Mixed feelings on new Marrakech track layout

The new Moulay El Hassan circuit at Marrakech, Morocco, has left the drivers with mixed feelings, as some drivers expressed their concerns over the track and, most of all, the overtaking chances.

Defending world champion José María López believes the challenge comes from the presence of two different types of tarmac on the track, with the sections of the old track still keeping the same asphalt, creating two surfaces with very different grip levels.

“(The track is) too slow, but in the end I think the main challenge is the surfaces changes,” said the Argentinian. “It makes the car’s behaviour change very quickly and the wall is quite close, so sometimes you don’t know if you’re carrying too much speed or not. The top speed is not more than 210 km/h, so it’s a completely different circuit, but it doesn’t change much, it’s the same for everyone.”

ROAL Motorsport’s Tom Coronel lamented a lack of excitement, as he does not see the new Moulay El Hassan layout as challenging as it used to be: “This track does not give me the excitement I used to have. Before the weekends in Marrakech I was always a little scared and, as a driver, that is what you are looking for, a challenging track. Every time I approached a chicane on the old circuit I was scared, but now when I see a corner my mind goes ‘well, just another corner’. We are a World Championship and we need challenging tracks, this one is for people who are learning the basics of motor racing.”

Lada Sport’s Gabriele Tarquini was more specific and, although he is happy the old layout has been dropped, the Italian spoke out his concerns over the pit entry and exit.

“I think they could have done better, to be honest,” said the former world champion to TouringCarTimes. “The old track was very dangerous, you had chicanes and you jumped a lot on the kerbs, risked breaking the suspension and therefore I am happy with the change, especially in terms of safety. I expected something better really, the pit entry is completely on the racing line. This track is supposed to have been designed by (Hermann) Tilke, but when I saw the pit entry I thought it was designed by someone who had never seen a race in his life. Whoever goes into the pits will have to be very careful to let the other cars through before entering the pits, otherwise it can turn into mayhem.”

The pit exit is also an issue according to the Italian.

“The kerb in the first corner is in the wrong place I believe, there should have been another further ahead because the way things are you almost cut through the pit exit. When I saw that I told the race director straight away, I didn’t need to see it from the car to understand that. I am quite skeptical, because the pit building is absolutely perfect, everything is very good in the garages, so I had hoped they would do a better job in the rest of the track.”

As for the overtaking opportunities, Tarquini believes it will not be possible to overtake, although he concedes this might turn out to be a positive for Lada: “Even using all my experience, I think overtaking will almost be impossible. I hope I am wrong, but I think it’s possible, and the road shrinks in the braking zones, it’s almost like they are discouraging you from trying to pass. Races are good when there are overtakes, and I am probably going against us because if it’s difficult to overtake and we are in a good position in the opening race through the reversed grid this characteristic might help, but honestly I had hoped this would turn out to be better.”

Although some drivers were critical of the new track, there are also some who appreciate the change in layout, such as street track enthusiast and Macau specialist Rob Huff. The Brit has a completely different opinion compared to López, Coronel and Tarquini: “I have to say I really like it. It’s definitely a little bit reminiscent of Macau, you’re going into the corners at quite high speed and there’s a concrete wall on the exit, and you’re not quite sure if you’ve given enough margin for error or not. I am very impressed, it’s a great circuit, it’s really, really difficult.”

Honda’s Norbert Michelisz also likes the track and its layout: “I like the new track more,” admitted the Hungarian to TouringCarTimes. “I know many drivers may disagree with me, but my feeling is this is more a drivers’ track compared to the old one. In the end I like street circuits, I did not enjoy the previous layout, so in my point of view it is better to race on a track like this. We will see on Sunday if the spectators agree, because it’s going to be really difficult to overtake. I still believe there’s one chance to overtake at the hairpin, but we have no information to say what is going to happen during the races.”

Citroën’s Yvan Muller believes the layout is a step forward, but the fact that the road shrinks towards the braking areas will make it impossible to overtake: “Before I came here I thought it would be very difficult to overtake, but now I am sure it will be impossible,” said the Frenchman to TouringCarTimes. “It’s a shame because there were a couple of places where there would be a chance, but it looks like they did their best to avoid overtaking. The road shrinks under braking at Turn 11, and that is silly, because otherwise it would have been a nice circuit. I like this layout much more than the old one, but at least on the previous version it was difficult to pass, not impossible.”

Polestar Cyan Racing’s Thed Björk, who has never raced on the old version of the track, likes the Moulay El Hassan layout, which is similar to the old Gothenburg street track he raced at in Sweden, but concedes overtaking will be difficult: “I think it is a matter of personal preferences, they did the best they could for sure. The only thing is the track is quite bumpy, but that doesn’t mean it’s a bad circuit, except for that it is good in every other aspect. I think it will be hard to overtake, it is a pleasure to drive here and it will be particularly fun in qualifying, but it will be tough during the races.”

The short track will surely make qualifying very interesting as the gaps will be very small and any mistakes will cost the drivers dearly, while weather forecast predict a 10-degrees temperature drop and a chance for light rain for the main race, which may spice up the action on Sunday.