Copenhagen’s F1 street circuit plan includes two bridges and a crossover

2020 F1 season

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Plans for Formula One to add a Danish Grand Prix in Copenhagen to the 2020 F1 calendar have taken a step closer with the publication of plans for a 4.5-kilometre street circuit in the Danish capital.

The unusual course, details for which have been published by Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten, would include two major bridges (four in total) and a crossover. The figure-of-eight layout would include two very high-speed stretches.

The design is still at an early stage and does not yet include plans for a pit complex. However the race organisers believe any changes between it and the final design would be “minimal”.

Parts of the layout were designed by former F1 driver Jan Magnussen, father of Haas driver Kevin Magnussen. The track layout has had input from F1 circuit designer Hermann Tilke, who visited the city in March.

The circuit passes near to several major attractions in Copenhagen including the Christiansborg Palace, where the Danish parliament sits, and the Tivoli Gardens.

The plan is being backed by Lars Seier Christensen, one of the co-founders of Saxo Bank, and Helge Sander, a former Danish member of parliament. They are seeking financial and political backing for the project and have already held meetings with Formula One’s new management, who are keen to expand the schedule. The 2018 F1 calendar will feature 21 races.

Denmark has never previously held a round of the Formula One world championship. Kevin Magnussen is the country’s most successful F1 driver and the only Dane to have scored a podium.

Proposed Copenhagen street circuit location map

2017 F1 season

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Keith Collantine
Lifelong motor sport fan Keith set up RaceFans in 2005 - when it was originally called F1 Fanatic. Having previously worked as a motoring...

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85 comments on “Copenhagen’s F1 street circuit plan includes two bridges and a crossover”

  1. Lol if there are not many corners to add then… MERCEDES ENGINE OP INCOMING!!!

    1. Ben Rowe (@thegianthogweed)
      11th July 2017, 21:50

      I wouldn’t assume that Mercedes will continue their excellent performance for another 3 years. Teams are unlikely to remain dominant for this long. By then, I think other teams could well have caught up, or they could have fallen behind.

      1. Woah Ben! This actually is a great topic for an article! @keithcollantine could you please explore this idea?
        What were the longest reigns of technological supremacy in F1?
        How did they come about and what contributed to their ends?

        Off the top of my head:
        Williams 1991-1997 = 7 seasons
        Downfall: the main designer (Adrian Newey) leaving team + Renault withdrawing as an engine manufacturer and the team not getting a hold of any of the subsequently dominant suppliers’ engines

        1. Schumacher won 1994 and 1995, with Benetton also winning the 1995 Constructor’s championship.

          1. Irrelevant. I’m talking about technological supremacy. Williams had the best car with the best engine in 1994 and in 1995.

          2. how do you measure ‘ technological supremacy’ ?

          3. It would be something like the 2005 season, where Mclaren had the best engine, chassis, other tech etc, but still Kimi lost the championship as they were plagued by reliability issues !

          4. @daz de vere

            Technological supremacy was this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7AME4v3qZkc

            Arguably the most advanced F1 ever built.

          5. @Damon
            you don’t know what youre talking about.

            Williams didn’t have the best car in 94.
            1. Adrian Newey admits every few years the car had a serious design flaw which was previously complained about by Hill but the team didn’t go with it thinking he wasn’t experienced enough.
            2. Benetton were using traction control which was superior.
            They also had the same engine in 95.
            So forget 94-95.

          6. Williams had the best engine in 94/95, Benetton had the best car in 94/95 and the same engine as Williams in 95.

          7. Ok Damon, I see where you’re coming from. I remember the Williams in those years being a great car and many magazines would have them as pre-season favorites.

            For example, the 91 car (FW14) was a techno marvel, but the team struggled to find reliability that year and in the end was beaten by the more “tried and true” package of the McLaren Honda.

            Benetton was starting to push Williams towards the end of 93 (remember their use 4W steering?), but they still only had a Ford engine in 94. Where they seemed to have Williams beat was not in terms of technology – but rather the lack of it. I remember at the time that Williams seemed to be caught out by the 94 rules which banned much of the electronic driver aids, while Benetton benefitted from designing things to be “simpler”. Still, Williams won the Constructor’s Championship.

            I’d give 95 to Benetton, but Williams was soon back on top for a couple more years before their descent into the midfield.

        2. McLaren won 1991, Benneton won 1994 and 1995… your facts are unaccurate. Ferrari won from 2000 to 2004 (5 years) the pilots and constructor championship , plus the 1999 or 1998 (don’t remember which one) the constructor championship

          1. Marian Gri (@)
            12th July 2017, 6:05

            Ferrari won the WCC in 1999.

