a hairpin taken at around 81. 
On the exit the cars take as much  kerb as possible to maximise 
speeds. A short straight brings the cars into a flat-out Turn 2 
and then Turn 3 and here there is a choice of two lines, but 
whether the car turns in early or late makes little difference 
to the amount of oversteer experienced as this long left-hander 
begins to sweep right. Turn 2 is entered at 135 mph, slowing to 
70 mph before accelerating out of Turn 3 at 115 mph.

Cars approach Turn 4 leaving the straight at around 170 mph, 
changing down from top to fourth gear while braking to 110 mph 
before climbing uphill on the approach to Turn 5 - another long 
right-hander negotiated in third gear at 80 mph and accelerated 
out of in fourth gear to 150 mph.

Turn 6 leads to the highest part of the circuit and is a 
right-left chicane that is entered in second gear at 55 mph and 
exited in fifth at 115 mph. Turn 7 comes quickly and the approach 
to this left-hander is bumpy. Third gear maintained throughout, 
75 mph being the slowest point at the apex of the curve. Turn 8 
is a right-hander and is taken in third gear at 85 mph with the 
left-hander taken flat out. A curving straight forms Turn 9 and 
leads into Turn 10 which is not as fast as it looks as the corner 
suddenly tightens. It is taken in fourth at 110 mph.

Turn 11 is an off-camber and downhill right-left chicane which 
always seems to gather particles of grit, whilst a high kerb 
awaits the unsuspecting at the second apex. It is taken in third 
gear at 90 mph. Turn 12 is almost a hairpin-like corner directly 
behind the pits and it's taken in second at 60 mph. A long 
right-hander marks Turn 13, which mirrors Turn 1. Through it, 
the cars first oversteer, turning to understeer by the time they 
exit on to the straight via the kerb. Around 80 mph sees the cars 
through the apex of the curve from which they power towards 175 mph 
as they flash across the Start-Finish line.

~*~


Grand Prix of Turkey: Instabul 21st August 2005
-----------------------------------------------

Number of Laps: 58
Circuit Length: 5.340km
Race Distance : 309.720km

The Instabul track is the new addition to the 2005 calendar and
provides a real challenge to the drivers due to the fact that it
is only one of two circuits that the cars tour anti-clockwise.
From the off the cars accelerate down the short pit straight 
approaching turn 1 at 220mph. It's an almost perfect 90 
degree left hander Taken in third gear at 100mph. The drivers
barely have time to relax as the sweeping turn 2 taken at 140mph
is right upon them.

Cars then accelerate into a short sweeping turn 3 where the
cars reach 100mph on the apex. Another 90-degree corner marks
turn four, second gear at 70mph. Turn four is immediately before
a double left hander which are turns five and six the former
taken in second gear at 75mph. The end of the mini straight sees
sector one come to an end which is immediately followed by turn 
seven, a hairpin taken in second gear at approximately 70mph. 
The next corner is the infamous turn eight, a unique three part 
corner which is a real challenge to get the car through safely. 
The cars approach turn eight at speeds of around 180mph. As the 
first apex approaches the cars are doing 140mph. It's important 
to balance the throttle and keep the cars speed under control 
until the exit.

The exit of turn 8 sees the cars doing speeds of around 185 mph 
in sixth gear. A short straight proceeds turn 9 where the cars 
decelerate from 200mph to 75mph. turn 10 can be taken at full 
pelt and on the exit it is full throttle all the way. A slight 
kink in the straight marks the point in the circuit where the 
drivers experience the greatest g-force at around six G's. The 
highest speed on the circuit is just before the braking point of 
turn 12 which is taken in second gear. Turns 13 and 14 are fiddly 
corners, the right-left hander is taken at a slow speed of around 
75mph. It’s then on to the main straight to complete the lap.

~*~


Grand Prix of Italy: Monza 4th September 2005
---------------------------------------------
Number of Laps :  53
Circuit Length :  5.793km
Race Distance  :  306.720km

The Rettifilio Tribune is the long start-straight leads to the 
Variante Goodyear (also known as Variante del Rettifilio). This 
is approached in top gear at around 215 mph and it is marked by 
the wide pit straight that precedes it. It is a very fast but 
bumpy left-right-left-right second-gear chicane that's entered 
in second at 60 mph and exited at 80 mph. Almost immediately 
after is Curva Grande, which is a very bumpy, longish right-hander 
that is hard work on the steering. Drivers invariably use the kerb 
at its exit at 185 mph and then it's along the back straight
where 200 mph is touched.

