Sub 1 minute laps

[zetec]

Looking at the lap times from today’s qualifying, I was wondering, when (if there hasn’t been already) a sub one minute lap at a F1 circuit in a F1 car?

One wonders when or if it happens, what will happen? Will the circuit get taken off the calender or would the cars get slowed down in some way?

[anonymous-user]

I believe they mentioned in Sky Sports F1 that the only sub 1 minute lap in F1 history was at Zeltweg in the 60s. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zeltweg_Air_Base

[DeejRC]

Formally or informally?

After many yrs of speculation, there was finally some kind of acknowledgement given last year, that Piquet banged in a sub 60 second lap of Goodwood during testing back in the day.

[Kraken]

Goodwood isn't an F1 circuit though. Pretty much every F1 car that has run in anger on the Brands Indy circuit (most famously Mansell testing for his Williams comeback) has done under 60 seconds but's that not an F1 track either.

[covboy]

DeejRC said:

Formally or informally?

After many yrs of speculation, there was finally some kind of acknowledgement given last year, that Piquet banged in a sub 60 second lap of Goodwood during testing back in the day.

The story was of a sub 40 second lap at Mallory in testing prior to Monaco a few years Back (Piquet - Brabham)

[Mr Tidy]

Kraken said:

Goodwood isn't an F1 circuit though. Pretty much every F1 car that has run in anger on the Brands Indy circuit (most famously Mansell testing for his Williams comeback) has done under 60 seconds but's that not an F1 track either.

No - that's probably why they have the Brands GP circuit! (Which is fantastic, but sadly no longer used).

[Eric Mc]

Goodwood IS an F1 track. Many F1 races were held there and it was used extensively for F1 testing. It is STILL used for F1 to this day - but F1 of an historic nature.

[Kraken]

All depends on the intent of the original question. Goodwood never held F1 championship races and I wouldn't think historic F1 races was the intent either.

[zetec]

I suppose my intent is when does a track become too short for a F1 race? As mentioned above, is Goodwood not used now because it is too short or for other reasons?

[Eric Mc]

Kraken said:

All depends on the intent of the original question. Goodwood never held F1 championship races and I wouldn't think historic F1 races was the intent either.

For many years F1 was not just about the World Drivers Championship. The F1 races held at Goodwood were well supported by F1 teams and drivers in period and were considered fairly important. Other circuits in the UK where important non World Championship F1 races were held were Oulton Park and, in non GP years, Silverstone, Brands Hatch and Aintree.

I am frankly fed up with those who seem to consider that the history of F1 and Grand Prix racing is ONLY about the World Drivers' Champiopnship. It isn't and to ignore the non-championship aspect of F1/Grand Prix history is to write off a very interesting and varied part of its history and heritage.

A lap of a circuit by an F1 car is a lap of a circuit by an F1 car - irrespective as to whether a World Driver's Championship race was held at that circuit.

[Eric Mc]

zetec said:

I suppose my intent is when does a track become too short for a F1 race? As mentioned above, is Goodwood not used now because it is too short or for other reasons?

Goodwood stopped being used as a venue for contemporary F1 and Grand Prix car RACING at the end of the 1965 season for a number of reasons.
The prime one was that the then Lord March (Freddie March, the grandfather of the current Lord March) was getting old and was probably a bit tired of organising events at the venue. His son had shown no interest in wanting to continue motor racing at the circuit either so once Freddie called it a day, there was no one to pick up the baton.

A secondary reason was that for 1966, F1 was doubling in engine capacity from 1.5 litres to 3 litres so the cars were going to be bigger, more powerful and faster than they had been. Lord March realised that to accommodate these types of cars, he would have to spend substantial sums in order to upgrade the circuit which, for the reasons mentioned above, he wasn't prepared to do.

Downforce was beginning to rear its ugly head around 1965/66 (mainly in sports cars - but it would eventually come to F1 too) and that was bound to have a dramatic effect on cornering speeds. To facilitate that, much larger run offs would have been required and, again, Lord March did not want to spend the money.

Of course, the circuit didn't close completely as for the next 30 plus years it was used for testing, track days and club events - such as sprints.

During that 30 year period, contemporary F1 and sports cars were regularly driven around the circuit. It was whilst testing a Can Am car that Bruce McLaren was killed in 1970. At that time, Can Am cars were the most powerful racing cars around.

[zetec]

Thank you, Eric, great knowledge

I think one of the reasons I asked the question was due to tumbling lap times at some circuits. Soon, someone at Spielberg could break the 1 minute mark. Say the difference between the fastest and slowest cars on the track is 3 or 4 seconds, this could see cars being lapped every 15/20 laps!

[FourWheelDrift]

tux said:

I believe they mentioned in Sky Sports F1 that the only sub 1 minute lap in F1 history was at Zeltweg in the 60s. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zeltweg_Air_Base

Dijon-Prenois 1974, 58.74s, Niki Lauda. 12 drivers qualified under 1 minute.

[Drive Blind]

as above - Dijon got a mention on sky f1 quali coverage yesterday