          2. And they Michael would have probably won the 1999 championship if not for his accident at Silverstone.

          3. I am NOT talking about drivers winning races, come on. FOCUS guys.
            I am talking stricly about the BEST CARS of the season. Nothing else.

        3. Ben Rowe (@thegianthogweed)
          12th July 2017, 18:14

          I honestly haven’t been following F1 for very long at all compared to others. I’ve just enjoyed listening to the commentators experience and taken on board what they say often happens. And based on that. I’m not convinced Mercedes dominance will be for much longer. As it is, they are not dominant over Ferrari this year in all areas. As their rivals are getting closer this year, I will take a guess that Ferrari will be just as good or better next year. And if Ferrari’s engine improves, perhaps could their customer teams if they get the chassis right could improve a lot too. By 2019, I somehow feel is it extremely likely that Mercedes won’t be the same way they were in the last 3 years. But things could turn around. We just don’t know.

  2. Michael Brown (@)
    11th July 2017, 21:23

    Looks like an expanded Formula E track. While it looks bare, the massively long straights will give us great speeds.

    Personally I liked the proposed Greek street circuit but they aren’t getting a GP.

  3. Looking like one of those boring FE circuits.

    1. Looking absolutely AMAZING!

    2. @f1725 I think you might have overlooked the difference in scale involved here. Formula E tracks are usually much shorter and have a higher density of slow corners than this.

      1. Michael Brown (@)
        12th July 2017, 2:15

        @keithcollantine Scale aside, I don’t see much difference between them minus the lower number of slow corners like you said.

      2. You’re Probably Right.

  4. Miltiadis (@miltosgreekfan)
    11th July 2017, 21:33

    The layout is not good…At all…Straights & straights…Our proposal from Dielpis was much much better…
    Greek gp would have been something awesome ,no race in the Balkan era
    ,perfect idea to combine with summer vacations…
    But there it the financial issue,which is unsolvable :/ But the greek proposed layout was much much better than the Danish idea.

    1. Yup, only straights and low speed corners. We could as well have a race going up and down a stretch of highway with hairpins on end. It would be a disaster, one big borefest.

      The Greek track is on the other end of the spectrum, featuring one high speed section and one medium/low speed section.
      That would be a challenge, especially when teams try out different settings. But it may be a bit too extreme at it.

      1. Miltiadis (@miltosgreekfan)
        11th July 2017, 22:35

        Perhaps the greek version lacks a bit of an straightforward overtaking spot & has too much high speed corners, but as a whole, its pretty nice with interesting corners.And to be honest, having almost 3 km of staights(Like in Copenhagen) is too much…

      2. Yup, only straights and low speed corners. We could as well have a race going up and down a stretch of highway with hairpins on end. It would be a disaster, one big borefest.

        So…basically AVUS.

      3. Michael Brown (@)
        12th July 2017, 2:19

        I am personally interested in this layout. It’s like Monza if it were a street circuit.

        1. I think you might be overlooking some of the kinks in the straits. The one at the end of the top strait, setting up into the braking zone for the hairpin looks like it might be far enough down the strait to be of significance, especially with proximity to a heavy braking zone.

      4. British grand Prix round the M25 from 2020. Pit at the toll booths at the Dartford crossing.

    1. The track in the article – FANTASTIC
      The track in your link – Nice for the eye, awful for racing.

      1. Miltiadis (@miltosgreekfan)
        11th July 2017, 21:49

        I really dont like the Danish proposal…Those 2 straights that looks like a “V” ruin everything (in my eyes).

        1. Why would a long straight be a bad thing on a racing track??
          Long straights produce overtaking (see: Baku GP 2017).

          1. Miltiadis (@miltosgreekfan)
            11th July 2017, 22:23

            Well, having long straights is the easiest thing when building an racing circuit. Having those immense straights doesnt help in creating a character for the new circuit.Plus,this years Baku grand prix did produce overtakes thanks to the straights,but mostly,if not only,after the multiple SC restarts.In real racing conditions,we only saw a few overtakes(most made by Ricciardo due to his early stop)

          2. Long straights don’t necessarily produce overtaking (see: Russian GP 2017)

          3. Look at baku 2016.. booooooooooring. So long straights are no guarantee. Only DRS disgust..

            Delfi looks great and has some excellent characteristics for racing.

    2. Michael Brown (@)
      11th July 2017, 22:24

      I would love to race a mod version of the Greek GP street circuit in a raging sim. I don’t know if anything like that exists.

      I love the layout of that track because it’s basically if the first sector of Suzuka was an entire circuit. Lots of long medium and high speed corners.

