.:: 2010 Korean GP - 22-23-24 October ::.

.:: 2010 KOREAN GRAND PRIX ::.

Welcome to the 2010 Korean GP Thread. cjek and mjk1 will keep the thread updated with the latest times as they happen.

RANDOM FACT

The official opening of the circuit took place two months behind schedule.

CIRCUIT STATS

2010 Race Number: 17
Circuit Event Number: 1
Circuit Length: 3.493 miles
Number of Laps: 55
Lap Record: N/A

POINTS OF DISCUSSION

1. In a last-minute call, the Korean Grand Prix is being given the go-ahead. Were the FIA too lenient to South Korea, or do you feel this was the right decision?
2. Nico Rosberg is one driver who has concerns over the readiness of the circuit, and its ability to be able to host an entire F1 weekend. Do you share the same concerns?
3. South Korea also mentioned a long time ago they would consider holding a night race, but not in the near future. Should they do it, or should it be a gimmick only for Singapore?
4. In Japan, F1 was effectively squeezed in to a 2-day event. Could this be adopted in the future in order to allow drivers more access to the fans on a Friday, and then do running on Saturday and Sundays, and to also be able to extend the calendar past 20 events - or would that be too much? If not, how would you adopt the weekend?
5. Lastly - who do you feel can be the winner of the inaugural Korean Grand Prix?

SCHEDULE FOR WEEKEND

Fri 22 Oct: Practice 1 0200-0330; Practice 2 0600-0730

Sat 23 Oct: Practice 3 0300-0400; Qualifying 0600

Sun 24 Oct: Race 0700

WEEKEND WEATHER

FRIDAY: Sunny, Max. 22 deg. cent.
SATURDAY: Sunny, Max. 21 deg. cent.
SUNDAY: Heavy Rain, Max. 19 deg. cent.

PRESS CONFERENCE SCHEDULE

THURSDAY:Fernando Alonso (Ferrari), Jenson Button (McLaren), Lewis Hamilton (McLaren), Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull) & Mark Webber (Red Bull). 6AM GMT.

FRIDAY:Eric Boullier (Renault), Stefano Domenicali (Ferrari), Christian Horner (Red Bull) & Martin Whitmarsh (McLaren). 7AM GMT.

QUALIFYING:Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull), Mark Webber (Red Bull) & Fernando Alonso (Ferrari).

RACE:Fernando Alonso (Ferrari), Lewis Hamilton (McLaren) & Felipe Massa (Ferrari).

The Red Light: Korean GP Preview

BBC Presents the 2010 Korean Grand Prix

PREVIOUS SESSIONS
Friday Practice 1
Friday Practice 2
Qualifying
Race (Part 1) (Part 2)
Forum

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SOUTH KOREA: THE ROAD TO YEONGAM
- South Korea to host 2010 Grand Prix [October 2nd, 2006]
- South Korean GP layout [October 12th, 2006]
- Korean GP preparations on target [December 10th, 2009]
- Korean GP in danger of being called off [April 12th, 2010]
- Fly-Through video of Korean circuit [April 14th, 2010]
- Korea pleased with track progress [July 6th, 2010]
- Korean circuit set for August completion [July 22nd, 2010]
- Chandhok to get first F1 run on Korean circuit [August 26th, 2010]
- TILKE: Korean circuit will be completed in time [August 30th, 2010]
- Korea releases venue photos [September 2nd, 2010]
- FIA sets date for Korea inspection [September 3rd, 2010]
- Chandhok completes demo run [September 4th, 2010]
- Ecclestone admits doubts over Korean GP [September 26th, 2010]
- Drivers waiting on Korean GP news [October 7th, 2010]
- Ecclestone now sure Korean GP will happen [October 9th, 2010]
- Korean Grand Prix gets FIA go-ahead [October 12th, 2010]

1. "No. I know we have a rulebook, but we make exceptions in circumstances that let the golden oldie have more money." -- CW 2. "Don't misquote me. I said 'Epic Fail'" -- NR 3. "More money in my pocket." -- BE 4. "No, way too much money to be had in the current format." -- BE "I don't want to talk to my fans." -- KR 5. "Me." -- JB, LH, SV, MW, FA, BS "I want to but the team won't let me." -- FM "I think that they all stand a shot at winning with the track ready to tear up every car that can go fast. So my money is on Hispania." -- CWXSamFisherX

1. I feel that the FIA should have performed all the safety checks first, what if a driver in the title battle dies? Everyone will know who to play blame and the FIA don't want that sort of blood on their hands.

2. See number 1.

3. A night race at Korea? I wouldn't be unterested anyways seeing as I don't like the circuit itself.

4. A two day even would be great with 2 Practice Sessions on Saturday and 1 Practice Session, Qualifying and the race on Sunday would be great. The drivers will also have to drive more calmly because a crash in practice might see them start from the pit lane due to the sessions being so close together.

