2010 Korean Grand Prix

The last three corners are a pleasure to watch. The two straights with slow corners should provide plenty of overtaking. The rest of the circuit is much of a muchness - though I approve of off-camber corners.
 
Vettel won't win, but then I always say that and he does anyway. Should be a good race, unless Vettel wins, then it'll be a yawnfest. :D
 
Famine
The last three corners are a pleasure to watch. The two straights with slow corners should provide plenty of overtaking. The rest of the circuit is much of a muchness - though I approve of off-camber corners.
Click to expand...

I think braking in to Turn 3 could also create some overtaking places, I think that straight is just about long enough, especially after the slow turn 2. Apart from the pit entrance, it's a really impressive track layout.
 
You know, I've been thinking. After seeing Lewis Hamilton spin while trying to enter pit lane during Knockout Qualifying, the biggest fear I have with this track is if two drivers are battling for position, then the driver ahead peels off into the pits while the driver trailing tries not to hit the leading car. Pit stops are going to be a huge factor with this course. I think the track could have been engineered better especially in that area. You come off so fast heading onto the Start/Finish straight.

Regardless, this could be an insane race. It's the ultimate wild card leading into Brazil and Abu Dhabi. Something tells me either it will be a Red Bull 1-2 or one of the two Red Bull drivers winning.
 
I think the law of averages is telling you that mate. This is the 3rd (ish) time that Vettel has out pipped Mark for pole by less than a tenth, just hope it rains so as to limit the advantage off the start he and Fernando will have over him.
 
Alonso straight into the back of Vettel off the line, because they are both doing their patented "force the other driver into the pitwall" strategy. Webber has his trademark stuttering start, Hamilton through for the win.

In a (read: my) perfect world that is. :P
 
JohnBM01
Regardless, this could be an insane race. It's the ultimate wild card leading into Brazil and Abu Dhabi. Something tells me either it will be a Red Bull 1-2 or one of the two Red Bull drivers winning.
Click to expand...



That'l probably be the fact that they have 15 poles from 17 this season.
 
From James Allen's twitter:

It's midnight in Mokpo, Korea and it's raining pretty hard. This will wash the rubber off the track and make the race v interesting
Click to expand...
 
Looking forward to the first couple of laps tomorrow... going to be very interesting with the rain cleaning the circuit down... are there any support races tomorrow morning?

(Apparently turn 16 is being rebuilt (again) tonight as well)

C.
 
JohnBM01
You know, I've been thinking. After seeing Lewis Hamilton spin while trying to enter pit lane during Knockout Qualifying, the biggest fear I have with this track is if two drivers are battling for position, then the driver ahead peels off into the pits while the driver trailing tries not to hit the leading car. Pit stops are going to be a huge factor with this course. I think the track could have been engineered better especially in that area. You come off so fast heading onto the Start/Finish straight.
Click to expand...
You don't say? :P I wonder if they are gonna have to rebuild the entire entrance for next year's race...:ouch:
 
Really poor performances from Massa and Button during qualy once again...both ~ 7-8 tenths behind their teammates in Q3 👎 Seems they are really showing themselves as the number 2 drivers of late :ouch:
 
Massa was doing quite well, then Ferrari decided he was too competitive for Alonso and he only did the 1 stint in Q3. In fact, I'd say Massa had, up until Q3, one of his better weekends this season. (Excluding Hockenheim of course ;))
 
Sureboss
Massa was doing quite well, then Ferrari decided he was too competitive for Alonso and he only did the 1 stint in Q3. In fact, I'd say Massa had, up until Q3, one of his better weekends this season. (Excluding Hockenheim of course ;))
Click to expand...

That's a bit of a jaded comment IMO (unless you have clear evidence to back it up). Also, Massa only had 1 set of options by the time Q3 came around (so he only got 1 run in), as he had used up an extra set in Q2. I surely doubht Ferrari did this on purpose so that Alonso would simply be ahead of Massa, as the team absolutely wants Massa to get up as high as possible to take points away from RB. Starting 6th behind Hamilton and Rosberg does Ferrari and Alonso little good. Even if Massa happened to have outqualified Alonso, Ferrari would have surely worked around this during the race tommorow.
 
Last edited:
That could very well could happen (and what I'm hoping for :P), although the Ferrari doesn't look that strong in the traps (slightly slower than the the RB's and about 5kmh down on the Mclaren), it has been the strongest in Sector 1 meaning it probably is doing very well under braking and in getting the power down early exiting turn 1. The Ferrari also generally has very strong starts (last race Alonso had to reset his ECU just prior to the start - meaning he lost his clutch settings) so if he can stay close to Vettel's rear he could have a good shot at doing something heading into the heavy braking zone into turn 3. Webber hasn't been a very strong starter of late and will be on the dirty side of the track which won't make things much easy for him either. Hamilton could also pose a very large threat to the 3 in front given his aggresive starts and trap speed advantage.

Also given that the track will be a bit green and greasy the cars running higher DF will likely be a better on race day (in terms of grip and preserving the tires - which will be a crucial element).

