F1 to use overtaking simulator for future circuit design

Formula One will use a simulator of future circuits to help design new venues. Recently, Vietnam was announced to be joining the calendar in 2020 and the technology could be used to help design aspects of the street circuit in Hanoi.

Overtaking has been a sore point in Formula One as of late, with designs being introduced this season to help with wheel-to-wheel racing and enabling drivers to fight each other on track.

Another element is now seemingly in the works with a new simulator designed at designing race circuits conducive to entertaining and close racing.

Ex-Williams technical chief Pat Symonds explained at Autosport International the process which has been created from scratch and how it could help future venues such as Vietnam.

"We've produced what I think is the world's first overtaking simulation. It's been extremely complex to do," he said.

"To run a lap takes several hours. It's a very, very complex simulation but it has a proper wake model of the cars, it looks at the surface and the tyre characteristics and all these sort of things.

"We're now using it to design our new circuits and to look at some modifications. Vietnam, which is the first circuit we've really been involved with, I think that we have really been able to understand what it will take to make good racing there.

"I think Vietnam is going to be a superb circuit. It's got some great features and it's going to have some close racing at it."