5. I feel that it's Hamilton's turn to win. He's going towant to win a race more than any of the top 5 right now to make up for his stupid mistakes in Monza and Singapore.

What's all that CW stuff mean?dabest2500

CW = Charlie Whiting
NR = Nico Rosberg
BE = Bernie Ecclestone
KR = Kimi Raikkonen
JB = Jenson Button
LH = Lewis Hamilton
SV = Sebastian Vettel
MW = Mark Webber
FA = Fernando Alonso
BS = Bruno Senna
FM = Felipe Massa

...Any more? :lol:

1. They need to get consistant with their rulings, that said, had they not been lenient God only knows what they would have done to honour their TV contracts etc.
2. The track seems alright from the outside but who knows how long the asphalt needs to cure and set correctly however all the facilities look to be complete more or less so it's just the landscaping I guess.
3. Once again, if the track provides a good day race, then consider a night race but only if they can't draw their own local crowd.
4. It's fine as is.
5. Sebastien Vettel.

TILKE PROMISES SPECTACULAR KOREAN RACE

The recently-laid track surface in Korea is going to help turn the country's inaugural Formula 1 race into a spectacular event for fans, reckons circuit architect Hermann Tilke.

Although the new asphalt has prompted concerns from drivers and onlookers that it could produce problems over the weekend, Tilke actually thinks that it will be a benefit for F1 fans in helping improve the show because it will be so slippery.

Speaking to AUTOSPORT at the new Korean circuit as the finishing touches were being put to the track, Tilke said that the evolution of the surface would be even more 'extreme' than Monaco - and that could help deliver an exciting race.

"The only problem it [the new surface] will cause - and to me that is not actually a problem - is in terms of grip," explained Tilke. "A lack of grip should not be a problem because we have the best drivers in the world here. Plus, it will be the same conditions for everybody. There will not a problem that the track will break-up.

"I think on Friday the track surface will be very, very slippery because it is brand new. That means you will probably see some spinning. And, it will not be easy to find the set-up for Saturday and Sunday because the track will change a lot.

"That means some drivers will make the wrong set-up choice, because you are going to have to second guess what is the right way to go."

Tilke has admitted that the Korean project was one of the toughest of his life, and even he said there were times when he doubted that it would be finished on time.

"I was not always convinced [it would happen], but you have to analyse the problems and then have to do something about them," said Tilke. "It was not only our effort, we helped of course, but the construction company and everyone here were working hard.

"The delays started at the very beginning, because it is swampy land here and we had to drain it before. It needed a long time for the water to come out - something in excess of one year. Then the land had to be compacted, so it needed more and more time. And, of course, the monsoon season was longer than expected. There were lots of things like that."

Despite the late finishing of the venue, Tilke reckoned there would be no major problems with the infrastructure over the weekend.

"The main systems will work fine, but maybe here and there, there might be some small things that are not working. And because the track is not tested, as it got ready very late, there will probably be a few surprises as well. But all the main things will be okay."

SOURCE: Autosport

1. Yes they were too lenient BUT the FIA should have had a replacement venue lined up. Loosing a race, even a couple of months ago, would have made a big difference to everything from points calculations to engine usage! So I am very glad it is going ahead!

2. Hard to tell - I only have the info in the press to go on and from that plus I respect CW's opinion I would have to say no I tihnk it will be fine.

3. Is it a gimmick or something that adds to the interest level? If sufficient lighting can be put in then why not? Save getting up early :lol:

4. No - squeeze it in to 2 days and there is nowhere to go in the event of poor weather ( other than the Monday which would upset lots of fans with school/work etc ). The format works just fine as it is!

5. Any of the 5 title contenders could win as could Massa ( although presumably only if Alonso fails ) or Kubica

There are some photos of the track taken today on F1.com.. and I have to say the surface looks incredibly black.. I can't imagine it looking much better by tomorrow. But let's wait and see how it performs. I have my doubts about it holding up, but really that could just make for a more interesting race.

TWEAKS TO BE MADE TO KOREAN CIRCUIT

Korean Grand Prix organisers are making minor modifications to the new Formula 1 track on Friday night following complaints from drivers about potential trouble spots on the new Yeongam circuit.

Although drivers were mostly impressed with the layout of the new Korean track, they requested some changes be made to the venue following Friday's first practice sessions.

Following discussions with FIA race director Charlie Whiting at Friday night's drivers' briefing, it was agreed that tweaks be made to two areas in particular - the controversial Turn 16 left-hander and the final Turn 18 apex.

With the cars having bottomed out a lot at the Turn 16 apex, with the kerb lower than the track itself, race organisers are now re-profiling the kerb to make it higher. This should prevent drivers from being encouraged to cut the corner too much.

Work is also being done to re-profile the wall on the exit of Turn 16. The original design had the wall filtering in close to the edge of the track on the right hand side exit of the curve, and that has now been moved back so it runs parallel to the track.

Furthermore, the organisers are building a new apex kerb at the final Turn 18 apex, after drivers kept cutting the corner during free practice - which dragged dirt and stones onto the circuit.

The new kerb will be made lower than the apex of the turn, which will act as a deterrent so drivers do not cut the corner. This should also make the final Turn 17 much more of a kink, with drivers having to be more careful as they exit the long right-hander.

The FIA has also agreed that the track surface will be extensively cleaned overnight to try and get rid of the dust that was dragged onto the track during the free practice sessions.

Some tweaks will also be made to the pitlane entry, which was a concern for the drivers.

SOURCE: Autosport

Nope, but here's a picture:

So, according to the BBC team, it's currently raining in Korea. Let Survivor Series begin.

Currently, the rain is expected to continue up until the beginning of the race, so it shouldn't be raining during the race but it will be a wet start.

Boo... Turn One is always the only good part of the race.XSamFisherX

On the other hand, Maylander will now be an option for start of the year.

So according to Brundle, the rules have changed from last year, and that the race times DOES stop now if the red flag is thrown. Therefore, the race has only been going on for 6 minutes and 52 seconds, and the time has not been continuing as it would've last year.

The race will begin again at 16:05 local time, the Safety Car will do more than one lap and the Extreme Wets must be used.

Hamilton: "Yeah, lets get this race started, almost time for inters, its not tricky!"

Rosberg: "If you say so, I'll catch you later"

2 laps later

Rosberg: "Red Bull gives you....a free ride on a scooter back to the pits" :(

Not the best day so far for the new teams with other drivers taking their cars out :(

DotD: Schumacher. The only guy to actually learn the track whilst under the Safety Car, and used that to good use.

SotD: Vettel. So unlucky to get that engine failure.

DotD: Rosberg

SotD: Alonso

Driver of the day: Alonso, rather annoyingly he didnt make mistakes and kept his car going in tough conditions to win.

Star of the day: Spectators and stewards of the circuit for keeping what appeared to be a disaster alive to bring an interesting twist to the championship.

2010 Korean Grand Prix- Race 

Crazy race, somehow we made race distance within the 2 hours and just avoided complete darkness. What a disaster for Red Bull though..

Incredibly, Red Bull join Virgin in the worst constructors in the Predictions Championship.

Man, I need sleep. You'll have to wait for results.

What an epic race!
Thanks Vettel :D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D

Hamilton runnnig wide cost him the win, he could have kept Alonso behind him.
Schumacher almost getting a podium there, good work!
Sutil was eventually gonna crash.
Did nobody notice Liuzzi move up 11 places?
Vettel must be gutted, 4 (I think) safety cars to annoy him and cut his lead down.

DOTD: Hamilton, finally, some good points there.

SOTD: Schumacher, very good result for him.

Dotd: Maylander :P

Sotd: All the drivers who drove the last 15 laps in very dusk/darkness conditions.

On another note, Surely, besides the olden days of the Nurburgring, this must be the longest Formula One Race in history :P, Something for Korea to take to the record books :)

Driver of the Day consists of only the 24 race drivers, folks.

SUTIL & BUEMI RECEIVE BRAZILIAN GRID PENALTIES

Adrian Sutil and Sebastien Buemi will lose five places on the grid for the Brazilian Grand Prix following their accidents in Korea.

Force India driver Sutil was given the penalty after making contact with Sauber's Kamui Kobayashi on lap 47 of the race.

The German was also fined $10,000 "in view of the driver's admission that he was aware of brake problems with his car throughout the race," according to the stewards.

Toro Rosso's Buemi will also lose five places on the grid in Brazil following his accident with Virgin's Timo Glock.

SOURCE: Autosport

I think Sutil possibly thought he was playing F1 2010 today. Anyway:

DOTD: Liuzzi. Started 18th, finished 6th. Impressive result.

SOTD: Schumacher. I underestimated how he'd perform this weekend; he did well. 

I think Sutil possibly thought he was playing F1 2010 today. Anyway:

DOTD: Liuzzi. Started 18th, finished 6th. Impressive result.

SOTD: Schumacher. I underestimated how he'd perform this weekend; he did well. 

cjek

You mean 17th.

Man how many times has Vettel had some mechanical failure while leading a race this seaon. I think we all knew where all of Kimi's bad luck ended up at and then some :lol:SchumiF1

Legard got really excited in the closing stages.
He was saying things like Vettel has never lead the WDC in his life and stuff and saying how big a boost this would be.
Commentator's Curse...

Well all the delays disrupted my day somewhat but still got everything done :D

Great race, full of incident once it got going. Just get the feeling Webber has let it slip away but anything can happen. Plenty of notable performances so difficult choice for DotD and SotD.

DotD: Schumacher - as I think Redders said - clearly learned all about the track under the safety car and put it to good use once the racing started! (Almost picked Alonso for a near flawless performance! )

SotD: Hamilton - for wanting to race!! "it's not as wet now" and "it isn't that dark" when others were being "wimps"