Building F1 circuits

Will the inaugural South Korean Grand Prix actually take place on 24 October?

Construction of the Yeongam circuit, designed by Hermann Tilke, is still not yet finished. It should have had its FIA inspection by the end of July, as the regulations state that that should happen at least 90 days ahead of a venue’s first international event. That particular target has clearly been missed by some margin.

Yeongam Circuit

However, in order to help ensure the South Korean round remains on the 2010 Formula 1 calendar, the FIA has now decided to relax the rules by delaying its final inspection until 21 September. The organisers remain upbeat, saying the track is currently “90% complete”. Only 10% to go, then.

As a sign of progress, a Red Bull F1 car is due to complete a lap this weekend, driven by Karun Chandhok. Incidentally, his race seat at Hispania Racing now seems to be in jeopardy, because Sakon Yamamoto will almost certainly be contesting the season’s remaining races. The move is, allegedly, due to the personal sponsorship that the Japanese driver brings to the team.

Meanwhile, in Texas, the first details have emerged of the Austin circuit which will host the US Grand Prix from 2012. The 3.4 mile long lap has apparently been inspired by classic tracks, and features substantial elevation changes.


It’s another Tilke project so, as with Yeongam, fans will doubtless just be hoping that the tracks allow for decent racing and overtaking. That has definitely not been the case with some other of his designs, such as boring Bahrain and the dreadful Valencia street circuit.

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