Korean F1 track aerial photo emerges
3rd September 2010, 10:02 by Keith Collantine 82 Comments »
Aerial photograph of the Korean F1 track
A photograph showing the state of progress of the track surface at Korea has emerged.
It’s not clear when the picture was taken but it’s possible to see some of the buildings that were in photographs released by the circuit earlier this week.
Those pictures showed little of the ground around the buildings which, as this pictures suggests, may be because it hasn’t been completed yet.
The asphalt around turns four, five and six is a paler colour to the rest, suggesting the surface-laying process had not been completed when this photograph was taken.
Korea is set to host its first Grand Prix on October 22nd-24th. Karun Chandhok is driving a demonstration lap of the circuit tomorrow.
The race promoters have been approached for comment on the image, and any responses will be added here.
Update: According to the data in the image, the picture was taken on August 30th, which was last Monday. Thanks to KerazyPete on Twitter for the tip.
Thanks to Prisoner Monkeys for the tip.
Read more: Korean track “90% complete” (Pictures)
Stephen Northcott said on 3rd September 2010, 10:06
If they leave it like that it will just look like Abu Dhabi to the drivers!
BasCB said on 3rd September 2010, 10:08
I also saw a report, that the FIA is now willing to wait until Septmber 21th for final inspection of the circuit, only one month before the GP!
The rules are the rules, but they can be bent at will.
Scribe said on 3rd September 2010, 12:00
Cancelling the race couldn’t go down very well now could it? The FIA will fight to keep the dream alive just like Bernie.
Still none of the run off seems to have been completed so there a serios chance huh?
Scootin159 said on 3rd September 2010, 14:33
FWIW, having first hand experience in this matter – A paved runoff area can be built from dirt up in a week. A gravel trap takes even less time.
However – placing the guardrails and catch fencing around that gravel trap can take 2-3 weeks.
Obviously all of these times are completely relative to the amount of manpower you throw at a project, but it gives you a relative idea of the amount of work involved in each, and what the real concerns are.
Chris Yu Rhee said on 25th September 2010, 16:20
I have experience too in large commercial construction, both in the US and in Korea. The amount of work that remains cannot possibly be completed on-time, especially knowing the way construction companies work here.
Chris Yu Rhee said on 25th September 2010, 16:18
There are no rules here… (sigh)
YES YES YES YES! said on 3rd September 2010, 10:18
please be clock wise
Keith Collantine said on 3rd September 2010, 10:25
It’s anticlockwise.
LewisC said on 3rd September 2010, 10:40
Looks like a great overtaking place at the end of the pit straight then. Similar approach to Stowe at Silverstone: a smooth curve into a long straight. The hairpin right in the middle of the track looks good too.
Dare I say it – the racing might not be too rubbish?
Chippie said on 3rd September 2010, 10:59
I just don’t see the need for the last three corners, the track is twisty enough, you could have given us a longer straight. That big sweeping corner will be cool to watch cars going through, but because the racinbg line is so tight there will be no overtaking down the straight because you’re automaticly gonna have the racing line exiting the corner. Poorly though out, in my book.
Ronman said on 3rd September 2010, 10:56
One hell of a turn 1 in A/C mode… i think if it was Clockwise, it would be a very entertaining quick first lap!
Scribe said on 3rd September 2010, 11:53
I have the horrible feeling that running it anticlockwise is going to limit and dampen what could be a pretty awesome highspeed circuit.
Electrolite said on 4th September 2010, 19:21
That’s a pity. If it were anti-clockwise the corner above the pit straight (in the image) would make a very interesting and unique first corner, with entertaining starts!
Electrolite said on 4th September 2010, 19:22
Clockwise I meant! Sorry! Getting so confused right now…
F1 Novice said on 3rd September 2010, 14:13
Beats me why they don’t design new tracks to run both ways and have two races per weekend on them 1 in each direction – a sprint and a feature race – now that would be novel but i suspect a bit to forward thinking for the like of Tilke and co.