The Variante della Roggia is also known as 2A Variante. The braking
area prior to entering this left-right chicane is both bumpy and 
slippy. Approached in top gear, it is negotiated in second at 60 mph 
and exited in third at 85 mph. Curva di Lesmo is a contentious sharp 
right-hander. Invariably taken fast, shifting between fourth and 
third gears, with speeds ranging between 150 mph and 95 mph. Coming 
out of the turn, the cars rocket down Curve del Serraglio, a long 
straight that means the driver approaches the next chicane at 
speeds approaching, and sometimes exceeding 200 mph.

Drivers hope their brakes are in good order as they approach Curva 
del Vialone, a left-hander, braking from 200 mph in sixth gear to 
fourth gear at the 100-metre board. Then, on to Variante Ascari, 
the second part of the chicane, quickly flicking right, then left 
and changing down into second gear at 85 mph. Exited in third gear 
at 125 mph, cars accelerate onto the Rettifilio Centro straight and 
attain 200 mph on the approach to the final curve.

The Curva Parabolica is a long, looping right-hander that is important
to lap-times as the entry and exit to it determine how quickly drivers
can get on the gas as they come out of it and on to the longest straight
on the circuit. Braking hard at 3.2g, cars decelerate to 100 mph and 
third gear at its apex. As the curve opens out it is exited in fourth 
gear at 170 mph as the cars arrive in the long Rettifilio Tribune 
straight, before applying full throttle and crossing the Start-Finish 
line.

~*~


Grand Prix of Belgium: Spa 4th September 2005
---------------------------------------------
Number of Laps :  44
Circuit Length :  6.947km
Race Distance  :  306.944km

From the start, the corner at La Source comes very quickly and is 
a hairpin that is taken in second gear at around 40 mph after 
which drivers have two long straights that are separated by Eau 
Rouge - which amounts to a small kink in the circuit. Accelerating 
to 180 mph along the first section, Eau Rouge can be taken in sixth 
gear with only a slight loss of speed (165 mph) as it goes downhill 
and then uphill left, right, and left. Cars exit at Raidillon and 
then encounter the fastest part of the course along the Kemmell 
straight at 190 mph.

As the track bears round slowly to the right, there exists good
overtaking possibilities at Les Combes due to the wide run-off 
areas. The right-left combination chicane is taken in third gear 
and 85 mph and is exited at Malmedy, which is a right-hander 
taken at 100 mph.

Rivage is a virtual hairpin which, due to being off camber and 
downhill, causes cars all sorts of steering problems. It is 
approached in fourth gear at 155 mph, taken in second at 60 mph 
and exited in third at 110 mph. Out of Rivage the cars sweep along 
a short straight at 155 mph before the track veers left at 90 mph 
and on to Pouhon at 100 mph, a double left-hander. Also off camber, 
it is entered and exited in fourth gear at an average of 140 mph. 
On exit, cars power through the gears to 180 mph before slowing at 
Fagnes - a right-left chicane which is taken in third gear at 
100 mph.

Stavelot is a double right-hand loop, turning the cars through 
180 degrees as they go downhill. Entered in third with fourth 
(135 mph) being engaged in the middle, but it is bumpy and cars 
tend to skip about a bit as cars speed-up to 150 mph on exit. 
Blanchimont is a long, sweeping left-hander taken full-out in 
sixth gear at 185 mph. A short burst of full throttle later, 
the cars approach the Bus Stop Chicane appears, a sharp 
right-left-right chicane that slows the cars right down to a 
second gear 45 mph before they emerge on to the pit straight 
at 170 mph.

~*~


Grand Prix of Brazil: Interlargos 25th September 2005
------------------------------------------------------
Number of Laps :  71
Circuit length :  4.309km
Race Distance  :  305.909km

At the start, the cars race down to the Descida do Sol which 
drops downhill to the left. It is approached in sixth gear 
at about 180 mph. Then braking very hard, the cars approach 
the S do Senna - a left-right-left section which begins with 
Curva 1, one of just two places were you might get to see 
overtaking manoeuvres as they try to out-brake one another. 
Cars take this corner in second gear at 60 mph changing up to 
third gear and accelerating through 100 mph towards the final 
turn in the sequence (Curva do Sol) and a fourth gear 140 mph. 
Hard on the throttle, cars accelerate to 180 mph along the 
Reta Oposta straight in top gear at 180 mph.

The Descida do Lago is a tight left-hand corner to which there 
is a bumpy entrance, which often throws rash drivers into a s
pin. Those who get through it take it in third gear at 85 mph, 
having braked hard at its entrance. Drivers who get it right 
can often get past those who don’t at this point. After a short 
straight, another left-hander (135 mph in fourth gear) swings the 
cars back on themselves as they accelerate to 170 mph before 
braking hard at the entrance to Ferradura.

