Korean GP not occuring in 2010?

[UltimateDanGTR]

http://formula-one.speedtv.com/article/f1-2010-korean-gp-may-be-canceled/

Interesting. the track may not be ready in time. we might get one less superdull autodromo race this year (I know, we havnt seen a race there yet, but we know it's gonna be dull isn't it)

I really can't say I am dissapointed....

[ioan]

One race less is one race less and it's disappointing, no matter how you look at it.
The only one who might be happy is Alonso who's engine count is worst right now, but for a fan is quite a loss.

[Jag_Warrior]

How many series, over how many years, have attempted to hold races in South Korea, only to see them fall through?

When I hear about a race in South Korea, I take a "I'll believe it when I see it" attitude. It's about as bad as hearing Coulthard talk about how this year would be his year. Yeah, right.

[i_max2k2]

This would be disappointing, longer season usually has more twists in the end.

[Easy Drifter]

I'm with Jag on this one.
To me the surprise will be if they ever hold a race there after umpteen failures.

[SGWilko]

Well, if they do hold race there, we know it wont be interrupted by stray dogs wandering onto the track......

[ioan]

Last time I checked The British GP had to change it's venue because an already existing track wasn't able to even start the work on getting up to F1 standards.
And Silverstone is far from being same level as 90% of the circuits in F1 are.

In the US the only track up to scratch is Indy, and that is in a country many times as big as South Korea.

Building a new track from scratch isn't as easy as some here seem to believe, so stop being naughty.

[UltimateDanGTR]

Well, if they do hold race there, we know it wont be interrupted by stray dogs wandering onto the track......

I shouldn't laugh but :D

[Saint Devote]

Its probably because the South Koreans are demanding that their race is held FIRST, BEFORE the Japanese Grand Prix - no love lost between those two nations to say the least.............

[JasonD]

Well, if they do hold race there, we know it wont be interrupted by stray dogs wandering onto the track......

Ugly grid girls?

[billiaml]

Ugly grid girls?

Or the 4-legged kind that we keep as pets on this side of the pond -- but many Koreans consider to be a delicacy. That's also why I generally avoid oriental restaurants within walking distance of animal shelters :p :

[steveaki13]

As said above although it doesn't fill me with excitement as much as other returning GP's could or do.
A Grand Prix lost for the season would still means one less GP.

[Sleeper]

Cant say I'm too bothered, the maps for the track layout I've seen suggests Tilkes worst yet, and probably by some margin.

[Mark in Oshawa]

Brilliant!!! Champ Car put a Korean race on the date, and when it was cancelled, all we heard about was what a bunch of buffoons they were for the fact the Korean's fooled them. Now F1? I like it...one more race on a dull Tilke circuit is something I don't really care for, even if I wouldn't mind the Korean people seeing motorsport up close. I have nothing against them but the fact is the authorities and business people there have dropped the ball so many times on racing that I am finding this very interesting.

What Bernie should have done is made sure the track was finished 9 months in advance of the date (finished as in ready to race) and when it isn't, then postpone it and replace the date with a GP at some track wanting to curry favour with F1 and give them a trial race. The way Bernie plays track promotors and owners off each other, I am surprised he didn't do this actually.

[Saint Devote]

According to the Wall Street Journal [China edition], the WSJ scribe reports that China is preparing to end the Chinese Grand Prix.

The reasons are that it no longer serves their international purposes, there is no interest from China and just like the soccer stadium "Birds Nest" the plan is to demolish the Shanghai circuit and make the land available for housing.

Apparently the official description of the track - as was done with the soccer stadium - is "white elephant".

There is no elaboration on when the contract ends but he did indicate that it could even occur before.

Might this be the last Chinese Grand Prix?

After all, when one dabbles with tyrranical regimes, the rule of law is not exactly to be expected. Who would Bernie sue? Nobody.

[Dr. Krogshöj]

According to the Wall Street Journal [China edition], the WSJ scribe reports that China is preparing to end the Chinese Grand Prix.

