There are nineteen tracks on the 2014 Formula One season calendar; each known by fans for a unique quality. High speed straights, tight corners, tall hills; you name it and the 2014 season has it. Since all of the tracks are different and unique, the fans and experts of Formula One sometimes have their own nicknames for the circuits. That is why I am happy to publish my 2014 track nicknames.
First on my list, but the second track to be raced in 2014; the Sepang International Circuit is a wonderful track. Located close to the Kuala Lumpur International Airport and home to a large mall, this circuit is known for gentle, high speed corners and wide straights that are ideal for overtaking. This track earns the nickname, Pac-Man because of its interesting shape. The two straights located on either side of the mall area form an opening that s shaped similar to the mouth of the iconic Pac-Man character by Namco Limited.
After Malaysia, we find ourselves at the Bahrain International Circuit. Known for its high speed start/finish straight and tight corners, the Bahrain International Circuit played host to what is being called the greatest race of the 2014 season after the battle between the Mercedes duo earlier in the season. The track that I like to call The Swan is shaped like a swan. Turns three through ten form the head of the swan which is looking behind itself. Turns seven, eight and nine create the beak. Finally, turns eleven through fourteen are the tail.
Next, Formula One shoots over to China for the fourth round of the 2014 season. With its unique spiral turn in the first sector of the track and two long straights in the final sector, the Shanghai International Circuit requires drivers to have both speed and excellent cornering abilities. This track earns the nickname, The Bunny. Turns one through seven are the ears of the bunny and the eighth turn creates the nose. This isn’t just a regular bunny… it is a bunny doing the splits. Turn twelve appears to create a foot on the end of a leg that is formed by turns ten to sixteen.
Three races later, we find ourselves in Austria. This track made a much awaited return to Formula One this season and is sometimes known as “Formula One Country”. It is famous for its high speed straights, gentle corners and changes in elevation. Founded under the name Österreichring and then briefly changing to the A1 Ring, this track was purchased by Red Bull in 2011 to be used as a test track for the Formula One team. I wish that this track looked like a bull, but it instead looks like a whale. Therefore, I gave it the nickname The Whale. This is quite simple to see; turns one through five are the tail of the whale and the remaining turns are the body. It works best if you picture a spout of water on the straight between turn six and turn seven.
First opened in the early 1930s, this track would not be introduced into the Formula One calendar until the 1970 season. This is a very dangerous circuit, having claimed the lives of Formula One stars such as, Jim Clark and Patrick Depailler. The track now plays host to Formula One every other season, sharing a contract with the notorious Nürburgring. With its narrow race surface, the Hockenheimring is one of my favourite tracks currently on the 2014 calendar. This track earned the nickname, The High Heel Shoe because that is exactly what the track layout looks like. Turns twelve through the first turn looks like the heel of a shoe. The hairpin turn at the sixth corner acts as the toe of the shoe.
Everyone loves Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps. This track has been around since 1925, although it has been shortened from the 15 kilometer course, to a 7 kilometer course. The most unique part of this circuit is the tracks changes in elevation. Drivers will find themselves driving up a massive hill in the second straight away. Along with long, high speed straights, this track makes for a great race. I call this track The Roller Coaster because much like an actual roller coaster, the track surface goes up and down. The cars on this track can also reach some very high speeds, similar to a roller coaster car.
Known as the fastest track on the 2014 calendar, the Autodromo Nazionale Monza has tons of history. The layout of the track has changed many times since its creation and at one time was converted into an oval track. Because of this track’s high speeds, it has claimed the lives of 42 drivers from multiple racing series. I call this track The Sock for two reasons. First, the track currently is shaped like a sock. Turn eight is the top of the sock where you would put your foot into, turns four and five are the toe of the sock and turn two is the heel. The second reason that I call this track the sock is because of its country’s peculiar shape. If you were to find Italy on a map, you could see that the whole country looks like a boot. Therefore, The Sock makes sense because socks are inside of boots.
This season, this track is receiving more attention than usual as it plays host to the double points race at the end of the season. This is the first time that this has ever been done in Formula One history and it has received its share of negative opinions. I love this circuit because of the tight corners. To me, it feels like more a street circuit like Monaco or Singapore than a permanent racing facility. The track nickname could not be any clearer and I swear that the designers mapped out this track to look like a gun. Therefore, I call it The Gun. The hairpin turn at turn seven is the tip of the gun where the bullet exits. Turns eight to twenty-one look like the handle of the gun, with turns seventeen to twenty appearing to be the trigger.
