Formula 1 2012: Round 16 - Korean Grand Prix

frostie500

Last weekend’s Japanese Grand Prix was pivotal in the world championship. Fernando Alonso arrived in the Land of the Rising Sun with a commanding championship lead but his opening corner crash left the door open for Sebastian Vettel to become the title favourite.

Vettel’s commanding lights to flag victory in Japan moved the reigning champion to within four points of Alonso. Vettel has now won two races in a row and with Ferrari clearly struggling for pace it is clear that the championship advantage has swung the direction of Milton Keynes.

Consistency has been key for Ferrari throughout 2012 but now finding speed is the crucial requirement for Maranello. Alonso was hamstrung in Monza by a suspension failure in Italy that left him languishing down grid before salvaging a podium. It seemed that Alonso was able to drag points from the car when it was underperforming but poor performances Singapore and Japan have left his championship hopes in tatters.

In both races Alonso qualified down the field and while he was able to claim points in Singapore Japan was a different story. Racing towards turn one in the midpack Alonso drifted towards the outside of the track and made contact with Kimi Raikkonen. He punctured his left rear tyre and spun into retirement.

Even though he is still leading the championship with the momentum having shifted to Vettel it is clear that Alonso faces an uphill task this weekend.

The Yeongam Grand Prix Circuit

Formula has been racing in Korea for just two years and while attendance at the track has not been as strong as expected the Yeongam track provides a challenge for the drivers.

Here Heikki Kovalainen takes us for a lap of the Yeongam circuit:

“The start / finish straight is pretty short and then it's into the second gear turn one. It's very tight and you need a good exit to make sure you go onto the first long straight with as much speed as possible, using KERS to really push you out of the corner and towards T2.

"Braking into turn 3 is pretty straightforward – it's another second gear corner and you want to come out of there with as much speed as possible so you're using another big chunk of KERS and DRS to power your way out.

“Turn four is almost 180° so it's down to second or even first gear, depending on the balance of the car. If you have a really strong front end you may be able to get through in second, otherwise you need first. Turns five and six are a bit fiddly, still in second, but then the speed builds as you go uphill through turn seven and you stay flat out through eight. It's a really quick section of the track, you lift a little in nine, carrying as much speed as possible as you very quickly arrive in the braking zone for turn ten.

“For turn ten you go quickly down through the gears to first and it's not so important to get on the power early, it's more about carrying speed through the middle and exit of the corner and then it's on to turn 11, a double apex left which you go into in fourth and then flick down to third as you head towards turn 12.

"12, 13 and 14 are a sequence of right / left / right corners, all medium speed, third or fourth gear and you need to make sure you have the right line out of them for turn 15. 15 and 16 are almost one corner but you have to avoid a pretty heavy kerb in 16 so you can get on the power and stay on it through 17 and 18 and back on to the start line.”

Alonso looking on the bright side

Having been in the title hunt all year, and leading for most of the campaign, Fernando Alonso is keen to look on the positives even though his championship lead has been slashed to just four points.

"I am sure we can be in the fight right down to the wire," Alonso said on Ferrari's website. “The people who are working on the car are the same who have done the job so far and there's no reason to think they can't do a good job again now. Let's not forget that, if I am still leading the championship, it's because we have been capable of improving the car significantly compared to the start of the season and also because we are capable of always getting the most out of what we have to work with.”

Alonso has always been a magnetic presence at Ferrari with the Spaniard bringing the team together in the same way that Michael Schumacher did at the start of the century and his mantra has long been that “we win as a team, we lose as a team” and he repeated this after Japan.

Finding a way back to the top step of the podium this weekend would be a key start in breathing fresh life into his championship charge.

Gloves off at McLaren

Lewis Hamilton’s upcoming departure from McLaren seems to have allowed the tensions that have built up in the squad to boil over the surface.

For much of their three years as teammates we have seen and heard Hamilton and Jenson Button speak of their friendship and respect for one another but Hamilton’s recent tweets have shown us just how difficult it is for two ultra competitive drivers to co-exist in the one team.

I have no doubts that both drivers respect one another but being able to retain even a cordial relationship can be difficult in the high pressured world of a Formula 1 title fight.