The reasons are that it no longer serves their international purposes, there is no interest from China and just like the soccer stadium "Birds Nest" the plan is to demolish the Shanghai circuit and make the land available for housing.

Apparently the official description of the track - as was done with the soccer stadium - is "white elephant".

There is no elaboration on when the contract ends but he did indicate that it could even occur before.

Might this be the last Chinese Grand Prix?

After all, when one dabbles with tyrranical regimes, the rule of law is not exactly to be expected. Who would Bernie sue? Nobody.

If it is online, could you provide a link? I'd be interested in that story.

[UltimateDanGTR]

According to the Wall Street Journal [China edition], the WSJ scribe reports that China is preparing to end the Chinese Grand Prix.

The reasons are that it no longer serves their international purposes, there is no interest from China and just like the soccer stadium "Birds Nest" the plan is to demolish the Shanghai circuit and make the land available for housing.

Apparently the official description of the track - as was done with the soccer stadium - is "white elephant".

There is no elaboration on when the contract ends but he did indicate that it could even occur before.

Might this be the last Chinese Grand Prix?

After all, when one dabbles with tyrranical regimes, the rule of law is not exactly to be expected. Who would Bernie sue? Nobody.

there have been rumours about the chinese ending their grand prix for a year or 2 now i believe.

with all these new grands prix on the way (india, rome, maybe korea in the end) some races have got to give way, and china going would be useful as it saves the better grands prix IMO.

however, demolishing the whole track? all I can say is, only china.....

[555-04Q2]

They should ask Donnington for assistance to get it done on time :p :

[Mark in Oshawa]

there have been rumours about the chinese ending their grand prix for a year or 2 now i believe.

with all these new grands prix on the way (india, rome, maybe korea in the end) some races have got to give way, and china going would be useful as it saves the better grands prix IMO.

however, demolishing the whole track? all I can say is, only china.....

Good riddance to China going. They never filled the stands, the track was built basically by a regime who wouldn't heistate 5 seconds to run people over to glorify their regime; and this track is a monument to that.

It was a boring Tilke circuit, and hopefully it isn't replaced by another one.

If they tore it down, well it says much about how governments can waste money when they are not held accountable...

[Mark]

It was a boring Tilke circuit, and hopefully it isn't replaced by another one.
.

Yep. China is very grand and everything. But it's got no character at all. It looks just like Malaysia!

[schmenke]

...a regime who wouldn't heistate 5 seconds to run people over to glorify their regime; ......

That's rather harsh :s

[UltimateDanGTR]

Good riddance to China going. They never filled the stands, the track was built basically by a regime who wouldn't heistate 5 seconds to run people over to glorify their regime; and this track is a monument to that.

It was a boring Tilke circuit, and hopefully it isn't replaced by another one.

If they tore it down, well it says much about how governments can waste money when they are not held accountable...

here here. as the rest of the developed world tries to tackle global warming and conserve eneergy and all the rest of it, china carries on without a damn.

but lets leave it at that before we stave off topic....

F1 should go to where the fans are, not where the ruthless regimes and billionaires are....

[jens]

Looking at the Tilke bashing, I can't help but feel that he is simply a popular scapegoat - people prefer to taken an "easy" route in blaming someone without even trying to deepen into the real issues. His tracks are far from being bad - most of them offer very good overtaking opportunities (except street circuits, but that's understandable), more than most "old" ones. His circuits are also challenging for the driver and often for setting up the car. The main criticism may be that he has a certain similar style in designing circuits. But then again can we blame him for that, because firstly everyone has their own style and secondly he has to base his designs on strict FIA rules. But I'd personally like to see Portimao circuit in F1 calendar - this is one of the few modern circuits with modern demands that has been designed by someone else, so it would be interesting to see a comparison.

[Mark in Oshawa]

That's rather harsh :s

Read about Tianamen Square....read about their justice system and censorship.....tell me where I am wrong?

Not having a Chinese GP on the calender means a race can go to a more civilized nation with something to offer besides business contacts for the automakers.

