Formula One drivers have been warned that "there will be consequences" if they push too hard on the sport's newest venue. The warning comes from former F1 driver Alexander Wurz, who helped design the circuit for the African Grand Prix in Rwanda.
Earlier this week, it was confirmed that F1 will return to Africa after an absence of more than 30 years. A 10-year agreement has been struck with the Government of Rwanda to host the race at a purpose-built circuit south of the capital Kigali, with the first event due in the early 2030s.
Circuit design and warning
The circuit has not yet been built, but the general layout has been agreed, with rendered images shared publicly. The track was designed by veteran circuit-maker Hermann Tilke in conjunction with Wurz.
Speaking to the Up To Speed podcast, Wurz revealed that one corner will send drivers into the forest with no spectators able to see that section. He also warned that the last sector of the lap, which begins with that corner, will be dangerous for those who try to push too hard.
"There will be consequences if you get one of the first corner sections of the last sector wrong," he said.
Technical challenge
Wurz explained that the final sector consists of a string of corners, starting with what they call the Forest Canopy Corner. "Actually, I can reveal a little feature which we collectively put together, is one of the corners is only drivers and African forest. No spectators – maybe we'll allow a camera so you guys can see it," he said.
He described how drivers will disappear for one corner, then the last sector begins: "You come out over a crest, it turns into a corner, it really lifts your stomach. And from this moment on, you have seven corners behind each other that if you are a bit too greedy in turn 12, and you want to be greedy there, because you think you have to nail it into the corner with high speed, every other of the next six corners will be havoc in your mind."
Overtaking and design philosophy
Racing in Rwanda is still years away, and the circuit's final construction is incomplete, leaving scope for tweaks. Some fans have pointed out a potential lack of big braking zones based on the renders.
But Wurz has promised that the circuit will allow for "proper battles", having spent thousands of hours on a simulator testing and tweaking the design. He said: "It's a lot about philosophy but, at the end of the day, it's science. And of course you can simulate things, but I think from my side here, I have the luck and the privilege to have raced against the best people in the best cars on most of the tracks around the world."
He added: "There's a lot of things come to play when you design a circuit. It's really not as easy to just draw some lines and add a Suzuka and Malaysia corner behind each other. That's like stealing notes from music and you think you now are a creator of a symphony."
