Korean GP - One clean, one dirty
Yeongam, 23 October
Fernando Alonso will start the inaugural Korean Grand Prix tomorrow from the second row, while his Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro team-mate, Felipe Massa lines up on the third one. But more decisive than their third and sixth times in qualifying respectively, could be the fact that the Spaniard starts on the clean side and the Brazilian on the dirty one. It is a cliché in Formula 1 that a driver who qualifies third says he is happier to be there than second, because third is on the “clean” side of the track, therefore providing better traction for a faster getaway when the lights go out. But here in Yeongam, where the final layer of asphalt only went down a matter of days ago, it is truer than at any other track we have visited this season. That factor alone could make for an unusual order as the cars come round at the end of the first of 55 laps.
While the Red Bulls once again monopolised the front row, with Sebastian Vettel on pole ahead of Mark Webber, Fernando will be hoping that the extra grip afforded by the clean surface could see him at least split the German and the Australian on the first lap. Felipe on the other hand could be in difficulty, starting on the dirty side. Four of the five championship contenders are at the front, as Lewis Hamilton’s best lap was good enough for fourth on the grid. The only contender missing is the reigning world champion, Jenson Button who is on row four in seventh place, while Nico Rosberg was fifth for Mercedes.
The newest circuit on the calendar has already seen some changes made since the curtain went up yesterday: kerbs have been either added or raised to prevent cars cutting corners and kicking sand onto the track and the pit lane entry line has been moved in the name of safety. Formula 1 might be a little known sport in South Korea, but there was a reasonable crowd today and even more expected for tomorrow’s historic first race here. The unpredictable nature of the track, the challenge of the high speed corners, the closeness in some sections of the walls and a possible threat of rain all mean that the seventeenth round of the world championship could be one to remember.
Fernando Alonso will start the inaugural Korean Grand Prix tomorrow from the second row, while his Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro team-mate, Felipe Massa lines up on the third one. But more decisive than their third and sixth times in qualifying respectively, could be the fact that the Spaniard starts on the clean side and the Brazilian on the dirty one. It is a cliché in Formula 1 that a driver who qualifies third says he is happier to be there than second, because third is on the “clean” side of the track, therefore providing better traction for a faster getaway when the lights go out. But here in Yeongam, where the final layer of asphalt only went down a matter of days ago, it is truer than at any other track we have visited this season. That factor alone could make for an unusual order as the cars come round at the end of the first of 55 laps.
While the Red Bulls once again monopolised the front row, with Sebastian Vettel on pole ahead of Mark Webber, Fernando will be hoping that the extra grip afforded by the clean surface could see him at least split the German and the Australian on the first lap. Felipe on the other hand could be in difficulty, starting on the dirty side. Four of the five championship contenders are at the front, as Lewis Hamilton’s best lap was good enough for fourth on the grid. The only contender missing is the reigning world champion, Jenson Button who is on row four in seventh place, while Nico Rosberg was fifth for Mercedes.
The newest circuit on the calendar has already seen some changes made since the curtain went up yesterday: kerbs have been either added or raised to prevent cars cutting corners and kicking sand onto the track and the pit lane entry line has been moved in the name of safety. Formula 1 might be a little known sport in South Korea, but there was a reasonable crowd today and even more expected for tomorrow’s historic first race here. The unpredictable nature of the track, the challenge of the high speed corners, the closeness in some sections of the walls and a possible threat of rain all mean that the seventeenth round of the world championship could be one to remember.
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