Korean GP : A lesson to India?

With another Asian country making its mark in the Formula One schedule with a big bang as the schedule keeps on getting longer the sport is gaining more popularity amongst the Asians. It wont be long before we see Asians dominate the sport which was dominated traditionally by the Europeans and some South Americans.

Korean GP the new entrant into the Formula One circuit provided a spectacular race even though there were many glitches. This should prove to be another lesson for the Indians who will are waiting for the to chance to steal the show next October. The Final race proved to be an eye candy for the spectators despite the heavy rains.

Many doubted how the track will behave as the track was completed just under two weeks from the race weekend. There was not also enough time to test the track and how it would behave in different weather conditions and when 24 cars continuously drive for 55 laps.

The race weekend did start on a poor note as the drivers took their time to get adjusted to this new circuit which seemed more tricky than expected.

There were complaints from many drivers of poor track conditions and also the asphalt coming out or being poorly laid at various places on the circuit. But all this was put to rest on Sunday, may be because the rain drenched track did not make any difference regarding the poorly laid asphalt. If it would have been a race in dry and hot conditions the situation might have been different.

It is now the job of the organizers to check for the track and how it will behave in various conditions. But within no time Korea will be hosting the Formula Three Grand Prix’s grand finale race at the newly built Yeongam Circuit.

Other than the track there were also finishing works going on till the last day of the race on the circuit. There were also many complaints regarding poor pit lanes and also a dirty entrance to the pit lane area. Many teams were facing technical glitches also at the track but as the weekend evolved they got settled though the pit lane problem was still persistent.

Coming to the technical aspects of the track the design was very much commendable which was specially designed to produce an exciting race. Even though the late laying of the track made it slippery the track proved to be one of the best positive aspects of the Korean GP. The track also nullified upgrades of various team including Red Bull, Ferrari and McLaren. This prompted them to make various changes to their upgrades and some teams even decided to take their upgrades off citing negative impact on race.

But the main headline before the race started was that there were no good hotels nearby the track. The Drivers and the Bosses were accommodated in a good hotel which was little far off the track while the rest of the technical staff were provided stay at various brothels nearby. They were makeshift arrangements and many also complained of used condoms in their rooms and even that their rooms were being rented out when they were out. So this is one aspect that the organizers would definitely love to improvise upon with the help of the government.

Though there were many negative things happening before the start of the race the Korean GP got the backing and support of the whole nation and this was seen in the race. A whopping 170,000 spectators turned out to witness the three day event while around 80,000 attended to see Alonso move to the top of the driver’s rankings. The crowd were very much thrilled when crowd favorite Micheal Schumacher finished his best finish this season with a fourth place.

The Korean GP should be a learning experience for the Indians as they prepare for the Indian GP and after the CWG’s initial negativity the organizers of the Grand Prix will be looking to turn the tide by providing a glitch free race. All these aspects where the Korean GP lacked should be considered and made sure that they are not repeated in the Indian Grand Prix.

With a huge response to Common Wealth Games, Delhi would be looking to repeat the same at Noida next year.

Hoping for an exciting Indian GP next year and also two more great and exciting races at Brazil and Abu Dhabi!!!