Korea should get their act together and provide a date, and I would argue if an emerging nation should have a date, India might be more worthy.

[Mark in Oshawa]

Looking at the Tilke bashing, I can't help but feel that he is simply a popular scapegoat - people prefer to taken an "easy" route in blaming someone without even trying to deepen into the real issues. His tracks are far from being bad - most of them offer very good overtaking opportunities (except street circuits, but that's understandable), more than most "old" ones. His circuits are also challenging for the driver and often for setting up the car. The main criticism may be that he has a certain similar style in designing circuits. But then again can we blame him for that, because firstly everyone has their own style and secondly he has to base his designs on strict FIA rules. But I'd personally like to see Portimao circuit in F1 calendar - this is one of the few modern circuits with modern demands that has been designed by someone else, so it would be interesting to see a comparison.

I probably am too hard on Tilke, but most of his circuits, whether by FIA rules or just the modern specs all look more or less the same. I watch a race on one of his tracks, I sense it could be any place where the others were. They almost strike me as something straight out of a video game's fantasy tracks.

Places like Albert Park have character. Spa has character. Silverstone I loved. The Modern Ring in Germany still has a feel that says where it is. Then we look at Sepang, China, Turkey, and Bahrain, and the architecture is all the same....the look is the same, the nature of the corners is the same.

Maybe another designer would make us see a different atmosphere.

[jens]

The changes at the modern Nürburgring were also done by Tilke. ;)

I think you may keep in mind general athmosphere rather than precise circuit layout, if you are already talking about architecture, etc. For sure Spa-Francorchamps is located in a picturesque place, but other circuits have not had a similar honour, so it's hard to blame them for that. Maybe you could suggest that track designers should seek for more interesting places in terms of landscape, but then again we don't know, how possible has that been.

And surely those new circuits don't have a proper character yet due to their newness and lack of motorsport tradition. I personally love Sepang - for some reason I can sense eastern-Asianess in it. I think even Bahrain has a sense of its own character due to the desert that surrounds them even if many fans would prefer grass and a rather consistent climate tends to spring too little surprises to teams, making races too predictable. The night races (Singapore, Abu Dhabi) are a bit of a "meh" though.

[truefan72]

I am no fan of tilke tracks but I do like seeing f1 cars on new tracks and cool locations + the more races the better. So it would be a shame if the Korean GP does not make it. As an alternate, they could add either the Quatar track, Fuji or even portimao. either way I would like to see 19 races.

[Josti]

He did butcher the Hockenheimring...

[UltimateDanGTR]

nanny state safety was the cattalyst to the butchering to be honest.

It's not tilke who is at fault for the dull tracks he and his company produces, it's the requirements for ultra safety and epic facilities in the first place.

[ioan]

He did butcher the Hockenheimring...

He was asked to do so by Bernie and the FIA, so I won't blame him for it.

[Mark in Oshawa]

He did butcher the Hockenheimring...

Yes and no. The flowing elements and the flavour of the older "revised" Ring pretty much has been kept, and it is one of his best jobs in the sense that that first corner provides a lot of passing that the old first corner wasn't. I wont knock what he did at the Ring.

[Mark in Oshawa]

The changes at the modern Nürburgring were also done by Tilke. ;)

I think you may keep in mind general athmosphere rather than precise circuit layout, if you are already talking about architecture, etc. For sure Spa-Francorchamps is located in a picturesque place, but other circuits have not had a similar honour, so it's hard to blame them for that. Maybe you could suggest that track designers should seek for more interesting places in terms of landscape, but then again we don't know, how possible has that been.

And surely those new circuits don't have a proper character yet due to their newness and lack of motorsport tradition. I personally love Sepang - for some reason I can sense eastern-Asianess in it. I think even Bahrain has a sense of its own character due to the desert that surrounds them even if many fans would prefer grass and a rather consistent climate tends to spring too little surprises to teams, making races too predictable. The night races (Singapore, Abu Dhabi) are a bit of a "meh" though.

