Wheel to wheel racing is one thing. Gratuitous bashing just to keep the crowd's attention (I'm not saying that you're implying this) is another.
Track isn't bad, I stayed up 2 hours last night watching the race starting on lap 4. Looking forward to next year's hopefully dry race. If you want to see more passing and action, then F1 should use unpredictable cars and varying degrees of drivers. As much as I want to see more action too, but think about it; when you take the best 12 teams and the best 24 drivers in the world, don't expect intense action all the time. They're the best for a reason.
all things considered i'd say they pulled it off. the track didn't shred. the cars maintained a manageable degree of control on the presumed oily surface. the people in attendabce seemed to be having fun. in a case where many things could have gone wrong very few did. i look forward to next year.
"What's most worrying to me is the turn 15/16 area. The dip is horrible and the sequence is just plain dangerous thanks to pit-in being located there." Pit-in location inexplicable IMO. Why the walls? Baffling.
Sorry Remy I have to disagree in this case. The Korean track is the best track he has ever designed. Some of those corners are awesomely fast and the flow is great, and then you have the very straight section to make setup really complex. I love this track and I am not talking like this because of the race (which I thought waa interesting but otherwise a whimpy joke, ie. drivers not wanting to race). I fell in love with this track watching qualifying. Some of those balls out corners were taken in top gear and fncken fast ... awesome stuff. Would love to drive it! Pete
I disagree. In spots the curbing is terrible. The track didn't drain sufficiently fast. Elsewhere racing could have recommenced sooner. Pit entry is dangerously placed and the walls along the approach are needlessly high causing the drivers to reach pit entry blind. Whoever sent that tractor out to fetch a disabled car should be banned from the sport. Had a car gone off (not unlikely yesterday) and hit it the accident would have been horrendous. The good news is that most every thing should be correctable. The drainage issues will require the biggest changes but should be doable. And then there are the snakes.
The problem there was the FIA listened to the whimpy drivers ... they should have just started the race!!! Heck it was wetter in Fuji last year or the year before, whenever it was. Pete
The driver's opinion was by no means unanimous as to the second restart. They've all said that the initial halt was correct. BTW it was the spray that was the issue not the rain per se. In any case the race was run in its entirety so where's the harm (beside my missing sleep).
And spray happens when it rains so again get on with the racing please! As a New Zealander I've raced in the rain and even in a saloon car you cannot see, but that is racing ... I was embarrassed to watch the worlds so called premier version of motorsport listening to all these poofs saying that it was too dangerous to race. Even Brundle was embarrassed ... Pete
hah, no. just based on the layout itself. 3 long straights followed by a ton of corners. I'll wait for a dry race to pass full judgement. But the track definitely seems more fun and entertaining than Valencia and Yas Marina.
During the stand down, one of the commentators here on British channel said that the Korean organisers wanted to emulate Monaco, and asked Tilke to build a track like it. Apart from the concrete walls reminiding me of some US street circuits in places, I cannot see that it looks remotely like Monaco. Apparently, once the track layout is definite, it is intended that they will build a whole town around it to mimic Monaco where residents can watch racing from their balconies. The idea is to have luxury flats from where the rich Koreans living there will be able to see most parts of the circuit. The only thing they won't be able to buy is good weather ...
Pete, well, to be frank, i haven't actually managed to see how the Korean track really is. I missed quali, and in the race..well, wet race, i haven't made up my mind on this. But i'm willing to give it the benefit of the doubt.