Last year’s Formula One Korean Grand Prix race in Yeongam, South Jeolla Province (F1 Korean Grand Prix Organizing Committee)
The Korean round of Formula One, the most prestigious international competition of circuit-racing cars, is only a month away.
The F1 Korean Grand Prix, in its third year, will kick off a three-day run with practice sessions on Oct. 12 on Korea International Circuit in Yeongam, South Jeolla Province. The qualifying and final races will be held on Oct. 13 and 14, respectively.
Korea will host the 16th round in the current F1 season. The season has just ended all European races of this year with the Italian Grand Prix Sept. 9, and will move on to Asia starting with the 14th round in Singapore Sept. 23. Japan will host the 15th Grand Prix on Oct. 7, followed by India Oct. 28 and the United Arab Emirates on Nov. 4.
As of the Italian Grand Prix, Fernando Alonso, a Spanish driver currently racing for Ferrari, leads the pack with 179 points. Alonso won the inaugural Korean Grand Prix in 2010.
The runner-up spot is closely contested by Lewis Hamilton, a Briton on team McLaren, with 142 points; Kimi Riakkonen, a Finnish driver of the Lotus team, with 141 points; and Red Bull driver Sebastian Vettel of Germany with 140 points. They are followed by another Red Bull driver Mark Webber of Australia with 132 points.
In an F1 race, 12 teams send two drivers apiece to each Grand Prix. After each race, drivers are ranked with points: The winner gets 25 points, the runner-up 18 points. The points system determines the two annual world championships, one for drivers and the other for constructor teams.
Michael Schumacher, a German driver with the Mercedes team who is well known to Koreans, is ranked 11th with 43 points. He returned to an active career in 2010 after retiring in 2006.
Korean Grand Prix organizers said Thursday that they are better prepared than last year to host a successful race. They said an additional 132 accommodations, including bed and breakfasts at traditional Korean houses, will open for the 2012 race. They also said that roads connecting nearby highways and the circuit’s parking lots have been fully opened.
koreaherald@heraldcorp.com
