7 Days Till The Inaugural Korean Grand Prix

With 12 days to go before the scheduled race, the Korean grand prix was finally given the green light on Tuesday 12 October 2010 following a track inspection by Charlie Whiting, the FIA's technical delegate.

“It is satisfactory, and I will issue the license through the Korea Automobile Racing Association (KARA),” Whiting said.

FIA regulations indicate that a track must be approved 90 days before the race takes place but the sport's governing body agreed to relent in this case.  I am hoping that the FIA takes the same outlook on future implemented rules, such as the 107% Grid Rule.

With the race for Driver's Championship on the line, keeping this race in the line up was a necessity.  There are only 14 points keeping Mark Webber in the lead for Driver's Title and this race could add a little more. Not only points but excitement.

I did a little research and discovered that tickets for the first Korean Grand Prix range from 852.32 CAD or 528.61 GBP for Main Grandstand Gold three day pass to 166.71 CAD or 103.27 GBP Grandstand J-b three day pass. Which, if you are interested in purchasing, is cheapest when ordered through the Korean International Circuit website it's self.  On some other site, they can be upwards of 1131 CAD or 700.41 GBP.  Is it really worth it yet though?

Browsing through the photos that have been released online of the Korean International Circuit look pretty devastating.  The circuit still looks like a building site, with cranes pecking away everywhere but the facilities were described as "satisfactory".  For those who cannot see it in person, we will see what the circuit holds on Thursday first free practise.

I remember when the Grand Prix du Montreal was pulled out of the line up due to poor road surface. The Gilles Villeneauve Circuit isn't used regularly as a race track causing the term "Green Circuit" to be given to it.  It took quite sometime for the FIA to approve the tarmac again and look what happened in the 2010 grand Prix.  It was quoted about the surface of the Gilles Villeneauve circuit, “... whatever they’ve put down now has all of the qualities of polished marble.”  It chewed through most of the teams tyres and now some drivers are worried that the track that may not be raceable. That the tarmac being laid so late might create some problems.



What ever the case may be, I am still excited that the FIA is bring in new tracks across the world. Starting with the Korean Grand Prix and next year, for the first time, there will be a race in Delhi, and the possibility of staging races in other countries, including the USA, South Africa and Russia, have also been discussed.