Korean Grand Prix 2011, Yeongam Circuit - Race 16/19

Duke · 12 Oct 2011 at 11:22

Yeongam

Korea only recently threw its hat into the Formula One ring, hosting its first Grand Prix in October 2010. Following in the tyre tracks of Singapore and China, both of whom have launched highly successful F1 projects in the region in recent years, it was an exciting proposition for the sport and for fans.

Having already hosted the Olympics (1988) and the World Cup (2002, co-hosted with Japan), Korea is no stranger to the pressures of staging major sporting events. After announcing its Formula One deal, race organizers Korea Auto Valley Operation (KAVO) and local and national government agencies threw themselves into preparations and the circuit was just finished in time for the debut race.

The track is to be found in the South Jeolla region, in the southwestern part of the Korean peninsula. It is around 370 km from the Korean capital, Seoul. It's a fairly rural location, full of stunning natural scenery, with magnificent mountains such as Mt Jirisan and Mt Wolchulsan, and a number of beautiful islands such as Hongdo, Baekdo and Geomundo.

The city of Jeollanam-do, however, is developing around the circuit, which will serve as its focal point and in the future expect a cityscape backdrop to rival Singapore. The region is also a growing centre for tourism and culture in Northeast Asia, and organizers are following Abu Dhabi's lead and developing the area surrounding the circuit with a high-tech business park, residential and leisure facilities.

The 5.615-km Yeongam track has been designed by celebrated circuit architect Hermann Tilke and boasts a stunning waterside location. It is made up of a temporary 'street circuit' section, which is included for the Grand Prix, and a 3.045-km permanent track, which will be used all year round.

It features a mammoth 1.2-km straight (one of three high-speed stretches), the longest straight of any current Asian Formula One circuit. And is also one of the calendar's few anti-clockwise tracks, featuring five slow turns and two obvious spots for overtaking.

There is seating for up to 130,000 spectators, including 16,000 in the main grandstand, the roof of which resembles the eaves of a traditional Korean 'hanok' house. The teams have also been treated to purpose-built pit and paddock buildings.

TV Times

Friday 14 October
First practice: 0155-0335, BBC Red Button/online
Second practice: 0555-0735, BBC Red Button/online

Saturday 15 October
Third practice: 0255-0405, BBC Red Button/online
Qualifying: 0500-0730, BBC One/online
Qualifying re-run: 1300-1415, BBC One/online

Sunday 16 October
Grand Prix live: 0600-0915, BBC One/online
F1 forum: 0915-1015, BBC Red Button/online
Grand Prix re-run: 1500-1700, BBC One/online
Highlights: 1900-2000, BBC Three/BBC HD

Standings:

Code:

[b]Pos 	Driver 			Nationality 	Team 			Points[/b]
1 	Sebastian Vettel 	German 		RBR-Renault 		324
2 	Jenson Button 		British 	McLaren-Mercedes 	210
3 	Fernando Alonso 	Spanish 	Ferrari 		202
4 	Mark Webber 		Australian 	RBR-Renault 		194
5 	Lewis Hamilton 		British 	McLaren-Mercedes 	178
6 	Felipe Massa 		Brazilian 	Ferrari 		90
7 	Nico Rosberg 		German 		Mercedes 		63
8 	Michael Schumacher 	German 		Mercedes 		60
9 	Vitaly Petrov 		Russian 	Renault 		36
10 	Nick Heidfeld 		German 		Renault 		34
11 	Adrian Sutil 		German 		Force India-Mercedes	28
12 	Kamui Kobayashi 	Japanese 	Sauber-Ferrari 		27
13 	Paul di Resta 		British 	Force India-Mercedes 	20
14 	Jaime Alguersuari 	Spanish 	STR-Ferrari 		16
15 	Sergio Perez 		Mexican 	Sauber-Ferrari 		13
16 	Sebastien Buemi 	Swiss 		STR-Ferrari 		13
17 	Rubens Barrichello 	Brazilian 	Williams-Cosworth 	4
18 	Bruno Senna 		Brazilian 	Renault 		2
19 	Pastor Maldonado 	Venezuelan 	Williams-Cosworth 	1
20 	Pedro de la Rosa 	Spanish 	Sauber-Ferrari 		0
21 	Jarno Trulli 		Italian 	Lotus-Renault 		0
22 	Heikki Kovalainen 	Finnish 	Lotus-Renault 		0
23 	Vitantonio Liuzzi 	Italian 	HRT-Cosworth 		0
24 	Jerome d'Ambrosio 	Belgian 	Virgin-Cosworth 	0
25 	Timo Glock 		German 		Virgin-Cosworth 	0
26 	Narain Karthikeyan 	Indian 		HRT-Cosworth 		0
27 	Daniel Ricciardo 	Australian 	HRT-Cosworth 		0
28 	Karun Chandhok 		Indian 		Lotus-Renault 		0