      1. Miltiadis (@miltosgreekfan)
        11th July 2017, 22:27

        https://youtu.be/YRYMRvhoq2E

        Thats the only mod available

  5. As a formula 1 fan, I’m intrigued, but as a Dane I’m extremely excited. Not only because of having a Formula 1 race track in my home country, but because its around many iconic ooooold Danish buildings.

    Not entirely sure I’d really appreciate that as someone who hasn’t grown up around them, though… Even when you have, it’ll probably just be background after a few laps.

  6. I’m often very critical of the current circuits but this circuit looks fantastic. You need mechanical grip, not just highway straights, last-lap overtakes are possible. rain is possible in Denmark but not monsoon like, safety cars are possible, blind corners, you can’t just run low wing and drag because of the twisty section. This is great imho.

  7. I don’t know if a bridge is news these days… Valencia had one, Singapore has one. I’m intrigued by the crossover tho. And that harpin: that’s the end of a 1.5 km straight if google is correct. And then it’s 1.3 kms to the next harpin again. Seems like too many straights and very long for such a short circuit

    1. Remove the bridge and keep it at the same level.. I guarantee lots of suspense and big balls ( and some major accidents to add to that)

  8. First impressions are… this looks so cool! I know nothing about Copenhagen but already this circuit has opened my eyes to it. Lots of water, huge 6 lane-wide boulevards, copious amounts of green copper-clad buildings, some green open spaces, some remaining parts of the old city fortifications. And the layout looks good too! Great way to sell the city, great place for a race (to Melbourne’s slogan from the build up to their first race in ’96).

  9. This is weird. Normally when you get a new street circuit map, it looks uncharismatic and dull. Bit as a semi-regular visitor to Copenhagen, I can see right away what the designers are trying to do here. The crossover is at a brilliant point by the water, and the drivers will go quickly from the modern hub of the city to the old parts of town with the Parliament, and a little glimpse of Tivoli park for good measure. Those long straights are stupidly wide as well. I think this could work really well, and far more than the map initially suggests.

  10. Neil (@neilosjames)
    11th July 2017, 22:54

    I quite like that… looks nice and different. If it has to be a street circuit, I’d rather it was one like that.

  11. This actually looks like it has great potential. Checking out the areas on google street view there’ll be plenty of space for overtaking and hugely atmospheric surroundings. Very exciting development.

  12. Smells like another Valencia to me.

  13. Love the shield shape circuit, nah. I prefer street circuits like Singapore. But well another new venue for F1 in Europe. I guess it is fine.

  14. As a half-Danish F1 Fanatic, I can’t help but be excited about this track :)

  15. The track looks nice but I think there should be a Grand Prix on street circuits in Helsinki or Stockholm before Copenhagen. A Grand Prix in Finland is loooooonnnnng overdue, quite honestly.

    1. We had a street circuit (Helsinki Thunder) in Helsinki 1995 – 1997, ran DTM and smaller Formula and local cup races. I think they ran a McLaren or a Williams for a spin, maybe.
      Bernies people were approached, but with the city deciding not to take part with the funding but “just” providing the streets ,the FOM policy at the time taking all the trackside advertising and with the limited seating possibilities for paying customers (less than 10 000 if I recall correctly) there was just no way to pay for a race fee. And the passion only carries you so far, as BRDC has vocalised this year.

      But we have a new Tier 1KymiRing just about finished…

      1. Kymiring just about finished!? Are you kidding me? Biggest joke i have ever seen… It’s not even close to be finished. Nor ever do.

      2. Yes, I know about those races, and the small Ahvenisto circuit as well. The Helsinki Thunder races had good crowds, even though the circuit was only 3.2 km (2 mi).

  16. long overdue, quite honestly. Decades overdue, actually.

    1. mfreire, why is it so overdue?

      Denmark has had a pretty low level of involvement in F1 – there have been no Danish constructors, and out of the five Danish drivers who have competed in F1, three of them have five or fewer entries (and most of those were either DNS’s or DNQ’s). There is very little, if any, sponsorship from companies in Denmark – even the component supply chain bypasses Denmark altogether as far as I can tell.

      1. Sorry, I meant the Finnish Grand Prix, not the Danish Grand Prix.

  17. had a look on google maps, looks interesting. I hate how nowadays everyone is so quick to shoot down a circuit because it looks plain on paper, most modern tracks with endless turn after turn like Valencia look good on paper but make for crap racing, we need tracks with less turns and more corners. Austria looks plain on paper but its a cracking track, as does laguna seca.