When Button signed for the team the expectation was that he would be blown away by Hamilton. On the balance of their three years together this has not been the case. Lewis is the faster driver over a single lap, as expected, but Button’s consistency and his ability to galvanize the team around him has left Hamilton appearing as an outsider within the team.

In 2008 and 2009, when teamed with Kovalainen, Hamilton was the focus of the teams attention and it was clearly “his” team. When Button joined almost everyone questioned his wisdom to take on Hamilton against such odds.

Taking on Lewis in the same car within his team was apparently akin to jumping into a lion pit armed with a steak knife. Button though showed incredible mental strength and has overcome the disappointment of qualifying slower to outrace his teammate.

While this has given Jenson the quiet air of confidence that comes from vindicating his ability Hamilton’s frustrations have become more and more public.

Tweeting telemetry from Spa in a bid to explain being outperformed by Button was more than a mere misjudgment by Hamilton. The move struck of a driver looking to ensure that the masses of the public would know that it was the car and not down to him that he had been outclassed. He was trying to make sure that his rep wasn’t hurt by his performance.

Fans of the sport knew that there was more to his lack of pace in comparison to his teammate but Hamilton has long been interested in transcending his sport and becoming a “mainstream” commodity. He has used twitter to connect with the fans. He has not however “connected” with his teammate through the medium.

Last week Hamilton tweeted that Button had unfollowed him. It seemed like a massive story….expect Button had never followed him. The lack of respect that Hamilton had felt for the slight was all in his mind and it gave an insight into how unsettled he is at the minute.

This unsettling has led to him leaving the team but surprisingly it has had little effect on his performance for most of the year. Japan withstanding, when he was struggling with an ill handling car in the opening stint, Hamilton has been in great form this year.

He has not made mistakes and shown a blistering turn of speed. His race craft has improved and he has looked like the driver than stormed onto the scene in 2007 with a great mix of speed and consistency.

In the final five races he will need all that talent if he is to claim a second title and with time running out his chances of leaving McLaren with the title are slipping away.

"The car that I ended the race with in Japan felt great,” commented the 27 year old. “I'm confident that we'll kick off the race weekend in Korea with a strong package. I put the car on pole there last year and managed to finish second.”

Sauber look to build on fourth podium

Sauber’s superb season has seen the team claim four podiums and are challenging for fourth in the Constructors’ Championship.

For much of the year Kamui Kobayashi has been outclassed by his teammate, Sergio Perez. The Japanese driver had faced a lot of questions about his future recently because he has struggled for most of the year to compete with Perez. His first career podium at his home Grand Prix has however given his a lot of breathing room

Kobayashi’s podium, combined with Perez’ move to McLaren, means that it is almost inevitable that he will be retained for a third season at the Swiss squad. His aggressive style of driving has made him a firm favourite with fans around the world but he now needs to make the next step and find the consistency that has marked his teammate as a future star.

“We can build on the momentum we have and, therefore, I'm confident this time we can score points,” commented Kobayashi about this weekend’s race. I think our car should be competitive on this track.”

Sauber struggled in Korea last year but the team has been strong at most tracks this year and with Mercedes struggling for pace the opportunities are presenting for Sauber to finish fourth in the Constructors’ Championship.

On the other side of the garage Perez enjoyed racing in Korea last year but admitted the team’s lack of straight line speed is a concern for him this weekend.

"The track layout in Yeongam is quite challenging,” said the Mexican. “There are some high-speed corners and in general the circuit has quite a variety of corners. Therefore it is not easy to find a good rhythm but this is crucial for a good lap time. However, because we are usually lacking a bit of straight-line speed, it won't be an easy Grand Prix for us."

Time running out for Raikkonen and Lotus

Kimi Raikkonen will make his first start in Korea this weekend and even though he has been arguably the most consistent racer in the field this year the lack of a victory has hindered the Finns championship challenge.

Lotus has flattered to deceive for most of the year. They have had a car that has looked capable of wins for the whole season but have been unable to actually make the step forward that they needed. Their failure to get their Double DRS system to work has been a key reason for this.

Having trialed the system as far back as the German Grand Prix the fact that they are yet to race it has to be seen as a huge disappointment for the Enstone squad.

Team principal, Eric Boullier, commented on this failure during the week but the Frenchman is confident ahead of this weekend’s race:

“What happened with our 'DDRS' shows that you can't take any improvement for granted until you actually measured it on the track. Let's say that we are cautiously optimistic."

