The inaugural Korean Formula One Grand Prix is just a few weeks away (22–24 October) and rumours are abound that the track won’t be ready in time. Red Bull Racing took an RB5 and a lonely F1 driver to the Korean International Circuit last weekend to see how things are going.
At 5.6 kilometres in length and with 18 corners the new track is sure to keep drivers busy. The first sector will be very fast, suiting the likes of McLaren. While the final two sectors are technical and will reward cars with string downforce, such as Red Bull. So, there’s a bit there for the two teams at the head of the championship race.
After completing a few laps Karun Chandok reckons, “The track’s got a good mix of corners and I think we’ll see a lot of overtaking in the first sector – there are long straights into slow hairpins. The straight after turn one and two is really long, so we may see some good slip streaming there, like in Shanghai. From turn seven onwards, there’s a fast section of flowing corners all the way back to the start-finish line – so I think the Red Bull Racing guys will be happy in sectors two and three.”
Video footage from Chandok’s test run can be seen after the break.
[Source: Formula1.com | Pics: Red Bull Racing/Getty Images]