I can't wait to see how things play out :)
 
nissman
I have a feeling Alonso will be P1 by turn 3 on the start.
Click to expand...
Why? Vettel is on the racing line as well, and he's pretty nifty off the line. The Red Bull might be suffering on the straights, but considering that they're P1 and P2 on the grid, they're clearly doing something right.
 
interludes
Why? Vettel is on the racing line as well, and he's pretty nifty off the line. The Red Bull might be suffering on the straights, but considering that they're P1 and P2 on the grid, they're clearly doing something right.
Click to expand...

Because of the strength of the Ferrari/Alonso in the first sector (.15 quicker than anyone) and in particular the way this circuit is laid out (with the long stretch right after turn 1).
 
The Outlaw
Because of the strength of the Ferrari in the first sector and in particular the way this circuit is laid out (with the long stretch right after turn 1).
Click to expand...
Like I said, Red Bull might be short on speed, but they're keeping up in terms of sector times. All it will take from Vettel is one defensive move and Alonso won't have anything to work with. Assuming that he can get near Vettel, of course. And that Webber makes a bad start. And that nobody else like Hamilton or Rosberg is in the mix.
 
interludes
Like I said, Red Bull might be short on speed, but they're keeping up in terms of sector times. All it will take from Vettel is one defensive move and Alonso won't have anything to work with. Assuming that he can get near Vettel, of course. And that Webber makes a bad start. And that nobody else like Hamilton or Rosberg is in the mix.
Click to expand...

You don't know what you're talking about. Compared to the Ferrari (what we are comparing here) they are not short on speed (Vettel is actually 2km/h faster than Alonso), but are slower (in terms of time) by a fair amount than the Ferrari in the first sector. Our argument here isn't about S2/S3 where the RB is by far the strongest - we are strictly talking about Sector 1.

Also, from the starting grid to turn 3 is a very long stretch - one defensive move doesn't mean a whole lot in that period of time.
 
High potential at this circuit for the pole sitter to quickly fall backwards, he has barely any distance to build his gap to the pack. The whole point of pole position being an advantage is the ability to be first into the first corner and hence to start to build gaps to everyone, minimising the risk of falling down the field.
With Korea's layout, the pole sitter has minimal chances to really make the difference, relying entirely on his small gap he has from grid position. The long straight following turn 1 allows for some good slip-streaming and I expect whoever leads out of turn 1 to really have to fight to keep 1st into turn 2.

Where Monaco is the best place to start on pole, Korea is probably the best place to start behind pole (if anywhere).

I think Alonso has good chances even if he doesn't get the jump on the first lap, as he only needs to keep up in sectors 2 and 3 (quite possible) to allow him plenty of time to slipstream all the way through sector 1. People are possibly over-rating the capabilities of McLaren's f-duct system now too, as most teams have their own versions now, its really not the huge advantage it once was.
 
I'm also hoping that this makes for the most crowded turn 1/2 we have ever seen, as the slipstream effect boosts the pack up. Certainly anyone who gets a great start could really see huge gains. Someone like Kobayashi could really jump right into the mix with a good start and a good tow up to turn 2 (and he's had some good starts!).

Edit: Also, Toro Rosso f-duct :D (or should it be Bull-duct? :P)

273wri.jpg
 
Last edited:
Interesting F-duct concept on the TR - I hadn't noted that in qualy. I can't see it being quite as efficient as some of other teams cleaner approach to the F-duct design though :odd:

Ardius
People are possibly over-rating the capabilities of McLaren's f-duct system now too, as most teams have their own versions now, its really not the huge advantage it once was.
Click to expand...

True, the other teams have definitely caught up (Renault and RB in particular) in that regard, to minimize their vulnerabilities down the straights with the weaker powerplants. Mclaren are now also stalling the main plane (as RB and Renault have been doing for a few races now) of the rear wing (to decrease drag further) and as a result are trying to squeeze a bit more DF out of the rear wing without being handicapped with extra drag. Although they still seem to be a bit behind the Ferrari and in particular the RB in all out grip (mechanical and aero).
 
It will definately be a very interesting first few corners. I don't think we will see the race settling down until atleast turn 4 after the 3 straights. I would be very surprised to see Vettel still in first after those corners. With multiple tows going into turn 3 I can't see him being able to defend very easily, especially as the RBs were around half a second slower in the first sector than the Ferrari.
 
Actually in Q3 Vettel was only off Alonso's S1 time by .15, but Webber was down by much more (.3). Seemed Webber might be running a softer set-up with sligihtly more DF possibly - if I were to take a guess (judging by the trap differences).

Still I agree, life won't be made easy for Vettel or the RB's from the start to turn 3).
 
The Outlaw
The pole sitter is a bit of a sitting duck on this circuit in particular.
Click to expand...

Indeed, if Vettel leads by the end of first lap he'll probably bring it home but if think this should be one of the thoughest starts for Red Bull this year. Should be interesting.
 
Guys, am I correct in saying the race starts 7AM GMT time?

Would fit perfectly so I can get up early and do some running after the race, otherwise I'll stay in my bed until noon :ill:
 

Latest Posts

Back