For Raikkonen track time will be imperative as he looks to get to grips with the new track.

"Since I was very young I have always been able to pick up circuits very quickly,” said Raikkonen. “I've seen a Korean Grand Prix on TV, but we'll have to wait until the first laps of FP1 on Friday to get to grips with the circuit. Hopefully we will have normal weather there and will not miss any track time on Friday because of rain or technical issues. I will approach Yeongam the same way I approach every race - with the intention of going there to do my very best."

Can Grosjean curb his will side?

Romain Grosjean was labeled a “nutcase” by Mark Webber following their startline crash in Japan and it’s obviously crucial that he finds a way to balance his speed and aggression. In Japan he was focusing on Perez to his outside and crashed into the back of Webber.

Speaking afterwards Grosjean said that he knew that he needed to stop the accidents having been involved in numerous accidents this year. His speed is not in doubt but finding the balance and bringing home points has to be the target for the remaining races.

It has been unfortunate for Grosjean that numerous of his accidents have come from small errors but over the course of the season those errors have accumulated and he is now a marked man by his rivals.

If it’s a case that the Frenchman looks to slow down slightly and ensure that he scores points he will have made a lot of progress. His future with the team is secure but if he is to gain acceptance once again by the rest of the drivers avoiding accidents will be crucial.

It will however also be his first time racing in Korea so, like Raikkonen, good weather will be crucial in giving him the chance to learn the track.

Car setup for Korea

Balance and compromise is key to finding speed in Korea. The track is a mixture of high speed straights with high and low speed corners.

James Allison, technical director at Lotus, talked of the challenges facing the teams this weekend.

"It's a bit like Germany,” said the Englishman. “The first part of the circuit is largely straights and sweeping curves and the second half a series of slower speed corners. It averages out as a fairly ordinary type of track with slightly more overtaking opportunities than average. The weather may be a little cooler than we would ideally like it, but we are expecting a good weekend."

Sauber’s Giampaolo Dall'Ara, the team’s Head of Track Engineering, echoed these thoughts:

"The Yeongam circuit is a modern race track which has a bit of everything,” said the Italian. “The first sector has three straights with two sharp corners in between and also a low-speed section with tight corners at the end. Then the second sector features medium to high-speed corners before going back into a twisty sector three. The tarmac is not abrasive and the allocated Pirelli tyre compounds are soft and super soft, which I think should fit. However, the grip build up is rather slow during this race weekend because there are almost no support races on the programme."

Formula 1 revolves around Pirelli tyres

Pirelli will take the supersoft and soft compound tyres to Korea and strategy looks to play a key role this weekend. The Korean track is quite abrasive and tyre wear has been an issue in the past and Paul Hembery, motorsport boss for the Italian manufacturer, spoke about this in the leadup to the race:

"We're bringing the same tyre nominations to Korea as we did last year, which at the time was seen as quite a bold choice because Korea has the highest lateral energy loadings of all the circuits where we use the supersoft tyre. In the end, we saw the supersoft lasting for 10 laps or more and the soft lasting for 20 laps or more, enabling a two-stop strategy for the majority of the drivers. This year, however, all our Formula One tyres are softer apart from the supersoft, which has remained the same. We should see another two-stop race this year, which in theory should be even faster.

"This year though, there have been some changes to the aerodynamic regulations, which have generally slowed lap times down over the course of the season. Strategy played a key role in last year's race but there was also a safety car and some rain at the start of the weekend. So Korea is the sort of circuit where anything can happen, and as always the teams with the most data and the ability to adapt that information to rapidly changing circumstances will be the most successful."

cherryghost

Grosjean said today he will be cautious for the first lap this weekend. Does that mean someone will rear end up because he's not pushing? :rolleyes:

Either way, I like Korea. The sweeping turns at the end of the track is quite exciting when drivers are trying to keep on the racing line.

My only gripe is the first turn is too wide, rarely any accidents there as a result. The long straight following that is always exciting on the first lap though!

Cookie_Monster

Pirelli will take the supersoft and soft compound tyres to Korea and strategy looks to play a key role this weekend. The Korean track is quite abrasive and tyre wear has been an issue in the past

So despite knowing tyre wear will be the big issue they bring the softest ones anyway. FFS, so yet another race dominated by trye management and maybe a bit of racing after each pitstop...

