When Formula 1 is looking to create racetracks, it calls up one designer: Hermann Tilke. For the past three decades, the 69-year-old German engineer has been the main architect behind most of the global racing series' new tracks. He's designed some of the calendar's most interesting venues, including the Circuit of the Americas in Austin; the ; the Baku City Circuit in Azerbaijan; the Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates; and the Jeddah Corniche Circuit in Saudi Arabia.
"I always wanted to do something related to my motorsports passion," said Tilke, who in the 1980s competed as a race-car driver in European touring cars while simultaneously earning a degree in civil engineering. He said he "didn't have enough time to dedicate to racing" and so "decided to make my own business." His firm, Tilke Engineers & Architects, began working on minor Formula 1 projects in the 1990s.
Tilke would earn the trust of the sport's top brass, eventually becoming its go-to designer for nearly every track created over the past 30 years. His son, Carsten Tilke, joined the company a little over a decade ago and is now a partner at the firm. "It's a really cool job," the younger Tilke said.
"Of course, it's not always easy, but, for sure, that's what makes it fun." Administrators within the FIA, Formula 1's governing body, say the Tilke team has become a trusted name because of its attention to detail and ability to create unique tracks that adhere to regulations. "The design and bu.