Track:

Track Diagram

Track DRS

Single DRS zone. Detection 30m after Turn 1, Activation 516m after Turn 2 - so halfway down long straight.

Circuit information

Circuit Name: Korea International Circuit
Number of Laps: 55
Circuit Length: 5.615 km
Race Distance: 308.630 km
Lap Record: 1:50.257 - F Alonso (2010)

Car performance

Strategy

Team Preview

Pirelli - http://pitpass.com/44930-Korean-GP-Preview-Pirelli
Williams - http://pitpass.com/44928-Korean-GP-Preview-Williams
Mclaren - http://pitpass.com/44929-Korean-GP-Preview-McLaren

Classic F1

Technical Changes - Singapore

Ferrari front wing - http://www.formula1.com/news/technical/2011/851/907.html

Sauber front wing - http://www.formula1.com/news/technical/2011/851/908.html

Red Bull front wing - http://www.formula1.com/news/technical/2011/852/906.html

Mclaren rear wing - http://www.formula1.com/news/technical/2011/852/905.html

Red Bull tyre warming strategy - http://www.formula1.com/news/technical/2011/852/904.html

Weather Forecast

News

Vergne to drive in Korea practice - http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/formula_one/15270062.stm
Brawn says driving a slower car will be Vettel's biggest challenge in F1 - http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/95260
Button happy to win on 'Red Bull' track - http://www.f1fanatic.co.uk/2011/10/10/2011-japanese-grand-prix-mclaren/
Webber: I had no choice - http://pitpass.com/44932-Webber-I-had-no-choice

Grand Prix Insights

Track evolution explained by Mercedes - http://www.formula1.com/news/features/2011/10/12634.html

Driver Changes

Jean-Eric Vergne to drive in a practice session until the end of season for Toro Rosso.

Karthikeyan will drive Vitantonio Liuzzi’s car again in the first practice session in Korea.

Photos from the event

Wednesday pics - http://www.formula1.com/gallery/race/2011/851/general/wednesday.html

Thursday pics - http://www.formula1.com/gallery/race/2011/851/general/thursday.html

Friday practice pics - http://www.f1fanatic.co.uk/2011/10/14/2011-korean-grand-prix-practice-pictures/

FIA Press Conference

Thursday - http://www.formula1.com/news/headlines/2011/10/12642.html

Friday - http://www.formula1.com/news/headlines/2011/10/12651.html

Saturday - http://www.formula1.com/news/headlines/2011/10/12658.html

Practice 1

Code:

[b]Pos  Driver                Team                    Time                Laps[/b]
 1.  Michael Schumacher    Mercedes                2m02.784s            10
 2.  Sebastian Vettel      Red Bull-Renault        2m02.840s  + 0.056    8
 3.  Paul di Resta         Force India-Mercedes    2m02.912s  + 0.128   12
 4.  Adrian Sutil          Force India-Mercedes    2m03.141s  + 0.357   12
 5.  Sebastien Buemi       Toro Rosso-Ferrari      2m03.182s  + 0.398    9
 6.  Kamui Kobayashi       Sauber-Ferrari          2m03.292s  + 0.508   13
 7.  Lewis Hamilton        McLaren-Mercedes        2m03.391s  + 0.607    6
 8.  Nico Rosberg          Mercedes                2m04.311s  + 1.527   12
 9.  Sergio Perez          Sauber-Ferrari          2m04.797s  + 2.013    8
10.  Mark Webber           Red Bull-Renault        2m05.183s  + 2.399    5
11.  Karun Chandhok        Lotus-Renault           2m06.350s  + 3.566   11
12.  Pastor Maldonado      Williams-Cosworth       2m06.852s  + 4.068   11
13.  Jean-Eric Vergne      Toro Rosso-Ferrari      2m07.541s  + 4.757    9
14.  Rubens Barrichello    Williams-Cosworth       2m08.218s  + 5.434    5
15.  Narian Karthikeyan    HRT-Cosworth            2m08.832s  + 6.048   14
16.  Daniel Ricciardo      HRT-Cosworth            2m09.232s  + 6.448   14
17.  Jerome D'Ambrosio     Virgin-Cosworth         2m12.658s  + 9.874    7
18.  Timo Glock            Virgin-Cosworth         2m14.508s  + 11.724   4
19.  Felipe Massa          Ferrari                 no time               1
20.  Fernando Alonso       Ferrari                 no time               5
21.  Bruno Senna           Renault                 no time               1
22.  Vitaly Petrov         Renault                 no time               1
23.  Heikki Kovalainen     Lotus-Renault           no time               1
24.  Jenson Button         McLaren-Mercedes        no time               1

Practice 2

Code:

Pos  Driver                Team                   Time               Laps
 1.  Lewis Hamilton        McLaren-Mercedes       1m50.828s    	       26
 2.  Jenson Button         McLaren-Mercedes       1m50.932s  + 0.104   19
 3.  Sebastian Vettel      Red Bull-Renault       1m52.646s  + 1.818   30
 4.  Fernando Alonso       Ferrari                1m52.774s  + 1.946   25
 5.  Mark Webber           Red Bull-Renault       1m53.049s  + 2.221   27
 6.  Jaime Alguersuari     Toro Rosso-Ferrari     1m53.402s  + 2.574   25
 7.  Felipe Massa          Ferrari                1m53.707s  + 2.879   24
 8.  Nico Rosberg          Mercedes               1m53.914s  + 3.086   18
 9.  Sebastien Buemi       Toro Rosso-Ferrari     1m53.948s  + 3.120   27
10.  Paul di Resta         Force India-Mercedes   1m53.957s  + 3.129   32
11.  Vitaly Petrov         Renault                1m54.200s  + 3.372   26
12.  Adrian Sutil          Force India-Mercedes   1m54.392s  + 3.564   26
13.  Rubens Barrichello    Williams-Cosworth      1m54.831s  + 4.003   30
14.  Michael Schumacher    Mercedes               1m54.965s  + 4.137   21
15.  Bruno Senna           Renault                1m55.187s  + 4.359   28
16.  Sergio Perez          Sauber-Ferrari         1m55.203s  + 4.375   24
17.  Kamui Kobayashi       Sauber-Ferrari         1m55.544s  + 4.716   23
18.  Pastor Maldonado      Williams-Cosworth      1m56.067s  + 5.239   22
19.  Heikki Kovalainen     Lotus-Renault          1m56.669s  + 5.841   20
20.  Jarno Trulli          Lotus-Renault          1m57.173s  + 6.345   19
21.  Timo Glock            Virgin-Cosworth        1m58.269s  + 7.441   25
22.  Jerome D'Ambrosio     Virgin-Cosworth        1m59.458s  + 8.630   26
23.  Daniel Ricciardo      HRT-Cosworth           1m59.958s  + 9.130   19
24.  Tonio Liuzzi          HRT-Cosworth           2m00.165s  + 9.337   20

Practice 3

Code:

[b]Pos  Driver                Team                   Time               Laps[/b]
 1.  Jenson Button         McLaren-Mercedes       1m36.910s            18
 2.  Lewis Hamilton        McLaren-Mercedes       1m37.199s  + 0.289   18
 3.  Mark Webber           Red Bull-Renault       1m37.723s  + 0.813   23
 4.  Fernando Alonso       Ferrari                1m38.029s  + 1.119   21
 5.  Felipe Massa          Ferrari                1m38.434s  + 1.524   18
 6.  Michael Schumacher    Mercedes               1m39.559s  + 2.649   23
 7.  Vitaly Petrov         Renault                1m39.612s  + 2.702   20
 8.  Adrian Sutil          Force India-Mercedes   1m39.660s  + 2.750   22
 9.  Sebastian Vettel      Red Bull-Renault       1m39.695s  + 2.785   22
10.  Nico Rosberg          Mercedes               1m39.743s  + 2.833   25
11.  Paul di Resta         Force India-Mercedes   1m39.847s  + 2.937   22
12.  Jaime Alguersuari     Toro Rosso-Ferrari     1m39.851s  + 2.941   20
13.  Sebastien Buemi       Toro Rosso-Ferrari     1m39.964s  + 3.054   21
14.  Kamui Kobayashi       Sauber-Ferrari         1m40.005s  + 3.095   17
15.  Sergio Perez          Sauber-Ferrari         1m40.030s  + 3.120   18
16.  Bruno Senna           Renault                1m40.451s  + 3.541   28
17.  Pastor Maldonado      Williams-Cosworth      1m40.529s  + 3.619   20
18.  Rubens Barrichello    Williams-Cosworth      1m40.711s  + 3.801   22
19.  Heikki Kovalainen     Lotus-Renault          1m41.909s  + 4.999   18
20.  Jarno Trulli          Lotus-Renault          1m41.945s  + 5.035   13
21.  Timo Glock            Virgin-Cosworth        1m43.275s  + 6.365   19
22.  Jerome D'Ambrosio     Virgin-Cosworth        1m44.377s  + 7.467   16
23.  Vitantonio Liuzzi     HRT-Cosworth           1m44.421s  + 7.511   22
24.  Daniel Ricciardo      HRT-Cosworth           1m45.958s  + 8.233   11

Qualifying

Code:

[b]Pos  Driver                Team                 Time           Gap   [/b]
 1.  Lewis Hamilton        McLaren-Mercedes     1m35.820s
 2.  Sebastian Vettel      Red Bull-Renault     1m36.042s  + 0.222
 3.  Jenson Button         McLaren-Mercedes     1m36.126s  + 0.306
 4.  Mark Webber           Red Bull-Renault     1m36.468s  + 0.648
 5.  Felipe Massa          Ferrari              1m36.831s  + 1.011
 6.  Fernando Alonso       Ferrari              1m36.980s  + 1.160
 7.  Nico Rosberg          Mercedes             1m37.754s  + 1.934
 8.  Vitaly Petrov         Renault              1m38.124s  + 2.304
 9.  Paul di Resta         Force India-Mercedes no time
10.  Adrian Sutil          Force India-Mercedes no time
Q2 cut-off time: 1m38.254s                                   Gap **
11.  Jaime Alguersuari     Toro Rosso-Ferrari   1m38.315s   + 1.789
12.  Michael Schumacher    Mercedes             1m38.354s   + 1.828
13.  Sebastien Buemi       Toro Rosso-Ferrari   1m38.508s   + 1.982
14.  Kamui Kobayashi       Sauber-Ferrari       1m38.775s   + 2.249
15.  Bruno Senna           Renault              1m38.791s   + 2.265
16.  Pastor Maldonado      Williams-Cosworth    1m39.189s   + 2.663
17.  Sergio Perez          Sauber-Ferrari       1m39.443s   + 2.917
Q1 cut-off time: 1m39.464s                                    Gap *
18.  Rubens Barrichello    Williams-Cosworth    1m39.538s   + 2.013
19.  Heikki Kovalainen     Lotus-Renault        1m40.522s   + 2.997
20.  Jarno Trulli          Lotus-Renault        1m41.101s   + 3.576
21.  Timo Glock            Virgin-Cosworth      1m42.091s   + 4.566
22.  Jerome D'Ambrosio     Virgin-Cosworth      1m43.483s   + 5.958
23.  Tonio Liuzzi          HRT-Cosworth         1m43.758s   + 6.233
24.  Daniel Ricciardo      HRT-Cosworth         no time

Race

Standings

Glaucus · 12 Oct 2011 at 11:24

Sweet, cheers duke.

TaKeN · 12 Oct 2011 at 11:29

Oooh a new thread

Shimmy · 12 Oct 2011 at 11:32

Another early start \o/, love these short 1 week breaks.

