Formula One: South Korean Grand Prix- Preview (Part 1)
The freshly laid track of South Korea gives off the smells of thrill and fervour as the Formula One carnival heads for their seventeenth round of the season.
This race is surely going to be the most nail biting and jaw dropping round of the season, not only because the 24th of October would see the first ever Formula One race on Korean soil but also due to several other reasons. The race has come at such a critical
part of the season when the battle between the top five drivers has become tenser than it had been ever before.
Nick Heidfeld who has joined the Formula One squad only a couple of races back, fears that the track would be very oily. The last layer of tarmac had been laid only a little time ago and many of the drivers believe that it has not got enough time to settle
down. If that is true, the track could be very slippery, making driving very dangerous at several parts.
However, the Indian driver, Karun Chandhok dismisses all such fears saying that being a new track it would be more slippery than some of the others however, that does not mean that driving would be a complete hazardous experience. Chandhok has run some demonstration
laps with Red Bull on the track.
Although so much has been said and thought about the track in the past few weeks yet nothing is certain. Everything remains a doubt or a theoretical calculation unless the teams drive at the track for the first practice on Friday.
The German architect and designer of the track, Hermann Tilke while expressing his views of the track said,
"Parts of the track are to be like a city track - but without a city at the moment. That means it is narrow, and everything is close to the circuit. Other parts of it are permanent with fast corners, and I think it will be interesting to drive."
Well, if the track really turns out to be oily as it is thought, Red Bull would suffer the most for they have the most to lose this weekend. Another team that would be most concerned now is McLaren since they have the most to gain this Sunday, which is also
their last hope. With all this said, one fears to see another crash by Lewis Hamilton of McLaren and if there has to be one, Hamilton would love to crash with Mark Webber of Red Bull. Webber currently leads the charts with his 220 points, while Hamilton stands
at fourth place, 28 points adrift the topper.
The two drivers have already been engaged in a crash at Monza earlier this year owing to which Hamilton had to end his race.
The other driver who is feared for this kind of act is Sebastian Vettel of Red Bull. During the season, Vettel has been seen making poor moves on the track like one seen at the Belgian Grand Prix where his poor driving forced Jenson Button off the race.
Other than the top five racers, some of the heroes to ‘watch at’ during this round would be Robert Kubica, Nico Rosberg and Felipe Massa. Kubica and Rosberg have demonstrated good form in some of the past races, and also they have a good record of understanding
new tracks quickly. Moreover, Kubica’s Renault has also shown very good pace in some of the races earlier this season and the straights of the Korean track would give them a clear advantage.
On the other hand, Massa of Ferrari is adamant to do well here. His team as well as his mate, Alonso has pleaded the driver to shave off points from their rivals to help Alonso win. Massa has vowed to do his best to facilitate his teammate and the team as
much as possible and now he is expected to do very well.
To be continued…
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