Korean F1 track aerial photo emerges
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)
F1 Novice said on 3rd September 2010, 11:49
ooooh TARMAC !! yippee about time or has someone drawn over it with MAgic Marker to fool us :)
Magnificent Geoffrey (@magnificent-geoffrey) said on 3rd September 2010, 12:01
That’s what they get for signing the track building contract with K.J.Il & Sons Construction Company.
Lachie said on 3rd September 2010, 12:53
I would LOVE an analysis/documentary/interview with Hermann Tilke to know how he came up with this circuit. I mean i’m holding out judgement but…. its UGLY. Do great circuits overcome ugliness with our rose tinted glases? Somehow I don’t think so.
We all know he loves the straights but what is with the squiggly second and third sectors? It really looks like the deformed runt brother of Sepang. Where Sepang has straights, it flows, it has the quick double of turns 7 and 8, this is just stop start. There’s no aesthetic to it at all.
Ok I got a little aggresive there, seriously i’d love to know what got him to that layout, given the two straights idea what causes those sections to be the link, certainly isn’t the terrain or the proposed city in the middle. TALK TO US TILKE! :)
BBT said on 3rd September 2010, 13:03
It would of been better if it had disappeared over the hill in the background.
Looks OK ‘ish, a bit plain, we’ll see
HounslowBusGarage said on 3rd September 2010, 13:09
Well actually, I’m quite relieved in a way. At least there’s top-dressed tarmac on *most* of the circuit. Looks as though sector 2 needs top coat only and the pit lane needs a full set.
Looking at this side of the pits, they appear to have built 14 team buildings, so I wonder if there’s something that Tilke has been told that Bernie hasn’t told us!
The Marina bit (or lack of it) is a bit of a surprise as that kind of dredging and excavation will be bound to destabilise the surrounding earth; I would have though they would dredge first, stabilise the land, and then construct the semicircle of track afterwards.
Is Karun doing the demo on the full GP circuit or the national circuit?
BasCB said on 4th September 2010, 18:57
That box will be for the FIA inspections i suppose!
rmac923 said on 3rd September 2010, 13:49
Turn 4 is a hairpin turn now? LAME
David B said on 3rd September 2010, 13:56
It looks pretty interesting. Even if there are some sharped curves and hairpins that I could have avoided.
I don’t understand why they build boxes and main grandstand there…if boxes were in the inside it would have been easier to build a short exit lane, and if the grandstand was on the outside the attendance would have seen a bigger portion of the track.
Anyway, I hope the race will not be deleted from the calendar, because they seem to be pretty late!
woah!!! said on 3rd September 2010, 14:03
why the grandstand is inside the track. The spectator will only see the main straight, stupid Tilke.
DaveW said on 3rd September 2010, 14:40
Similar to Austin. You can see the cars come by then spend the next two minutes plus checking your blackberry.
DaveW said on 3rd September 2010, 14:39
The only spark here is the final 3 corners, which offer the hope of multiple fast racing ines and thus some close following down the next straight. It’s like the final complex and Mid-Ohio. Tilke finally took a look at Interlagos, instead of continuing to beat the straight-hairpin thing into the ground.
US_Peter (@us_peter) said on 3rd September 2010, 17:44
So Keith, based on the link you RT’d (http://regex.info/exif.cgi?url=http://adamcooperf1.files.wordpress.com/2010/09/korea-overview.jpg) the photo was taken Tuesday morning at 9AM local time. That should have given them enough time to finish the tarmac in that area in time for Chandhok’s run tomorrow. That tarmac will be super sticky at this point though…
DaveW said on 3rd September 2010, 20:02
If that picture was Tuesday,where are the fancy buildings that are virtually complete? This doesn’t add up.
Also, where are the marshals stations and access routes for course vehicles, cranes, etc? The road-way access for the paddock? parking for spectators? This is not looking good.
Also, why on earth is the pitlane on the outside of the track, with re-entry right where or right after turn-in for the first corner? Must have run out of money to do a tunnel under the track for pit exit. The entry is no better. Someone is going to get hit going in to the pits because it is right at the entry point for the final corner and requires a tighter, slower line through that corner.
daykind said on 3rd September 2010, 18:43
I don’t want to come across as defending the Korean track builders/designers, but it looks just like the plans.
US_Peter (@us_peter) said on 3rd September 2010, 19:05
Is that a defense? They’d be doing something seriously wrong if it didn’t look exactly like the plans.
daykind said on 3rd September 2010, 19:32
No, but a lot of people seem to be attacking them for not getting everything ready on schedule, but I think it could be much worse.
xtophe (@xtophe) said on 3rd September 2010, 20:15
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sr_LHQFjyDI
bosyber said on 4th September 2010, 10:53
Karun Chandok on twitter, talking about the track makes me hopeful it will work pretty good.
It is interesting that he calls the 1st half slow and technical – that made me think maybe he went around clockwise.
But then he says “first sector good for overtaking” and “great flow, sector 2 and 3 especially”, which fits better if it goes anti-clockwise.
Anyway, they clearly have the surface on now, so that is good, the paddock is looking good, and the pics he posted also showed that grandstand filled with people for the opening: http://twitpic.com/2l2cr2
bosyber said on 4th September 2010, 10:59
Hm, maybe not all the surface is there yet: they lost their edges :-p http://twitpic.com/2l25gw but close enough.
I guess the asphalt is pretty fresh, and they will fill up the sides when it is settled a bit. Maybe PM can confirm if that is how it works, while I worked with both concrete and asphalt during my studies, that is a while ago now.
BasCB said on 4th September 2010, 18:59
Those strips will have grass seeds for now and if weather allows it will have grown green grass before the GP weekend, not all of the surface can be asphalt or concrete ;-)
BasCB said on 4th September 2010, 18:59
nice pictures from Karun. Looks like the Koreans are looking forward to this.