Scootin159 said on 3rd September 2010, 14:35
It’s significantly more expensive to build run-offs and slots (the access points in the guardrail to get cars in & out) which work for a track to be run in both directions.
David B said on 3rd September 2010, 14:45
It would be expensive to set up a track with run off areas for both directions, or boxes lanes, or start straight. This would also affect a lot the track lay-out.
Anyway when I played PC games I used to run in the opposite direction, and it was really funny. Some curves were great, just imagine Eau Rouge steep downhill!!!
F1 Novice said on 3rd September 2010, 16:26
yes cork-screw-ish
Mike said on 5th September 2010, 16:11
You may need somewhat of a longish run off…
*imagines runoff reaching Berlin*
Einar AI said on 3rd September 2010, 10:21
Is it just me or is the track SO unbelievably flat?
Jason said on 3rd September 2010, 10:37
Would it be so much of a problem if it was? Silverstone is flat. Monza is flat. Hockenheim is flat. They can still produce good racing.
For the record, Korea is not flat. There’s a hill across he top setcion.
bosyber said on 3rd September 2010, 10:58
It seems a bit of a pity they couldn’t move the track a further up that hill though, but you are right, that top, more downforce heavy, part of the track does seem to have a bit of elevation changes.
Did we ever see an elevation map like we got from the new US track or from the India GP track?
I do hope the racing will be good – Valencia, Singapore and Abu Dhabi were a let-down in terms of racing, and I notice I try not to hope too much from new tracks, to not be so disappointed after.
bosyber said on 3rd September 2010, 11:15
Actually, it even seems that the turn 10 and 11 section might have some slight banking, that would be nice!
And compared to the track layout that we saw posted, it seems that they smoothed out the bit from turn 11 until turn 16, so maybe that is a bit faster than it seemed. Turn 9 seems really tight, but maybe that is just due to it being a point lower than turn 8 and turn 10. Still, that seems like an interesting part of the track.
Lachie said on 3rd September 2010, 11:00
Plus it’s essentially swampland directly next to a river (i think this is it http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&q=Yeongnam&sll=34.734947,126.412854&sspn=0.02698,0.066047&ie=UTF8&t=h&split=1&rq=1&ev=zi&radius=2.25&hq=Yeongnam&hnear=&ll=34.734242,126.415215&spn=0.02698,0.066047&z=15 wow that’s a big link) so it wasn’t really gonna be Himalayan
Chris Yu Rhee said on 25th September 2010, 16:17
Not swampland, but rice paddies. It’s an agricultural (farming) area with NO commercial activities anywhere nearby, until you go as far as Mokpo.
sato113 said on 3rd September 2010, 13:41
yes. because it’s a crap circuit, it needs to make up for it’s blandness with some elevation change.
Icthyes said on 3rd September 2010, 10:22
I’ve never wanted a track to fail because I’ve always believed in giving them a chance. But this time, I feel differently. Corner after corner with three straights whose ability to produce overtaking will be nullified by all those corners spacing the cars out.
Short of a reversed grid or rain, this GP looks like it’s going to be very processional
Jason said on 3rd September 2010, 10:39
Don’t hope for it to fail. It’s not like the circuit will be dropped after one race if it’s boring.
I’ve said it before, and doubtless I’ll say it again: we need every kind of circuit on the calendar. We can’t have twenty Spas just as we can’t have twenty Shanghais. We need a mix.
LewisC said on 3rd September 2010, 10:43
Well said. The champion should be the driver who deals best with different types of tracks, and the team that builds a car which isn’t just tailored to one type.