  18. Why is it shaped like a fish?

  19. @keithcollantine Hmmm 2020 Season, that’s three seasons ahead. Is this the furthest ahead that you have published an article about?

  20. What a godawful piece of rubbish tra(sh)ck design!

    If I could post a meme, it would be the world famous “How about NO”

    1. Be careful, your post might be removed.

        1. No idea, ask Keith ;]

          1. No reason, as long as it’s still here :)

  21. At the cross roads, who gives way to who? The back markers give way to the leaders?

    1. Its not cross roads, its a crossover (as you drive over the other part of the track, which is below in a small tunnel).

  22. Robert McKay
    12th July 2017, 10:01

    I quite like it. It’s not overengineered, it doesn’t have too many complicated, fiddly corners.

    My main concern is that the bridges are fairly wide. The narrow bridges in Valencia and Singapore tend to result in a one-by-one funnelling effect, which naturally makes overtaking harder over the track as a whole.

  23. Biskit Boy (@sean-p-newmanlive-co-uk)
    12th July 2017, 12:07

    Like it or not the Danish proposal is the future of F1. Liberty want this because of all the additional stuff an attraction like Copenhagen can offer. The track looks a bit Baku-ish which may not be a bad thing. Long straights and slow corners are good for overtaking so it won’t be boring.

    Excited as I am by this track I can’t help feeling sorry for Silverstone. They have done so much for F1 and they have been badly short changed by the FIA and Bernie so many times in the past. Silverstone ran the first ever F1 race. They have massively invested in the track and infrastructure. They get enormous crowds and are able to charge high ticket prices but still they cannot make a profit. Where is all the money going?

    Liberty cannot go the way of Bernie. It is not a good business model to expect state hand-outs to put on the show. I think they know this and are trying to diversify and generate profit in lots of ways. Good luck to them but I fear the British F1 will go to London and whilst that will bring interest its not the right outcome. It may be yet another kick in the b***s for Silverstone.

  24. Just recently (1000 years ago) the Vikings were ruling Britain. So why not have the British GP in Stockholm.
    2 birds 1 stone.

  25. As a dane i’m very exited about this, but i feel sad for the thousands of people living and working in the inner part of Copenhagen. Remember, a race like this with all it’s preparations is gonna impact the area for 10-15 days. So from my point of view there’s far better places in Denmark to make a track, but ofc the politicians and so on, is only thinking about tourism, and not about the sport.

  26. the Danish Grand Prix was held in 1961 and 1962 in Formula 1.

    1. @mclarenmilan Could you explain that a bit please.

        1. Thank you. One of the many non-championship events held in the 50’s and 60’s. Started out as F1 and then became Formula Junior/Formula Three intermittently until final its demise.

          1. @nickwyatt, technically, it was originally intended to be a Formula 2 event – it just so happens that, in 1961 and 1962, Formula 1 had downgraded their regulations to those used by Formula 2.

          2. @anon I understand. According to Wikipedia, the track was so short that lap time was around 42 seconds. Can you imagine the congestion with a full grid?

  27. I would wish Denmark every success with a Grand Prix but the last thing F1 needs is anymore street circuits. I agree too that for people living local to these street races it could be really difficult.

  28. Ted Marynicz
    12th July 2017, 23:17

    If anyone knows Copenhagen they will realise that the F1 cars would become airborne going flat out over Knippelsbro, it is a hump just before the cars brake hard for the left hander into Slotsholmgade. Would they be putting triple-high Armco everywhere like Monaco? There is so much street furniture it would be a nightmare otherwise? And some of the roads look wide but they have central kerbs and kerbs for cycle lanes. No room for overtaking at all in these places. One example – https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@55.6741436,12.5843117,3a,75y,230.4h,79.05t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sxP2Uyuk9RtfvTe4cq7Nb6A!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

    1. I would imagine they could lay temporary tarmac over the top of it like they do in Baku.

    2. These roads will surely be paved and modified. And anyone who knows F1 cars know they won’t get airborne simply by going over a bridge. They could drive upside down in a tunnel with all that downforce they produce.

  29. This is not a very long circuit. With these straights, we are looking at a very short laptime. It’s a 4.55km lap (compare it to Red Bull Ring at 4.3km). With higher speeds than at Red Bull Ring, one can assume this lap would clock in below 60 seconds. Any estimates on that?

    1. That’s a very valid point.

  30. I don’t know what they want in F1 nowadays. The say they want to make the engines louder again, but they also want more street circuits? Those two don’t go well together IMO.

    1. +1

      More street circuits, more noise and more aero addiction. New boss same as the old boss – want to keep their 50% of the too.

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