Takuma Sato and Justin Wilson doubt Formula 1 cars could cope with the bumpy surface of the Long Beach circuit.
Long Beach race founder Chris Pook works hard to make the Formula 1 to be back on the streets of Long Beach and the year 2018 is now targeted.
"I don't know if current F1 cars could absorb the conditions of the track surface here or not. I pretty much think they can't," explained Takuma Sato to Autosport, who won the Long Beach IndyCar race in 2013.
"They'd have to resurface like they do in Monte Carlo - they resurface that every year. And the rest of the track is semi-permanent, so they have a very smooth surface. But it is a real street course. Even we have a lot of bouncing. So there'd be a lot of work to be done," added the Japanese IndyCar driver.
Another former F1 driver remains sceptic with a Long Beach Formula 1 Grand Prix.
"We love going there because it's Long Beach, it's a lot of fun, and it's so raw. But an F1 car won't go around there. They'd be complaining about the bumps. They'd have to resurface the entire place, after they'd ground the entire place," said Justin Wilson
"I saw that story (F1 return) and chuckled. There's no way an F1 race could happen around here anymore. In the 1980s you could do that, but now it doesn't any sense. It's a great event; we love it. But Monaco is as smooth as the Indy 500, to give you a point of reference. If they came to Long Beach, they'd be shocked," added Justin Wilson.
Long Beach race founder Chris Pook works hard to make the Formula 1 to be back on the streets of Long Beach and the year 2018 is now targeted.
"I don't know if current F1 cars could absorb the conditions of the track surface here or not. I pretty much think they can't," explained Takuma Sato to Autosport, who won the Long Beach IndyCar race in 2013.
"They'd have to resurface like they do in Monte Carlo - they resurface that every year. And the rest of the track is semi-permanent, so they have a very smooth surface. But it is a real street course. Even we have a lot of bouncing. So there'd be a lot of work to be done," added the Japanese IndyCar driver.
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| Takuma Sato leading the Long Beach race to the victory in 2013. (Photo: AJ Foyt Racing) |
Another former F1 driver remains sceptic with a Long Beach Formula 1 Grand Prix.
"We love going there because it's Long Beach, it's a lot of fun, and it's so raw. But an F1 car won't go around there. They'd be complaining about the bumps. They'd have to resurface the entire place, after they'd ground the entire place," said Justin Wilson
"I saw that story (F1 return) and chuckled. There's no way an F1 race could happen around here anymore. In the 1980s you could do that, but now it doesn't any sense. It's a great event; we love it. But Monaco is as smooth as the Indy 500, to give you a point of reference. If they came to Long Beach, they'd be shocked," added Justin Wilson.