Part 5

Curvon: If a car can perform adequately on the outside racing line, this is a good place to pass slower cars. Strong acceleration out of Curvon is required to maximize passing opportunities.

Straightaway: This is a significant straightaway; drafting tactics are key to passing the frontrunners here.

Turn 7 (Ascari): This gentle right-hand corner can generally be taken at full speed. As on the previous straightaway, drafting is very important to making passes here.

Turn 8 (Extrada a los Mixtos): After a long run of full-throttle racing, it is very easy to miss the braking zone for this tight right-hand hairpin. The course also climbs a bit in elevation here, which can make the hairpin even trickier.

Turns 9-10 (Viborita): Just beyond the hairpin, this quick-flick left-right chicane can be taken at full throttle unless encumbered by traffic. Keep a solid racing line to avoid dropping a wheel off the rumble strips at the apexes. However, begin braking immediately upon corner exit.

Turns 11-12: This left-hand double-apex U-shaped formation immediately follows Viborita. Moderate braking is required upon exiting Viborita to keep from overrunning Turn 11 and getting caught out in the kitty litter (run-off area). Light or moderate braking is also required for Turn 12.

Turns 13-14: This is the trickiest area of the circuit. This left-right chicane is entirely on a downhill slope, and because of the angle of the hill, the pavement's turns are almost impossible to see until it is too late to avoid an off (going off track). Moderate braking is definitely needed to keep on the pavement, but even more important - especially if there is not traffic ahead to indicate the chicane - is to have a perfectly flawless knowledge of this area of the circuit. There is a quick fade to the right on exiting this chicane, making the entire complex potentially even trickier.

Straightaway: This is a fairly brief straightaway, with Pit Entry on the right near its end.

Turn 15 (Horquilla): This final corner of the circuit is a low-speed right-hand J-turn requiring moderate or heavy braking on entry. Passing here can be difficult. Strong power out of Horquilla and through the following gentle left-hand fade will provide good passing opportunities along Pit Straight.

Pit Straight (San Marino): This is a long straightaway, which enables high speeds as the cars cross the Start/Finish Line. Good exit speed out of the final chicane makes for prime passing and a good show for the spectators. The Pit Straight fades to the left at the end of Pit Lane (which is aligned with the Start/Finish Line). Once past the Pits, there is a barrier directly against the right side of the track.

Turns 1 and 2 (Tamburello): This is a left-right chicane. Turn 1 requires moderate braking, but if you slow enough in Turn 1, you should be able to drive at full throttle through Turn 2 and beyond. There is slight tolerance for cutting the corners here, but not much. If you try to take the entire chicane at full speed, you can make it through Turn 1 fairly well, but you will quickly find yourself in the grass on the outside of Turn 2 and banging against the nearby barrier. If you completely miss the braking zone for Turn 1, there is a huge sand trap to help you recover.

Turn 3 (Tamburello): Immediately following Turn 2, Tamburello is a soft left-hand corner which can be taken at full speed. Good acceleration out of Turn 1 makes this a good passing zone. Following this corner is a significant straightaway.

Turns 4 and 5 (Villeneuve): This is another left-right chicane, but not as lengthy as the first. Without traffic to navigate, this chicane can be taken at top speed with no braking and without risk of shortcutting either corner, but care must be taken not to slide off the course at the exit of Turn 5. The course slopes upward at the exit of this chicane.

Turn 6 (Tosa): This is a blind left-hand corner which continues the upward slope of the course. Moderate or even severe braking is required here, or else your car will be in the kitty litter (run-off area) and headed toward the grandstands. Traffic is actually a benefit in approaching this corner, as the course is largely hidden from view, but other cars are easy to see. If any mistake is to be made here, it is to shortcut the corner, as the CPU (computer-controlled opponent) is actually quite tolerant on this corner.

Straightaway (San Marino): The course continues up the hill here, cresting underneath the overhead Firestone advertisement. Just beyond the ad, the track fades to the right as it begins its gentle downward slope, but then leads directly into Piratella.

Turn 7 (Piratella): The course continues downward here, with the slope increasing. This is a left-hand semi-blind corner. It is rather easy to slip off the pavement here and into the kitty litter (run-off area) on the outside of the corner. Any passing done here is best made tight to the apex of the corner, perhaps with only the right-side wheels on the pavement or rumble strip.

Turn 8: Barely a corner at all but more than a fade, the course gently turns to the left here as the track passes under an Arexons banner. This is a full-speed 'corner.'

Turns 9 and 10 (Mineralli): This is a pair of right-hand corners which effectively function as a decreasing-radius 'U' formation. Turn 9 can be taken at full speed, but upon exit to the outside of Turn 9, heavy braking is needed and extra steering to the right is required to safely navigate around the decreasing-radius Turn 10. The track begins another (steep) uphill slope in Turn 10. Tightly hugging the apex allows for proper positioning.