I agree with you that a lot of this is perception, and his designs have to give miles of runoff, which almost denudes the character of a circuit. I think there just is a sterile look to the designs to an extent. I didn't mind Bahrain's layout, until they revised it this year, and wrecked it IMO. IF the cars raced better, it would help my opinion of a lot of circuits.

That said, I am not really impressed by Singapore or Valencia's street circuit, and I like the wild architecture of Yaz Marina in Abu Dhabi, but I am not sure about the actual design. Will have to watch on more year I think to make up my mind.

I wasn't that impressed by Sepang, I don't like Turkey or China at all; and I miss a French GP that is on a circuit has character. Say....Paul Ricard or Dijon. That horse left the barn a long time ago.....but there are so many terrific circuit's out there that have character and are plenty safe enough, and yet due to Bernie's greed, have been left by the wayside. I just think god that somehow Spa keeps getting back on....

[Saint Devote]

If it is online, could you provide a link? I'd be interested in that story.

No it is not an online report - but was a report done by the journalist for teh WSJ in Hong Kong.

Obviously I have no idea how accurate anything from China is but the same China scribe wrote about what would happen to the soccer stadium.

I wonder just how committed to the race Bernie is? Last year when the sparse crowd was mentioned he stated that it only LOOKED that way because it is a gigantic place.

An associate of mine was at the race last year and they said the crowd was not especially big, just that almost nobody was CHINESE!!

[superocean]

Read about Tianamen Square....read about their justice system and censorship.....tell me where I am wrong?

Not having a Chinese GP on the calender means a race can go to a more civilized nation with something to offer besides business contacts for the automakers.

Korea should get their act together and provide a date, and I would argue if an emerging nation should have a date, India might be more worthy.
He can't read about it. He's behind the China Firewall where everything the great leader and the country govt does is the best of the best. Jet Li said such things on TV during the olympics. There's freedom here! Nobody complains. Dude, really? Because if they did complain they'd be shipped out to prison camps.

I won't miss China or Bahrain. Why hasn't Bernie said anything about Bahrain not having anything near the track except SAND? Why the need to entertain the Sand People? :vader: Does not approve.

I agree with you that a lot of this is perception, and his designs have to give miles of runoff, which almost denudes the character of a circuit. I think there just is a sterile look to the designs to an extent. I didn't mind Bahrain's layout, until they revised it this year, and wrecked it IMO. IF the cars raced better, it would help my opinion of a lot of circuits.

That said, I am not really impressed by Singapore or Valencia's street circuit, and I like the wild architecture of Yaz Marina in Abu Dhabi, but I am not sure about the actual design. Will have to watch on more year I think to make up my mind.

I wasn't that impressed by Sepang, I don't like Turkey or China at all; and I miss a French GP that is on a circuit has character. Say....Paul Ricard or Dijon. That horse left the barn a long time ago.....but there are so many terrific circuit's out there that have character and are plenty safe enough, and yet due to Bernie's greed, have been left by the wayside. I just think god that somehow Spa keeps getting back on....

Singapore is not as bad as Valencia in my mind b/c of the night racing but yes Valencia is boring and singapore could use a wider track. Race on the streets near waters where big yachts are parked does not equal excitement of Monaco. Korea's got the same ambitions but we'll just have to wait and see. I do hope they get the track done in time but knowing their cultural pace and timing, we could see a last minute change of plans.

[truefan72]

He did butcher the Hockenheimring...

nuff said :up:

it was a glorious track before he messed it up.

[Josti]

He was asked to do so by Bernie and the FIA, so I won't blame him for it.

I know it wasn't his initiative, but he could have been a bit more creative IMO. I think the change was too radical (apart from the stadium section).

[jens]

I think the new Hockenheimring is actually quite fine in itself - it usually offers good racing and overtaking opportunities. It is a real shame that we lost that old rather unique Hockenheimring though, but as has been mentioned - nothing to do with Tilke.