The Ferradura is a sweeping, double apex right-hander with an 
extremely bumpy entrance. Probably the most difficult corner on 
the circuit as it is approached downhill and at speed – fifth 
gear at 165 mph. After going through the first apex in third gear 
at around 100 mph, the car drifts out for the second apex and, 
on exiting at the top in third, another right-hander is on top 
of you almost immediately as Pinheirinho approaches which is 
taken in second gear at about 55 mph.

The Pinheirinho is a very tight left-hander that is only taken 
in second gear at 60 mph, exited in third gear, and then it’s 
up to fourth for the approach to another tight corner, this 
time with a right-hand turn. The Bico de Pato (also known as 
Cotovelo) is taken in second at just over 70 mph  and exited in 
third gear, climbing to fifth as the car makes for a left-hander 
prior to turning for Mergulho. This sweeping corner is taken 
in fourth gear at 145 mph before accelerating along to the 
third-gear Juncao.

~*~


Grand Prix of Japan: Sukzuka 9th October 2005
---------------------------------------------
Number of Laps :  53
Circuit Length :  5.821km
Race Distance  : 307.572km

The S Curve is a left-right-left-right combination that severely 
taxes any car that is not well balanced. It can usually be
taken all the way through in fourth. The sequence is entered at 
135 mph, dropping to 85 mph on exit of the final curve. On exiting, 
the S Curve's fourth gear is maintained for the approach to the 
Dunlop Curve. This long left-hander is extremely bumpy with plenty 
of understeer at 135 mph.

Accelerating to 160 mph, the Degner Curve is a tight right-hander 
that is taken in fourth gear at 120 mph, down to third as the 
second part of the corner becomes tighter still, and then generally 
exited with the use of the kerb. Then it is up to top gear at 170 mph 
to go under the bridge where the course crosses itself to the Hairpin 
Curve. This is guarded by a short right-hander which slows the cars, 
but then they have to get down very quickly to second gear for the 
45 mph hairpin. Out of the hairpin the circuit curves to the right 
and on completion of the curve the majority of cars will be in top 
gear at 170 mph.

Spoon Curve awaits at the end of the looping right-hander. It is
negotiated in third gear, with speeds dropping from 105 mph on entry
to 85 mph on exit. Then it's full on the throttle and it's a 185 mph
straight-screamer over the Crossover to 130R, a very fast left-hander
which forces a slight deceleration to 155 mph. The Casino Chicane
(Triangle Chicane) guards the entrance to the finishing straight.
The right-left combination is taken in second gear at 40 mph, with 
the cars having to brake hard from 175 mph as they approach it. 
Once through, the cars swing right at 120 mph and onto the 
Start-Finish straight for the next lap.

~*~


Grand Prix of China: Sepang 6th October 2005
--------------------------------------------

Number of Laps: 56
Circuit Length: 5.541km
Race Distance : 305.066km

The new Sepang circuit is characterized by straights punctuated 
By slow corners. This can't be more true than the first corner 
which seems to last forever. The first part of the loop is taken 
at 145 mph but the cars eventually slow to around 95 mph as the 
corner tightens. At the exit the cars immediately take another 
slow corner, turn three taken in second gear. From turn 3 the 
cars accelerate passed the slight kink which is turn five onto 
the hairpin taken in second gear at around 65 mph.

The cars then accelerate towards turn seven which is a long left- 
right hander taken at 165 mph in fifth gear and then turn eight at 
90 mph. The cars then accelerate for a short while to turn 9 and 10 
which is a double left hander, turn nine is taken at 85 mph while 
turn 10 is taken at around 70 mph.

At the end of a long straight, the cars are doing 175 mph. They then
brake hard down to 55 mph in turns 11, 12 and 13 which is almost a 
carbon copy of turns one and two. The end of this sweeping right-
hander is the beginning of the longest straight on the circuit where 
cars experience full throttle towards the end. The cars brake from 
200 mph to just over 50 mph for turn 14, while the right-hander of 
turn 15 can be taken without having to lift. The final corner, turn 
16 is taken in third gear at 110 mph.

                           
                               ~*~


7.Contact & Legal
-----------------

This FAQ is copyright Martin Reynolds 2005. You may NOT post this
on your site without my permission. If I find this on any site
without my permission I will take action, because that is
plagiarism and plagiarism is bad. You can contact me at 
mattbellamy(at)gmail(dot)com and I may or not grant you permission.

If you have any comments, questions or criticism of the FAQ, please
don't hesitate to contact me at mattbellamy(at)gmail(dot)com, I will
happily respond.

You can always find the latest version of this FAQ at www.GameFAQs.com

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