Korea prepares for its second F1 race

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Korea’s second F1 race weekend begins in two days’ time.

Work has gone on to improve the track which was only just completed in time for its inaugural race.

Although the track configuration remains unchanged, a few barriers have been moved back to create more run-off in places. The final corner has had this treatment, meaning driver will no longer be right up against the barrier as they go around it.

Here are pictures from around the track and paddock today showing how the circuit looks ahead of the second Korean Grand Prix:

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Images © Korean GP / Sutton

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Keith Collantine
Lifelong motor sport fan Keith set up RaceFans in 2005 - when it was originally called F1 Fanatic. Having previously worked as a motoring...

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18 comments on “Korea prepares for its second F1 race”

  1. a few barriers have been moved back to create more run-off in places. The final corner has had this treatment, meaning driver will no longer be right up against the barrier as they go around it.

    Such a shame, I really enjoyed that, both on the 1 time i played F1 2010 round a friend’s house, and watching it on the TV..

    Still, I hope the rest of the track is good.. This’ll be my second consecutive weekend of early wake-ups.. Meaning I’ll be going for about 20 days consecutively by the end of next week!

    1. It is a bit of a shame @keeleyobsessed It was good to see them right next to the barrier. I guess if it causes anyone to go off it just creates a bit of a bottle neck down the pit-straight.

  2. I hope we will get to see if it lives up to its potential this time, as last time round the weather held everyone back pretty much.

    1. I have a feeling the track is over-hyped as a result of last year’s race.
      A thunderstorm, on a dirty, new, unexplored track, with Webber crashing and Vettel having an engine failure, and a surprise win by Alonso. A classic race, but, in my opinion, unlikely to repeat itself.

      1. @Fixy I don’t remember last year’s race that fondly at all. Half of it was spent with the safety car out waiting for the race to start, and the winner was decided when someone’s engine failed. Not exactly vintage stuff.

        1. @keithcollantine not necessarily do I view the race as one of the greatest ever, although some people do. The race saw many particular events undoubtedly, as two Red Bulls retiring: Webber was out together with Rosberg, who lead Alonso at the time IIRC. Then Alonso passed Hamilton and Vettel’s engine broke (in that moment where I was watching, an interview was going on and the race’s audio was in the background, so I noticed Vettel had slowed down only when his engine blew up). The win was a surprise, and revolutioned the standings, and opened up a fight for the win that was unseen before. (I admit being a Ferrari fan changed the perspective: if I was a Vettel fan I’d have been upset, but the race was still quite good)
          Then there were Sutil’s innmuerous attacks and crashes, and other suprising results as Liuzzi’s best result in his career.
          It’s not my favourite race ever but it was exciting, and, as I said, a bit overrated and unlikely to repeat itself.

        2. Well atleast last year’s opened up the title fight and without that we wouldn’t have had such a spectacular ending to 2010

  3. Have they modified the pit entry or are the photos just deceiving? Looks like even tighter now, and even more dangerous (the pitting cars having to slow down more).

    And have they abandoned the plans for the city/town they were supposed to build? Still looks just like a combination of a swamp and a lazy construction site. I know it’s supposed to be a ten year project, but surely they should have some kind of larger construction going on by now.

    1. City plan is up to 2015 or later…

  4. The final corner has had this treatment, meaning driver will no longer be right up against the barrier as they go around it.

    Rubbish, way to remove a great characteristic of the track.

    I cant help thinking the pit lane should come from before the final corner, although off the top of my head I cant remember if there’s room between it and the penultimate.

  5. The last corner is still the F1 calendar’s biggest deathtrap, maybe with the exception of Monaco’s chicane and also Interlagos’s start of the pitwall, which is rather more unavoidable. Adding the grass and the kerb on the inside improves visibility of cars slowing on the racing line by a fraction of a second, but ultimately means a tighter pitlane entrance, hence increasing the potential speed differential, nullifying that improvement… The tightening, acutely angled concrete wall and (albeit standard) low debris fence on the exit will result in a very violent stop that will end with the car coming back across the racing line, or if the tyres touch, a high speed trip over the fence, potentially into the spectator area (although I don’t think the public are allowed in the immediate vicinity of the wall). There are some trees there too.

    To fix it, they could straighten out the final curve of the wall, and straighten out the tight radius of the pitlane line’s initial turn off the racing line to increase its entrance speed more in line with the normal racing line’s speed. They could also replace the concrete with Tekpro.

    I guess they will just wait for a big accident to happen before fixing it…

    Regarding the monaco chicane danger area, they should close the escape road and install a shallow-angled barrier to guide cars towards the straight that heads to Tabac. Still, at least they had the great wisdom to remove those rumble strips on the Friday night this year, thereby saving Perez’s skin.

  6. It reminds me of Istanbul Park, with the decorated seating areas and locally-themed buildings.

    1. Or Shanghai. Or Kuala Lumpur. Or Bahrain. ;)

  7. Why don’t they just cut across the final corner to avoid cars slowing down to pit on the exit? Wouldn’t that be safer?

  8. Your all nuts about the last corner. It was poorly designed, ripe with potential disaster and rightfully modified for 2011. It surprised everyone last year…most will think that common sense has prevailed with the changes made. That corner wasn’t up to todays modern safe Formula One. Although I happen to like any corner that challenges ones ability to master it, this corner had to be re-invented.

  9. The Pagoda buildings and the over crossing bridge look pretty cool, surely a trademark of this track. Makes me wonder what structures will be used at Austin next year?? I hear they are thinking about using some really big Cowboy Boots.

  10. I’d like to go there!! but I don’t have money and mid-term test is imminent…T_T

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