SimHQ.com - Motorsports Zone - Feature: The Modern Formula One Circuits

Villeneuve is similar to Tamburello in that, after reaching speeds around 180 MPH on the straight, you trail on the brakes through the first shallow left-hand section. The key is to take as smooth and tight a line through the first part of Villeneuve while dropping down into second gear in order to set yourself up for an early apex into the much tighter right-hand section.

3. Tosa

Having gotten a great drive out of Villeneuve, it is only a very short blast to the slowest part of the track, the left-hand hairpin at Tosa. Tosa is a first gear corner, but it has the added challenge of being uphill at the exit. Therefore it is extremely important to be delicate when opening the throttle here, given that much of the car’s weight has already transferred to the rear suspension. With the front end so light, overzealous use of the throttle will cause the car to swap ends very quickly. To make sure you get a good drive out of Tosa, it is advisable to set the apex further up the inside of Tosa and “square off” the corner. This way, you’ve negotiated the sharpest part of the corner before reaching the uphill section and can open the throttle wide for the run uphill to Piratella.

4. Piratella

Piratella is almost like the mirror image opposite of Eau Rouge at Spa Francorchamp. The corner entry is taken at very high speed (around 170 MPH), but instead of starting at the bottom of a hill, Piratella begins at the top. Both share one thing in common: neither corner appreciates your missing the turn-in point –– even fractionally (Copse corner at Silverstone, while completely flat, also requires a similarly blind apex, high speed turn-in). With your suspension unloading, you can’t count on correcting a poor entry line by steering your way through the mistake. I usually enter the left-hand Piratella at 170 MPH in sixth gear, jab the brakes very briefly and then smoothly grab two downshifts into fourth. Because Piratella opens slightly on the exit, it is important to use an early apex and get on the throttle as soon as possible for the drive down to the very challenging Acque Mineralli.

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