By Isabella Priestley
While there an abundance of dangerous high-speed turns in Formula 1, here are my top five of all time.
Turns 13/14, Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, Canada
The name ‘The Wall of Champions’ doesn’t come from just anywhere. This part of the Canada Grand Prix gets its name from the three world champions that crashed there in the 1999 grand prix. Damon Hill, Michael Schumacher, and Jacques Villeneuve all got into high-speed crashes at this part, giving it its name. It shows that even the most skilled drivers can make the same mistakes here, due to the tough exit coming out of turn 14. At this point, apex speed is the most important, and drivers find themselves being closer to the wall than they would like to be, meaning they will be coming out of it faster. The Wall of Champions is not a section of tarmac to be underestimated, as it can cause severe crashes, even for those who are deemed the best of the best.
Copse Corner, Silverstone, Great Britain
Copse Corner is one of the most high-speed corners on the calendar due to its high G forces that have proven to be an issue for drivers in the past. If done correctly, drivers could reach a 180mph top speed, essentially putting them in a slingshot for the next few corners. Copse remains one of the oldest corners on the calendar, being apart of the original Silverstone layout in the first Formula 1 race in 1950. Huge crashes have taken place here, one of the most notable being Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton in 2021, with Verstappen being taken to hospital due to the severity of the G forces.
Eau Rouge/Raidillon, Spa-Francorchamps, Belgium
Spa is a track that has had to be changed to be made safer for drivers after people rallied for new regulations to prevent crashes. In 2019, Anthoine Hubert lost his life racing on this track, which was the catalyst for new safety regulations. It is not the speed that proves to be an issue for drivers, it is the fact that when drivers look for the apex, all they can see is the sky. This makes it incredibly difficult to find their reference points throughout the opening laps of the race.
Campsa, Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, Spain
Turn 9, Campsa Corner, has been deemed one of the most physical corners for a driver to take. It kicks off with a completely blind entry, before switching to a sharp downhill exit from the steep uphill section. The sudden switch in track layout makes it easy to misjudge and run wide. Mark Webber stated ‘G-force makes it feel as though your body is being squeezed…You hit the brakes very, very hard, so the G-force is extremely high but goes away quickly.’
Turn 13/14/15/16, Swimming Pool, Monaco
Most corners at the Monaco Grand Prix are considered dangerous, due to how tight the track layout is and how fast drivers must go. However, this turn section – named Swimming Pool – has proven to be complicated due to a series of sharp turns. In Monaco, drivers must move within centimetres of the barrier to regain momentum. This means they will be able to gain more speed on a single lap. Because of the added factors of high-speeds and tight squeezes, drivers struggle to handle their cars.
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