Jordan 199

Lotus will be bring a major upgrade package to the race.

Kimi Raikkonen's chances of getting back in the Formula 1 world championship hunt will be boosted by a major upgrade that Lotus is planning for the Korean Grand Prix, AUTOSPORT can reveal.

The Finn endured a difficult weekend in Singapore but still managed to hang on to third in the standings after finishing sixth. He is now 45 points adrift of championship leader Fernando Alonso with six races remaining.

Although a new rear wing that Lotus tried at the Marina Bay circuit did not work, the Enstone-based outfit believes that the return of its double-DRS in Japan and a number of developments for Korea can get it back in the hunt for the title.

Lotus trackside operations director Alan Permane told AUTOSPORT: "There is a big update coming in Korea, a really good aero update - plus we plan to run our rear wing device in Suzuka.

Full article on Autosport.

Part of the upgrade will include a new exhaust.

antodeco

I really wish heat seeking rockets were on that list

Jordan 199

Webber's muddy car from the 2010 race.

cherryghost

None of that this weekend with wall to wall sunshine for the weekend. Sunday looks like it might get cooler than Friday/Saturday so things may evolve during the race.

StephenHendry

cherryghost wrote: »

Grosjean said today he will be cautious for the first lap this weekend. Does that mean someone will rear end up because he's not pushing? :rolleyes:

Either way, I like Korea. The sweeping turns at the end of the track is quite exciting when drivers are trying to keep on the racing line.

My only gripe is the first turn is too wide, rarely any accidents there as a result. The long straight following that is always exciting on the first lap though!

that should help grosjean !!! hope he has a good race as he has shown plenty of potential this season. the redbulls look very strong so far so it could be a damage limitation exercise this weekend for fernando

Frank Bullitt

Looking at long runs this could be quite a good race.

Let's hope.

_rebelkid

Looks like a 2-stop will be the fastest strategy, no SC's of course. Gary Anderson (Former Jordan Tech. Director, now BBC Analyst) saying that a 1 stop is possible, but difficult, Paul Hembery (Head of Motorsport at Pirelli) saying no 1 stops.


Only one request, can we please have this thread solely on the GP and not end in a "slag match" like the Japanese thread. That was just awful.

_rebelkid

2011 Race Summary

Frank Bullitt

The Red Bulls over one lap have it, but their race pace is not the best.

Gives a bit of hope to a good race!

Jordan 199

I'm hoping Lewis will have a trouble free weekend. Last week he had rear suspension problems and had to retire from the Singapore race due to the gearbox.

_rebelkid

Jordan 191 wrote: »

I'm hoping Lewis will have a trouble free weekend. Last week he had rear suspension problems and had to retire from the Singapore race due to the gearbox.

I think Lewis has a good chance of winning this race. The McLarens are looking very consistent in the long runs, and there is a lot of DRS input for overtakes, with Korea having the second longest straight in F1 (only by 3 or 4 inches mind you!)

I think it will be a McLaren 1-3, Seb will get 2nd. Mark or Nando will be 3rd, and I think Kimi will be 5 or 6th.

Jordan 199

_rebelkid wrote: »

I think Lewis has a good chance of winning this race. The McLarens are looking very consistent in the long runs, and there is a lot of DRS input for overtakes, with Korea having the second longest straight in F1 (only by 3 or 4 inches mind you!)

I think it will be a McLaren 1-3, Seb will get 2nd. Mark or Nando will be 3rd, and I think Kimi will be 5 or 6th.

He does indeed. I'm hoping he'll have a trouble free weekend and wins the race.

Andrew76

As long as he sorts out his setup issues he'll have a chance. If not and he qualifies off the first few rows he'll struggle.

antodeco

Hopefully he wins, Kimi 2nd and Vettel/Alonso further back. Nice for a 4 way finale!

smellslikeshoes

These early/late ones are tough

Rascasse

At least this is the last crazy hours one of the season.

Looking at the practice times it seems Red Bull will walk away with qualifying, though they weren't as much ahead of McLaren as they were in Japan.

Max_Charger

Genuinely thought Hamilton was out there. Senna did Lewis a massive favour by aborting that lap.