If we’d had 20 Spas last year Adrian Sutil might have been world champion. I’m not sure that would have been right
Ronman said on 3rd September 2010, 10:57
I’m sure Fisi would have taken the honors if we had 19 spas
Mike said on 5th September 2010, 16:14
That was a result for the history books…
bosyber said on 3rd September 2010, 11:00
At least anti-clockwise will soon not be so much of a unique feature that tracks feel a need to have it :-p
sato113 said on 3rd September 2010, 13:47
yeah but the mix is poor at the moment. we needs a few more spas. too many tilke dromes and boring tracks at present.
boring-catalunya, bahrain, valencia, abu dhabi, shanghai, hockenheim (tilkefied version), korea probably
godlike (and I mean an incredible circuit)- spa, suzuka
an imbalance i’d say.
Icthyes said on 4th September 2010, 11:53
Um, I said I wanted it to fail at being ready on time. Like anyone would want a race to be boring.
No, what we need is a mix of circuits that differ in length and speed by having different combinations of long and short straights, and slow and fast corners – Spa being one extreme and Monaco being the other, with most in between the two.
What we don’t need a mix of circuits that have everything ordered sensibly and ones which have all the similar bits stuck together, with the three straights connecting the two ends of a massive squiggle.
Scribe said on 3rd September 2010, 11:48
The track it most reminds me of is Sepang, High speed middle sector, Stop start long straights for the other two. All depends on how close the cars come out of the finally corners before the straights.
I wouldn’t say it was a lost cause, totally Redbull track of course. Unless McLaren can do what they did in Turkey and hold on somehow for the straights.
Marc Connell said on 3rd September 2010, 10:25
first corners will be interesting. AS einar AI said above its flat. If there was elevation in the first corner, or even just a hill where you first turn right then go left into the first main right hander. If that bit was up then down then right it would be a good corner.
gwenouille said on 3rd September 2010, 10:29
I think you are looking at it the wrong way: as Keith mentionned, it is anti-clockwise
nik said on 3rd September 2010, 10:28
Juding by the run-off areas, it is anti-clockwise, which is a shame because it involves a very tight turn 1 and corners (like that last sequence) that would be better clockwise.
New asphalt, which could mean either a ton of traction or no traction depending on the composition of the asphalt surface. I assume the builders would have learnt a lot about that from other new circuits that hosted F1 soon after completion
Otherwise I am hoping that this photo is at least a month old, because there seems to be a hell of a lot of work left to do, especially since laying asphalt for a racetrack is tricky work to get right.
(Just confirmed on Wikipedia that it is anti-clockwise, urgh – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Korean_International_Circuit – turns 3 and 12 look like the only possible overtaking areas, 3 more than 12, although 3 might not be a slow or wide enough corner)
Keith Collantine said on 3rd September 2010, 11:00
We’ve known it was anti-clockwise for a year and a half:
http://www.f1fanatic.co.uk/2009/04/06/2010-south-korean-f1-track-shown-in-new-pictures-on-official-website/
Scribe said on 3rd September 2010, 12:09
Yeah, but its still rubbish. Why do that to themselves, have they ever heared of tubulence, or watched the Spanish Grand Prix?
It just seems so stupid.
Pinball said on 3rd September 2010, 10:29
Where’s the marina, and the higrises? Bernie isn’t going to be happy!
LewisC said on 3rd September 2010, 10:46
No shortcuts, either. Tsk!
Chippie said on 3rd September 2010, 10:51
Anyone else got a horrible feeling that Bernie is telling the Koreans to finish the hospitality complex and advertising hoardings, before they finish the track?
J.A. Brown said on 5th September 2010, 17:46
I was thinking about that too. It’s supposed to be half permanent and half temporary track. Is this only the permanent track in this picture, then? Supposedly, the temporary track would make use of already existing parts of town (unless this refers to a “town” that still has to be built, much like Yas Marina Village on Yas Island).
There should also be two pit lanes, one permanent and one temporary, because the start of the F1 Grand Prix will be on the temporary part of the circuit. If I’m not mistaken.
J.A. Brown said on 5th September 2010, 17:50
Oh, wait, taking a better look at the picture, I can see it: it’s behind the hill, with the three-covered bits on it. They should take a picture from that side.