Wonder if McLaren's new DRS wing will be as effective here.

Some DRS info:

Single DRS zone for the Korean Grand Prix. Detection 30m after Turn 1, Activation 516m after Turn 2 - so halfway down long straight

Skeeter · 12 Oct 2011 at 11:56

DRS should hopefully be a bit like China then, and it worked quite well there.

While I love the short 1 week gaps, I think the Korea track is one of the worst tracks ever conceved. We shall see if the tyres, kurz and durz create an exciting race though.

Mr Men · 12 Oct 2011 at 12:21

Hope for the same result as last year

Duke · 12 Oct 2011 at 13:30

Shimmy said:
Wonder if McLaren's new DRS wing will be as effective here.

Some DRS info:

I hope so, it is their 4th version of it (at Suzuka). Added DRS info to the post, thanks.

smr · 12 Oct 2011 at 14:09

Great stuff Duke

Shimmy · 12 Oct 2011 at 16:03

Pirelli promises Korean GP tyre choice will give teams a challenge

Tyre graining was an issue for Bridgestone at last year's inaugural Korean Grand Prix, though the Sunday rain meant there was no chance to see how the problem might have played out in the race.

Despite this, Pirelli has selected its soft and super soft compounds for its first Korean GP, and Hembery admitted that with the championship decided, Pirelli had made a conscious decision to give the teams a challenge

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/95287

Good to see Pirelli pushing the boundaries to test both themselves and the teams. Been really impressed with them.

Skillmister · 12 Oct 2011 at 16:04

Another early one oh lord

Skeeter · 12 Oct 2011 at 16:05

I sure hope they dont wear out too quickly, or we could see a very poor showing in Q3... yet again.

Shimmy · 12 Oct 2011 at 16:08

Skeeter said:
I sure hope they dont wear out too quickly, or we could see a very poor showing in Q3... yet again.

We'll see that anyway.

Some more news, Force India to become Sahara Force India after buy-in.

http://www.f1fanatic.co.uk/2011/10/12/force-india-sahara-force-india-buyin/

Also an image of the DRS zone here until the normal one surfaces.

Skeeter · 12 Oct 2011 at 16:34

So long as its a deal to secure FI's future, good on him.

smr · 12 Oct 2011 at 16:43

I like Force India, don't really know why but I do

Shimmy · 12 Oct 2011 at 16:50

smr said:
I like Force India, don't really know why but I do

Lots to like about them, they're the one midfield team to have punched above their weight in recent years.

Their drivers have always been of good standard and they currently have another promising Brit in Paul Di Resta.

Will · 12 Oct 2011 at 17:21

Is turn 3 not already a good overtaking zone as it us, without the need for DRS? Long straight with a heavy breaking zone into a tight corner....

Don't like this track much although the camera shot on the last corner/run onto the start/finish straight is good at showing the crazy change of direction an F1 car is capable of!

Did the drivers not want changes to the pit entry last year too? Doesn't look any different here..

Skeeter · 12 Oct 2011 at 17:27

Some teams just have that 'likeability'. Its hard to but your finger on it. At the moment FI and Team Lotus have it. Interestingly, the teams owned by Eastern businessmen.

Shimmy · 12 Oct 2011 at 17:40

Ross Brawn calls for DRS to be reassessed after 2011 season

"I think tyres have been a major element. DRS, as far as we are concerned, was introduced to stop the racing being processional and it hasn't been because of the tyres, so I think at the end of the season with the FIA we should take a step back, look at where it hurt, look at where it helped, and see what we gained, and see if it has achieved all of its objectives."

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/95296

Can always rely on Ross Brawn to talk sense.

Duke · 12 Oct 2011 at 18:09

Shimmy said:
Lots to like about them, they're the one midfield team to have punched above their weight in recent years.

Their drivers have always been of good standard and they currently have another promising Brit in Paul Di Resta.

Before BAR/Honda/Brawn (and now Mclaren due to JB), Jordan were my fav team so still like them as FI and they've done quite well over the last couple of seasons.

Sparky · 12 Oct 2011 at 20:01

Really hate the early practices,love the track though.