Rascasse

Button out. You really question why teams leave it to the last moment. Although he had a massive lock up, having to slow going by Ricciardo's car would have cost him more than the 5 thousandths he was behind P10.

_rebelkid

So, who saw Webber on pole........

No expectations of him after engine data retrieval issue this morning, so no pressure on him.

Rascasse

_rebelkid wrote: »

So, who saw Webber on pole........

No expectations of him after engine data retrieval issue this morning, so no pressure on him.

You wonder when Red Bull will do the switcheroo. If I were them and Webber leads Vettel into turn 1 I'd have them swap immediately on the straight into turn 3. Disheartening for Webber but needs must.

What is interesting is that Hamilton was only a couple of tenths behind. With RB not having the double DRS nonsense in the race it could actually be a close one.

_rebelkid

Rascasse wrote: »

You wonder when Red Bull will do the switcheroo. If I were them and Webber leads Vettel into turn 1 I'd have them swap immediately on the straight into turn 3. Disheartening for Webber but needs must.

Ya, but it's all in the maths. Horner always said that jis drivers race until the maths says otherwise, but I think with Seb being so close to Nando, Mark might just be a "Team Player".

Just seen this and thought it was good: Sky F1 Gangnam Style

antodeco

wextext wrote: »

Just seen this and thought it was good: Sky F1 Gangnam Style

Lewis at the end didn't do much, did he? :P

GarIT

I don't think qualifying could have gone any better from the spectators point of view. Webber on pole will be interesting. The main contenders fighting it out in 2nd, 3rd and 4th. Raikkonen has the potential to move up from 5th. Massa is somewhat back on form and doing better than usual in 6th. Grosjean could have a good battle with Massa for 6th. Button will be coming up fast behind them and then we have about 6 drivers fighting for 9th and 10th.

cherryghost

WTF was with Raikkonen, Grosjean and Rosberg posting best S3 times under the yellow flags? I seriously thought I'd expect penalties for the 3 drivers.

recyclebin

Yellow flags must now mean slowing down is now only optional.

mickdw

They must be looking at throttle trace or something and if there is any sort of lift off at the yellow flag location, all is good?

Jordan 199

Renault reaches 200th pole in F1 this weekend.

Andrew76

Everyone asleep?

Hoping we get a clean start with no crashes. C'mon Alonso and Vettel let's see a battle royale.

freestyla

good morning

i was up 1 hour too early ffs:pac:

freestyla

Watching from BBC web site, interesting they got few different cameras there -pit lane, onboard, driver tracker.. nice nice

freestyla

Cmoon Kimi dive in there between Redbulls! being 5th or DNF who cares!

Some bloody awful driving right through the field on that lap. Hamilton very lucky Kimi had the reaction speed to avoid him.

Andrew76

Silly boy Kamui.

freestyla

Kamuii whyy

Alonso left more space this time to better charging Kimi

Massa nice drive

Rascasse

When are they going to shift Rosbergs Merc? Hurry up guys.

Andrew76

Jeebus with the yellow flags for Rosberg's car. Nice to see Massa fighty.

freestyla

:eek:interesting how much faster Torro rosso is than Williams

Massa seriously holding up Kimi it seems.

****ing Lotus idiots.

Andrew76

freestyla wrote: »

:eek:interesting how much faster Torro rosso is than Williams

Aye poor pace from the Williams so far. Di Resta not doing anything special either.

Rascasse

HAM lost a second on the last lap and .7 in S1 this lap. Definite problem.

Edit. 1.5s the next lap.

freestyla

stupid track,

main straight should be bit longer to maximize overtake opoertunity into turn 1 (pit exit should go under road aka Abu dhabi)

freestyla

what a fight for 3rd in championship!

Rascasse

What is Kimi doing? He's losing 1.5 to 2s per lap behind Lewis.

recyclebin

Well its all gone tits up for McLaren. The constructors looks like no chance now. Looks like red bull have both championships in the bag.

Just noticed the speed graphic showed Webber was doing 101 in the pits. Is there a certain margin of error allowed for speed limit?

Max_Charger

Massa's got his mojo back, but will he be allowed to pass Alonso? No chance, back off him he's told. Bullsh!t.

Andrew76

Fernando, Felipe is faster than you. :pac: