FORUMula1.com - F1 Forum

[darwin dali]

Just in:
http://twitter.com/REUTERSFLASH

[myownalias]

That's a shame that it's complete; I wanted Dukes of Hazard style dirt ramps for the cars to jump the unfinished parts of the track!!!

[bud]

That's a shame that it's complete; I wanted Dukes of Hazard style dirt ramps for the cars to jump the unfinished parts of the track!!!

Instead of Mumm they'll use bottles of moonshine on the podium.

[spankyham]

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/87421

Korean Grand Prix gets FIA go-ahead

The Korean Grand Prix will take place later this month after the FIA gave the circuit a green light on Tuesday following two days of safety inspections.

Although the event has been surrounded by speculation for weeks that the venue would not be finished in time for the October 24 race, FIA race director Charlie Whiting was happy with the progress that had been made.

Whiting told race officials that he had seen enough at the track to convince him that he will issue it with the mandatory circuit licence that it needs to host a Formula 1 race.

In a statement issued by race organisers, Whiting said: "It is satisfactory, and I will issue the license through (ASN) KARA."

Race promoter Yung Cho Chung welcomed the FIA approval, and said he believed the grand prix would ignite huge interest in his country.

"We are delighted that all works are now finished to the complete satisfaction of the FIA, and we join the whole of Korea in welcoming the Formula 1 fraternity to the Korea International Circuit for the first time," he said.

"The KIC has been constructed to the highest standards, and will become the epicentre of motorsport in the country. We believe the Korean Grand Prix will be the catalyst to ignite enormous interest in the sport across the nation."

Aerial photographs of the track this week showed that the final layer of asphalt had been laid, but that much of the infrastructure around the venue was not yet totally complete.

F1 teams said at the weekend that they expected the race to go ahead, even though F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone has expressed some reservations about it in Singapore a fortnight ago.

McLaren team principal Martin Whitmarsh said: "I think we have got to respect the fact that a lot of money has been spent, and a lot of effort put in, and I am sure the Korean nation will ensure that there is a grand prix."

Mercedes GP team boss Ross Brawn said: "As far as we know, yes it will happen. The final surface has been laid and they are finishing off the kerbs and so on...I think the infrastructure will be a bit weak, but we want to race there and we need to do everything we can, as long as it is safe to race there."

[LifeW12]

The track will be similar to Sepang I think, with a mixture of Tilke's Tedious Turns (slow awquard corners), fast straights and sweeping corners. The first sector should be all McLaren with Red Bull taking the advantage through the second sector especially, with two fast sixth gear esses and a long 4th/5th gear double apex left hander into a right kink. It should make for an intresting race, especially at the start, with the long (Adelaide like) straight punishing to Red Bull. The new tarmac may also be a tyre eater, as it will be low grip and may break up if the temperatures are high.

There is also plenty of overtaking opportunites especially Turns 1,3 and 4 through 6. The second and third sectors don't appear to yield too many chances, but maybe into Turn 14 or 15 (right hander). The last corner is also epic and may play a crucial role and the drivers will slow for the pit lane entrance around a blindish 5 gear corner.

Lap times will be in the order of 1:38-1:40 in Q3. I'll go for Alonso in this one with Button to fall out of contention.

[Hexagram]

The Korean Grand Prix will take place later this month after the newly-built Korean International Circuit received FIA approval. Following a two-day track inspection, FIA race director Charlie Whiting described the Yeongam circuit as ‘satisfactory’ and announced the mandatory license would be issued through the Korea Automobile Racing Association (KARA).

“We are delighted that all works are now finished to the complete satisfaction of the FIA, and we join the whole of Korea in welcoming the Formula One fraternity to the Korea International Circuit for the first time,” said race promoter and KARA chairman, Yung Cho Chung, in a statement released on Tuesday. “The KIC has been constructed to the highest standards, and will become the epicentre of motorsport in the country.

“We believe the 2010 FORMULA 1 KOREAN GRAND PRIX will be the catalyst to ignite enormous interest in the sport across the nation. The FIA has played a crucial role from the very beginning, and provided enormous support in terms of expertise, advice and knowledge. KAVO has benefited greatly from the FIA’s tremendous experience, and we are grateful for their guidance.”

The Korean Grand Prix has the full backing of South Korea’s Central Government, as well as the Government of South Jeolla Province, where the circuit is located, and its Governor Park Jun-yeong. The 5.615-kilometre track was designed by Hermann Tilke and can accommodate 130,000 spectators.

The inaugural Korean Grand Prix will take place from October 22-24.

Good news.

[IceManpjn]

That's a shame that it's complete; I wanted Dukes of Hazard style dirt ramps for the cars to jump the unfinished parts of the track!!!

Do we get Daisy handing out the trophies?

Instead of Mumm they'll use bottles of moonshine on the podium.

I come from the Appalachian region that's known for its shine, but I've never actually personally encountered it, so I don't know... can you spray shine?

[Robert12010]

its good that the race will go ahead because its gives formula1's brand a good image that new races and places can be added to the calendar for future years ahead!

[3double8]

That's a shame that it's complete; I wanted Dukes of Hazard style dirt ramps for the cars to jump the unfinished parts of the track!!!

Instead of Mumm they'll use bottles of moonshine on the podium.

[hounddub]

I have just got off the phone from a mate who works in Seoul (for a large vehicle manufacturer), and there is some interesting information he's got about this new track.

Apparently they have been quietly running some "test" groups of local touring type cars to get an understanding of issues with their track preparations. The groups that have used the track so far have reported that tyre deterioration is "incredibly severe".... one car apparently made 3 laps before shredding fronts on a less than 1200kg touring car.

This is going to be interesting. If Bridgestone turn up with a "soft" or "super soft" option tyre, it may very well determine the race outcome.

Anyway...thought you may be interested.

[darwin dali]

I have just got off the phone from a mate who works in Seoul (for a large vehicle manufacturer), and there is some interesting information he's got about this new track.

Apparently they have been quietly running some "test" groups of local touring type cars to get an understanding of issues with their track preparations. The groups that have used the track so far have reported that tyre deterioration is "incredibly severe".... one car apparently made 3 laps before shredding fronts on a less than 1200kg touring car.

This is going to be interesting. If Bridgestone turn up with a "soft" or "super soft" option tyre, it may very well determine the race outcome.

Anyway...thought you may be interested.

It'll be more or less the same for everybody. We might see multiple pit stops like in the olden days, thus more opportunities for the teams to screw up

[What's Burning?]

If that's the case, then just bring in the hard compound if they're going to have do do multiple pit stops. Otherwise it would just be unsafe. I wouldn't want to see a WDC contender out of the running due to a blown soft compound tire.

On the other hand, Jenson may be the only car left on the lead lap.

[Big Azza]

I just did a time trial of this lap on F12010, along with other tracks I've never raced on or watched much of lately...

Korea is awesome, and clearly here to stay because it has it's own character.

Valencia was awesome too - giving I've never successfully watched more than a lap of it. I like how there are 3 long straights with kinks in them and that the corners are not so aggressive, but it looks like a bit more of a challenge to drivers than Albert Park. Althought there aren't too many overtaking opportunities.

Abu Dhabi is also an awesome GP - also has it's own character as well.

And Singapore - given I've never completed a lap on old games with it - that's just epic. They're all here to stay.

Bahrain on the other hand should go, and Maybe Korea will replace it at the start of the calender. Otherwise leave it where it is and make Melbourne the start again.

I also would like to say hats off to Bernie, because it is clear all these tracks are fairly unique and have their own character and it will be interesting to see which tracks are still there in 20 years time...

[Jabberwocky]

from twitter

markblundellF1 Mark Blundell
my buddy in Korea tells me already there are concerns with infrastructure and track surface and seems hotels are miles away for team members

[smokin]

If that's the case, then just bring in the hard compound if they're going to have do do multiple pit stops. Otherwise it would just be unsafe. I wouldn't want to see a WDC contender out of the running due to a blown soft compound tire.

On the other hand, Jenson may be the only car left on the lead lap.

Bridgestone are taking hard and soft to Korea. Looks like it's soft for the one lap qauly sprint, half a dozen laps on the softs at the start of the race and then chaos as all the front runners dive into the pits for the hards before they've had a chance to clear the hard-shod midfield. Maybe even a second stop later in the race if the hards can't hack it.