Long Beach Formula 1 return highly unlikely reckons Takuma Sato
Takuma Sato believes that sheer scale of work required to bring the Long Beach street circuit up to grand prix standard makes a mooted Formula 1 return unlikely
A group led by Long Beach race founder Chris Pook has been angling for F1 to come back to Southern California when the current deal with IndyCar expires after 2015.
However Sato, who raced in F1 between 2002 and '08 for Jordan, BAR and Super Aguri, and won the Long Beach IndyCar race in '13, doubts F1 cars could cope with the venue's bumpy surface.
"I don't know if current F1 cars could absorb the conditions of the track surface here or not," he told AUTOSPORT. "I pretty much think they can't.
"They'd have to resurface like they do in Monte Carlo - they resurface that every year.
"And the rest of the track is semi-permanent, so they have a very smooth surface.
"But it is a real street course. Even we [in IndyCar] have a lot of bouncing. So there'd be a lot of work to be done."
Sato's scepticism is shared by fellow F1 veteran Justin Wilson.
"We love going there because it's Long Beach, it's a lot of fun, and it's so raw," he told AUTOSPORT.
"But an F1 car won't go around there. They'd be complaining about the bumps - they'd have to resurface the entire place, after they'd ground the entire place.
"I saw that story [about an F1 return] and chuckled.
"There's no way an F1 race could happen around here anymore.
"In the 1980s you could do that, but now it doesn't any sense.
"It's a great event; we love it. But Monaco is as smooth as the Indy 500, to give you a point of reference.
"If they came to Long Beach, they'd be shocked."
Previous article
Mercedes could rethink Formula 1 team orders stance if rivals close
Next article
Formula 1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone's Munich bribe court case opens
About this article
| Series | Formula 1 |
| Author | Mark Glendenning |
Albert Park Circuit Modifications Project
Mercedes-AMG F1 Team: Bahrain GP Race Debrief
The 'new' F1 drivers who need to improve at Imola
After a pandemic-hit winter of seat-swapping, F1 kicked off its season with several new faces in town, other drivers adapting to new environments, and one making a much-anticipated comeback. BEN ANDERSON looks at who made the most of their opportunity and who needs to try harder…
The delay that quashed Aston Martin’s last F1 venture
Aston Martin’s only previous foray into Formula 1 in the late 1950s was a short-lived and unsuccessful affair. But it could have been so different, says NIGEL ROEBUCK
Verstappen exclusive: Why lack of car-racing titles won't hurt Red Bull's ace
Max Verstappen’s star quality in Formula 1 is clear. Now equipped with a Red Bull car that is, right now, the world title favourite and the experience to support his talent, could 2021 be the Dutchman’s year to topple the dominant force of Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes?
Are we at peak F1 right now?
For many, many years Formula 1 has strived to do and to be better on all fronts. With close competition, a growing fanbase, a stable political landscape and rules in place to encourage sustainability, 2021 is on course to provide an unexpected peak
How crucial marginal calls will decide the Red Bull vs Mercedes battle in F1 2021
The longer Red Bull can maintain a performance edge over Mercedes, the better the odds will be in the team’s favour against the defending world champions. But as the Bahrain Grand Prix showed, many more factors will be critical in the outcome of the 2021 Formula 1 World Championship
How Williams’ new structure adheres to a growing F1 trend
Williams held out against the tide for many years but, as MARK GALLAGHER explains, the age of the owner-manager is long gone
When a journeyman driver's F1 career lasted just 800m
Nikita Mazepin’s Formula 1 debut at the Bahrain Grand Prix lasted mere corners before he wiped himself out in a shunt, but his financial backing affords him a full season. Back in 1993 though, Marco Apicella was an F1 driver for just 800m before a first corner fracas ended his career. Here’s the story of his very short time at motorsport’s pinnacle
The nightmare timing that now hinders Mercedes
Mercedes and Lewis Hamilton took victory at the Bahrain Grand Prix despite, for a change, not having the quickest car. But any hopes of developing its W12 to surpass Red Bull's RB16B in terms of outright speed could not have come at a worse time.
