Korea 2010

DESPITE ALL THE WORRIES, KOREA COMPLETED ITS NEW TRACK JUST IN TIME FOR THE ARRIVAL OF THE F1 CIRCUS. THE EXCEPTIONALLY WET WEATHER EARLIER IN THE YEAR HAD PREVENTED CONSTRUCTION WORK FOR 57 DAYS BUT THEY OVERCAME THIS TO GET THE TRACK READY. KOREA COULD NOT DEFEAT NATURE THOUGH - THE WET WEATHER DESTROYED THEIR CABBAGE CROP, USED IN THEIR NATIONAL DISH, AND THEY COULD ONLY TURN TO CABBAGE IMPORTS FROM CHINA AND OTHER COUNTRIES TO OVERCOME THAT PROBLEM.

THE CIRCUIT RECEIVED OVERWHELMING SUPPORT FROM THE DRIVERS, APART FROM MINOR TEETHING PROBLEMS, EVEN THOUGH THE SURFACE WAS EXTREMELY SLIPPERY, EVEN IN THE DRY. THE WEEPING OILS FROM THE NEW TARMAC COMBINED WITH THE DUST FROM THE SURROUNDING BUILDING SITE TO MAKE LIFE VERY DIFFICULT. THE TRACK WILL EVENTUALLY FORM THE BASIS FOR A MASSIVE MARINA DEVELOPMENT AND THUS ALREADY HAS SOME WALLS LIKE A STREET-CIRCUIT. THERE ARE THREE VERY LONG STRAIGHTS, A SMALLER VERSION OF TURN 8 IN TURKEY AND THE BEST BITS OF CIRCUITS LIKE SILVERSTONE.

IN ONE WAY, THE WORST THING THAT COULD HAVE HAPPENED WOULD BE FOR IT TO RAIN ON RACE DAY, WHICH IT DID, BUT ON THE OTHER HAND THE RAIN LED TO AN EVEN MORE SLIPPERY SURFACE AND AN INCIDENT-PACKED RACE THAT CERTAINLY SHOOK UP THE DRIVERS' TITLE RACE. MORE THAN A THIRD OF THE CARS DID NOT FINISH THE RACE.

THE RACE STARTED BEHIND THE SAFETY CAR AFTER A DELAY OF 10 MINUTES WITH ALL CARS ON EXTREME WET TYRES; IT WAS RED-FLAGGED AFTER 3 LAPS; RE-STARTED BEHIND THE SAFETY CAR AGAIN AFTER A VERY LONG DELAY AND THEN THERE WERE 2 OTHER SAFETY CAR DEPLOYMENTS. THE FIRST CRITICAL INCIDENT WAS WHEN MARK WEBBER SPUN INTO THE WALL AND RETIRED. NOT ONLY THAT BUT HE LEFT NICO ROSBERG NO ROOM AT ALL AND HE ALSO HAD TO RETIRE.

AS THE WEATHER SLOWLY IMPROVED, SOME DRIVERS OPTED TO SWOP TO INTERMEDIATE TYRES - JENSON BUTTON HAD TO TRY THIS OPTION BECAUSE HIS WET TYRES WERE VERY WORN BUT, UNFORTUNATELY, HE EMERGED FROM HIS STOP BEHIND A LONG GAGGLE OF CARS AND HIS RACE WAS OVER. THE CAR WAS 'EATING' ITS TYRES THROUGHOUT THE RACE AND THESE PROBLEMS DROPPED HIM TO 12TH AT THE FINISH. 2 OUT THE 5 DRIVERS STILL IN THE TITLE RACE AT THE START HAD NOW GONE.

SEBASTIAN VETTEL HELD THE LEAD FROM HIS POLE POSITION AT THE START AND FERNANDO ALONSO AND LEWIS HAMILTON SWOPPED POSITIONS A NUMBER OF TIMES. NOT ONLY WAS SEBASTIAN IN THE LEAD OF THE RACE, HE WAS ALSO THEORETICALLY IN THE LEAD OF THE TITLE RACE.

BUT F1 IS ANYTHING BUT PREDICTABLE AND ON LAP 41 HIS ENGINE BLEW UP. SO FROM A 1-2 VICTORY IN JAPAN, RED BULL COLLAPSED WITH A 1-2 RETIREMENT. FERNANDO CRUISED TO THE VICTORY WITH LEWIS IN SECOND AND FELIPE MASSA IN THIRD PLACE. SO THE CHAMPIONSHIP ORDER WENT FROM WEBBER 220, ALONSO 206, VETTEL 206, HAMILTON 192, BUTTON 189 AT THE START TO ALONSO 231, WEBBER 220, HAMILTON 210, VETTEL 206, BUTTON 189 BUT, AMAZINGLY, ALL 5 DRIVERS ARE STILL IN THE RACE. NO BRITON HAS EVER SUCCESSFULLY DEFENDED HIS WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP TITLE AND IT IS MOST UNLIKELY THAT JENSON WILL BE THE FIRST!

ONE CRUMB OF COMFORT FOR RED BULL ON THIS DISASTROUS DAY IS THAT THEY STILL LEAD THE MORE IMPORTANT CONSTRUCTORS TITLE RACE ALBEIT BY A MARGIN MUCH REDUCED FROM 45 POINTS TO JUST 27 POINTS.

WHAT WILL HAPPEN IN BRAZIL IN 2 WEEKS? THIS MOST UNPREDICTABLE SEASON WILL PROBABLY TURN UP YET ANOTHER UNLIKELY SERIES OF EVENTS SUCH AS BUTTON WINNING, VETTEL 2ND, HAMILTON 3RD, WEBBER 4TH AND ALONSO RETIRING SO THAT ALL FIVE GO INTO THE LAST RACE IN ABU DHABI STILL WITH A CHANCE OF THE TITLE! YOU NEVER KNOW.

Race Results posted by
David Little
25th October 2010

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