The Austin layout has features borrowed from other tracks
Austin F1 promoter Tavo Hellmund has revealed a plan of the Tilke-designed track, and as previously reported, it has corners ‘borrowed’ from other circuits.
Hellmund showed the plans to the city’s Statesman newspaper, which has generally taken a somewhat sceptical line about the race.
Hellmund said that Turns 3-6 are a nod to Maggotts/Becketts at Silverstone, Turns 12-15 are a reflection of Hockenheim’s stadium, and Turns 16-18 are intended to mirror Turn 8 at Istanbul.
However he says that Turn 1, which is an uphill hairpin, will be the track’s own ‘signature’ corner. The anti-clockwise track is 3.4 miles long and features an elevation change of 133 feet, or 40 metres. Hellmund told the paper: “It should be nice, I think drivers and fans should like it.”
If you can’t read the numbers, Turn 1 is at the bottom right, Turn 11 is the hairpin at the top, and the last corner is Turn 20.
Adam Cooper's F1 Blog 
Well, a ridiculously slow corner leading onto the main straight. Nice if they designed a fast corner leading onto the straight , so that a faster car could actually get a sling shot effect.
Looking at that, it will be too much of a drag race out of that slow right hander.
Maybe it will work, but , I have my doubts.
The “slingshot effect” you speak of won’t happen. The cars produce so much downforce and create an extreme wake that it’s difficult for cars to get close to one another at speed. By entering a heavy braking zone, the cars slow down and the downforce is negated, allowing the car behind to get closer.
There is plenty of similarity in this design…
Last corner to first corner = Turkey
From first corner to hairpin at the top = Silverstone
Hairpin, long straight, ninety deg, double right, double left = Abu Dhabi
Quad apex = turkey
How about something similar to Spa’s Eau Rouge and the old Bus Stop instead of a typical chicane?
Sure.
The problem is … where is there a chicane on this circuit?
Also, Eau Rouge can exist because of the terrain. If there is no steep gully at Austin, there is no ability to create an Eau Rouge. And I’d say the old Bus Stop is entirely representative of the word “chicane”.
I like. I’m hoping the Hockenheim-esque section around turn 13 will be severely uphill, giving it a real Rallye Monte Carlo feel. Narrow, steep, winding and uphill. That would be something to see.
I just hope they give it a good name. “Austin International Circuit” is bland and generic and hardly does it justice. I know the land was originally set aside for a subdivision to be known as Wandering Creek, so I think something like “Wandering Creek International” would be a really good name for the circuit.