The Observer

The Formula One season stretches out before us. Eighteen races packed into just eight months. Before we know it, we'll have reached the end of June, Montreal, and the halfway point of the campaign.

The opening three 'fly-aways' will already be distant memories, the first half of the European season gone in a flash. Then it will be the acid-test return to Indianapolis, scene of F1's most embarrassing day, before five more Euro races, two in Asia and the finale in Brazil.

So much potential, so much promise. At the Interlagos chequered flag it will all become history, the 56th year of the World Championship, a new layer of data from which to draw our conclusions on the past and pointers for the future.

Today is the moment of anticipation, a time to savour before a wheel has turned in anger. It's easy to be over-optimistic about how competitive a Formula One season is going to be, then find yourself disappointed when a familiar pattern quickly emerges in the early races. But still... I can't help being genuinely excited by what might lie ahead.

Let's face it, how can you follow this sport, either professionally or as an enthusiast, and not be?

But in the past week or so I haven't found myself focusing on the nuances of Renault vs McLaren, the revival of Ferrari or the rise of Honda. Instead it has been the circuits that have drawn my attention, specifically track layouts.

This was sparked by my visit to Fundidora Park in Mexico to report on the ninth round of the A1 Grand Prix of Nations. It's always great to go somewhere new and on the Thursday afternoon I took the opportunity to walk the circuit.

The track runs through a Monterrey city park in an area that was formerly dedicated to heavy industry. The abandoned iron and steel works sits in the middle of the park, a rusting monument to a previous age. The structure has apparently been used by Hollywood for a dramatic movie set, and you can see why. It dominates the circuit skyline and adds a unique landmark to the venue.

The 2.1-mile circuit itself is like a squashed Albert Park: plenty of grass, lined by trees behind concrete walls and catch-fencing, completed by enthusiastic crowds packing the grandstands. But unlike the bends at the Australian Grand Prix circuit, the lurid pink-kerbed corners are too slow. It's all fiddly second- and third-gear stuff, lacking a single fast corner to stir the blood.

Fundidora hosts the Champ Car World Series as well as A1 GP, but in terms of safety standards it's a long way below Formula One requirements. When you are used to beach-like gravel traps and triple-tyre barriers, it's easy to spot the safety shortcomings.

But that, of course, makes Fundidora a little more interesting. Sure, the corners aren't quick, but this place, with its ultra-slippery, dusty surface, still offers a challenge.

The reconfigured Silverstone, as proposed in 2001 © LAT (Click to enlarge)

When I returned to the Autosport office, circuit layouts were again on my mind. I've been following the growing crisis over the running of Silverstone, and in my conversations with BRDC members, the topic of track changes was raised more than once.

I've heard rumours of two major design revisions to the old circuit, which is already only faintly recognisable to the original flat chat airfield blast.

The first dates back to 2001 and includes moving the pits and paddock to the short straight between Club and Abbey. The track then turns right up what is currently the International circuit, doubles back on itself at a hairpin and follows the course of the Club straight down to Brooklands corner.

Drivers generally welcomed this shelved plan when it was originally published. But a revision, which I have only had described to me by an anonymous caller, would not be.

It cuts out Vale, Club, Abbey, Bridge and Priory corners - more or less half the current circuit. Stowe would become a hairpin, leading the cars on to one of Silverstone's runways. From here details are sketchy, but it seems the club straight would then come into use once again to connect the track back to Brooklands.

How likely is either to become reality? In the case of the former plan, it's possible. As for the latter, I just hope my anonymous caller has got it all wrong.

But what I have been reminded of, from my trip to Mexico and the stories regarding Silverstone, is that circuit layouts make for great talking points. So what of the tracks that make up the 2006 F1 calendar?

I decided to write them down and tick the ones that I reckon show either a flare in design or guarantee good racing. Hopefully they are also the most challenging, combining fast and slow corners in a way to allow drivers to build a rhythm as they lap.

Eight of the first nine got a tick. They were Sepang, Albert Park, Imola, Nurburgring, Circuit de Catalunya, Monaco, Silverstone and Montreal.

One of those of course is the classic street circuit, and Monaco has only gone through relatively minor revisions since its first GP in 1929. Two are brilliant parkland circuits, both Albert Park and Montreal known for being tough on cars and drivers as well as being great for racing.

You could categorise Imola, the Nurburgring and Silverstone as circuits that have been ruined by change. That has to be the case with the Italian circuit, even if the post-1994 revisions were made for the right reasons.

Imola makes my list because it is still a brilliant, undulating place with fast corners and a great atmosphere.

The 'new' Nurburgring clearly could never live up to the Nordschleife, but the German track is ageing well. That new fiddly section at the first corner is horrible, but the rest of the course does flow.

Barcelona is not exactly bursting with character, but it has enough fast corners to earn some credit.

As for Silverstone, this is a circuit that has still retained its high-speed characteristic despite the many revisions. It's still a great racing circuit.

After a run of ticks on the first half of the calendar, only four tracks make my grade for the second part of the year.

Layout of the Istanbul Park International Circuit © XPB/LAT (click to enlarge)

Istanbul Park joins Sepang as a modern circuit that has been designed with a bit of imagination and is imbued with its own character. The inclusion of fast corners is always the key.

Monza - well, do I have to explain? Yes, it was better without chicanes, but let's be realistic here.

Finally, Suzuka and Interlagos. The Japanese track is probably the most 'natural' modern circuit to have been built in the past 25 years. The modern Interlagos is again labelled as one that isn't as good as the original, but in a modern context it's a classic.

So the tracks I put a cross by? Bahrain and Shanghai - new places that I find hard to remember a day after a race. Missed opportunities, I reckon.

The same goes for Indianapolis. For the greatest speedway in the world to be lumbered with the most inane infield course you could imagine is a sin. It's redeemed by the part-use of the oval, but not enough to get a tick from me!

The new Hockenheim is another travesty. It's true that F1 people spent years hating the old 'Ring through the trees - influenced no doubt by the deaths of Jim Clark and Patrick Depailler. But now it's gone, replaced by a bland autodrome, we all realise that another place with a unique character is sorely missed. And the races were always entertaining.

Finally, the Hungaroring gets a black mark. Whoever designs a circuit without a single overtaking spot should be banned from ever attending a motor race.

I was pleasantly surprised when I counted up the ticks to discover I could see merits in 12 out of 18 F1 circuits. Yes, tracks aren't what they were in previous eras. But how can they be in the modern world?

Circuit owners and designers should certainly learn from the great tracks of the past, to understand what makes a great layout. But it is pointless to compare the circuits of today with those of the past, just as it is with cars and drivers.

All - venues, machinery, men - should aspire to be 'great' in their time, and a chosen few will then find themselves elevated beyond their eras.

So of my 12 circuits, how many are truly 'great'? I'd say the modern versions of Monaco, Silverstone, Montreal, Monza and Suzuka all have a case to be termed as such in this era. But perhaps only Suzuka makes the grade when it comes to the wider perspective of history.

Only one truly 'great' circuit out of 18 doesn't look so good. But that's not enough to dampen my mood on the eve of the new season. The only thing that does create a little cloud is that the 19th race is gone.

The modern Spa is truncated compared to the original. But an F1 calendar without it is still incomplete. Now that's the sign of true greatness.