Chris Yu Rhee said on 25th September 2010, 16:09
I mentioned it a long time ago that the buildings in the artist’s concept pictures would not be there at the time of the race, and will probably never exist. Truth in advertising doesn’t exist here in Korea.
July 1, 2009
HJ,
Until I see actual pictures, not “artist’s conceptions”, I will not believe that it’s 55% finished. I’ve lived here too long to be fooled by the hype. Songdo, a much more important project, has dragged on and on. The Incheon Airport was to have a business center, but only one building was built, and that is the main administration building for the airport. The rest of the area is the most wonderful grassy field that can be found in Korea. The artist’s conception shows numerous private business buildings, none of which will be financed by the same concern that is building the race track. My concerns are that if they do finish the track: 1. it will be essentially on an empty piece of land, 2. There are almost no accomodations anywhere nearby, and 3. that the race track will be built to Korean standards and will not be acceptable to the international racing community or the FIA.
I watched, from the inside, the Incheon Airport being built. What I saw was truly scary. I’m afraid the same will happen here.
Here’s the link:
http://www.f1fanatic.co.uk/f1-2010-season/2010-f1-calendar/
Shaun Field said on 3rd September 2010, 10:37
I hope that the race isn’t cancelled, as alot of my mates from mallala raceway (SA) have scored roles as senior marshals to teach the koreans how to marshal properly (same as the role they at singapore). Would be a same for them to miss out on their free holiday
Deurmat said on 3rd September 2010, 10:39
lol yea i thought there was gonna be a harbor next to it?
Jason said on 3rd September 2010, 11:18
Eventually there will be. For now the priority is getting the circuit ready.
Jim N said on 3rd September 2010, 10:40
To me that does look as though it will be finished in time and that the circus will go there. But I still have doubts that the track will have matured enough to prevent the top surface lifting under the huge grip of F1 tyres which has happened many times before and which prompted the 90 day rule. Black top mixes are better than they used to be but it’s still asking a lot. But only first practice will tell.
zomtec said on 3rd September 2010, 10:47
I don´t like the 3 slow corner after the permanent pits.
CNSZU said on 3rd September 2010, 11:32
There is a slightly higher resolution image on Adam Cooper’s blog: http://adamcooperf1.files.wordpress.com/2010/09/korea-overview.jpg
Keith Collantine said on 3rd September 2010, 12:02
That’s the same one Prisoner Monkeys posted which is linked to in the article.
Jason said on 3rd September 2010, 13:56
Yeah, I get around a bit.
wasiF1 said on 3rd September 2010, 11:38
I thought that there would be some buildings surrounding the circuit,where are they? & even other then the main grandstand there are many viewing areas are missing.Hope they complete in time & put up a good show or it will be a shame for F1 for failing to organize an event.
http://www.bookf1.com/korean-formula-1-grand-prix-128/tickets.htm
Jason said on 3rd September 2010, 11:43
Those buildings haven’t ben finished yet. They haven’t even been started. The whole project has always been projected to take place over several years, but first of all – and most importantly – they need the circuit in place.
Chris Yu Rhee said on 25th September 2010, 16:13
The buildings will probably never be built. This is out in the boonies.
The market is flat here for commercial property, even in the major cities. Only an idiot would finance a project 4+ hours (on a good day) from Seoul.
graigchq said on 3rd September 2010, 12:53
omg – most expensive outside of Monaco or what? £700+ for a weekend ticket in main grandstand.. that’s bloomin expensive if you ask me!!
woah!!! said on 3rd September 2010, 13:53
sepang is much cheaper and a lot more fun.
DGR-F1 said on 3rd September 2010, 11:40
Does anybody else have the impression the first race will be through a building site?
Scribe said on 3rd September 2010, 11:50
Sort of like Silverstone during the MotoGP this year, an the race for that matter.