Now Barcelona chicane is gone, these are the other F1 corners to axe

Much similar to Suzuka, the final chicane at Spa-Francorchamps is a corner combination which stops all the fun.

The rollercoaster run from Paul Frere through Blanchimont is one of F1’s most exhilarating stretches of asphalt – and therefore one of its most iconic too.

Why does the action have to end there though?

The current final chicane does provide opportunity for some overtaking, but it could be so much better.

If it was removed from Spa, cars could dice all the way down to the La Source hairpin, instead of the slightly underwhelming start/finish straight run we currently have.

The first corner run off might have to be increased slightly, but this isn’t anything F1 hasn’t dealt with before.

With the aim of cementing the future of one of F1’s most historic races, the Monaco Grand Prix circuit is in desperate need of alterations – the removal of the Nouvelle chicane would be the most practical. The evolution of longer, wider and heavier cars has vastly reduced the amount of on-track overtaking opportunities, resulting in a series of question marks being raised surrounding Monaco’s position on the F1 calendar.

The chicane is currently one of the few places drivers dare to overtake – usually ending in a wheel-to-wheel clash or an untidy pass. Its removal and the addition of a second DRS zone, beginning on the exit of Portier, would see drivers fly out of Monaco’s historic tunnel all the way down to Tabac – approaching speeds of 200mph.

Tabac itself would probably have to be remodelled as well, turned into a tight left-hander to slow the cars down as well as providing another opportunity to overtake, before entering the Piscine chicane at Turn 13.

Now, would this change fix racing in Monaco entirely? No, probably not – but it would help. This show of willingness to change could also secure its place on the calendar and the principality streets from becoming a historic sideshow.

Being a relative rookie to the F1 calendar, it was highly unlikely that Miami was going to nail its circuit layout at the first time of asking. But the removal of the tight Turn 14 and 15 chicane would be its first improvement.

Circuit designer Clive Bowen has already planned changes for the chicane that caused controversy during F1’s first visit to Miami in May 2022, but it’s currently unclear what those alterations may be. Unfortunately, due to the track winding underneath a freeway, it would be quite difficult to simply remove the chicane altogether, but it could be made less aggressive.

In its current state, if two drivers were to go wheel-to-wheel, it’s impossible for both to fit through the narrow entries and exits that eventually eject them out onto a long straight. But, if the apex at Turn 15 were to be pushed back, widening the track, the two drivers could theoretically keep racing all the way through the final sector.

With its uphill entry, this change could effectively transform the Miami chicane into a mini-Eau Rouge – only missing out on the high speeds and jaw-dropping scenery.

Look no further than Imola for a circuit that has been neutered by chicanes.

The tragedies of 1994 and the inability to expand into the river and properties that surround the circuit meant that slowing cars down was the only option to keep Formula 1 in Emilia Romagna.

But it hasn’t dimmed the memory of wailing V10s at flat chat through the long, fast curves at the start of the lap, now interrupted by the Tamburello and Villeneuve chicanes.

Those wouldn’t be the corners we’d change first though. Further around the lap is the Curva Gresini (formerly Variante Alta), which interrupts an exhilarating full-throttle run uphill from Aqua Minerale, which then tilts down, sweeping left then right and plunging into the off-camber Rivazza.

Without the chicane, the 200mph+ entry speed (currently 180mph) would be challenging enough on your own, let alone when dicing for position.

Sadly, with the short Rivazza run-off bounded by housing, this test of bravery, talent and braking feel will have to wait for a brilliant innovation in safety barriers.

You’re racing down the second section of Paul Ricard’s Mistral straight, slipstreaming the car in front, sparks flying and moving out for an overtake.

The track kinks right at Turn 10, you have the place in your sights… and then you gradually slow down for the next corner, falling back in line with no hope of getting past.

It’s not quite the doomed chicane of Barcelona, but the interminable medium-speed section at the end of Paul Ricard’s main straight (A in diagram above) comes as an anticlimax at the end of the lap. And the solution is staring organisers in the face.

There’s already a shortcut section of asphalt that – with a bit of widening – would cut out the long right-hander (B) and see brake discs glowing as drivers negotiated the kink and tried to slow for the sharply-angled corner (C) — a much bigger challenge and overtaking opportunity than the current processional layout.

And as it’s Paul Ricard, there’s miles of run-off if drivers get it wrong.