After the unpredictability of the first half of the season, the Korean Grand Prix fell into the pattern we have seen recently – and will probably see in the next two races – of most runners doing a two stop strategy with drivers largely choosing to race on the harder prime compound tyre in the second and third stints. But there were a few counter strategies and some other unusual aspects to Sunday’s race, not least the strange late race messages from Red Bull Racing urging the winner Sebastian Vettel to slow down due to concerns over the front tyres. More…

Mark Webber took pole position for the Korean Grand Prix with a strong final lap, bouncing back from an engine software problem in final practice to seal an impressive pole position and beat his team mate by 7/100ths of a second. Webber spent time with the world’s fastest man Usain Bolt earlier this week and the golden glow certainly seems to have rubbed off on the Australian, who was delighted with his lap. It’s the 36 year old’s second pole of the season, but the first he has won for himself on the track; he inherited the pole in Monaco More…

Sebastian Vettel set the fastest time in Friday’s second Free Practice for the Korean Grand Prix, edging out Red Bull team mate Mark Webber by 0.032 seconds, with championship leader Fernando Alonso third. The Red Bulls were three tenths quicker than their rivals at the head of the field to go into Saturday’s final practice and qualifying at Yeongam as favourites. However, the McLarens and Ferraris weren’t too far behind in overall pace, with Mercedes also in the mix, to suggest there will be a close fight for the rest of the weekend. “This afternoon the track was quite slippery More…

The Korean Grand Prix was a fascinating race from a strategy point of view, with many talking points and there have been lots of questions from fans about whether Mark Webber could have won the race if he hadn’t pitted at the same time as Lewis Hamilton or whether Fernando Alonso could have got on the podium if he’d been released from behind Felipe Massa, as he was in Suzuka. Hopefully the answers are all here. This was one of those races where strategy was always going to be decisive, but where it was vital to be flexible and adaptable. More…

Sebastian Vettel may have clinched the 2011 World Championship, but it’s not dented his motivation as he again out raced and out thought his opponents, despite the race not working out the way Red Bull had thought it would in terms of tyre strategy. Pole sitter Lewis Hamilton battled with understeer all race and finished second. It was Vettel’s 10th win of the season, making him the only driver apart from his countryman Michael Schumacher do win 10 or more races in a season. It was the 20th victory of his career and with Mark Webber’s third place it gave More…

Lewis Hamilton rediscovered his form in qualifying for the Korean Grand Prix, breaking the stranglehold Red Bull have enjoyed on pole position since November 2010. It is his 19th career pole position and his first for 27 Grands Prix, stretching back to Canada 2010. Although Red Bull’s tactics showed that they had accepted they were not going to be able to beat McLaren to pole, Vettel nevertheless managed to fight Hamilton and to split the McLarens on the grid. Hamilton was on sensational form, setting a time three tenths of a second faster than team mate Jenson Button and squeezing More…

Today’s Korean Grand Prix featured some very strong performances by drivers who got a result and by those who didn’t make it to the finish So who was your Driver of the Day? Fernando Alonso Close to Red Bulls in qualifying, did everything right and when the Red Bulls failed in the race he picked up the pieces. Had to recover from a slow pit stop to repass Hamilton and did so easily. Now firmly in charge of the title race. Lewis Hamilton Didn’t have the pace in qualifying or in the wet to challenge for the win, but second More…

Fernando Alonso won the Korean Grand Prix today in very difficult conditions, his first wet weather win, ahead of Lewis Hamilton and Felipe Massa. It was a real game changer of a day as far as the championship is concerned, with Red Bull’s two title contenders failing to score; Mark Webber crashing out and Sebastian Vettel’s engine failing near the end. After a long fightback from being 47 points behind Webber after Silverstone, Alonso now has control of the points table. Alonso leads by 11 points from Webber, with Hamilton up to third place, 21 behind the Spaniard. So heavy More…

Sebastian Vettel will start tomorrow’s inaugural Korean Grand Prix from pole position after an extremely tight qualifying session. Mark Webber was just 7/100ths of a second slower in second place with Fernando Alonso a further 9/100ths off Webber. It is Vettel’s 14th career pole position and the 9th this season in 17 races. Perhaps more staggeringly it is Red Bull’s 14th out of 17 races. After second in Singapore, then pole and the win in Japan this is starting to look like a sprint finish by Vettel and Webber is looking nervously over his shoulder with a slender 14 point More…

The general view among the drivers is that the new Yeongham track is enjoyable to drive and quite challenging, with two distinct characters; the straights and tight turns of Sector 1 and the twists and turns of the later part of the lap, which in time will form a street circuit section. But many of the drivers are complaining already about the pit lane entry, which is on the racing line through the blind final corner and about the angled kerb at Turn 16, which is below the level of the asphalt and caused the Hispania car to go off More…

Championship leader Mark Webber set the fastest time on the first day of running at the new Korean International Circuit, ahead of title rivals Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton. Robert Kubica and Felipe Massa were both in the top six. Neither are title contenders, but they could take important points off the five drivers who are, this weekend. A lot of laps were covered today, with most drivers doing a race distance or close to it, across the two practice sessions. The first impressions of the new circuit in Korea are pretty positive, despite the negativity in the build up More…

The new circuit in Korea was approved for a racing licence by FIA Race Director Charlie Whiting today, just 11 days before the F1 cars run on it for the first time. The organisers, KAVO, have certainly cut it fine and have had to put up with many negative headlines in the last few months. The fact that the event will go ahead will be an enormous relief to the drivers struggling to stay in touch in the championship, like Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton. Had Korea been cancelled their chances of competing for the title would have reduced dramatically. More…

The last few days have seen a turnaround in the fortunes of the Korean Grand Prix and the expectations are now that the F1 circus will race there in two weeks time. It is still subject to an inspection this coming week by FIA Race Director Charlie Whiting, but F1 commercial supremo Bernie Ecclestone has already indicated that the track will pass this inspection. “I will be there, the world will be watching and we will have a great race – it is on, end of story,” he told Bob McKenzie – father of BBC presenter Lee – in the More…