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Vettel wins in Korea

NEWS STORY
06/10/2013

Depending on who you listen to this could well be the last Grand Prix we see at Yeongam.

While the organisers insist a new deal is close to being agreed, many believe the asterisk against the event on the provisional calendar released last week was a clear sign that the end is near.

All of which is a bit sad really because the KIC, much like the track in Istanbul, is quite good, it's just that it hasn't had the Field of Dreams effect, the people aren't coming. Then again, much like Magny Cours, it's in the middle of nowhere, while the promised hotels and leisure facilities have never become reality.

Consequently, if this is the last race to be held here it is likely to be remembered as the race which ultimately decided the 2013 title. If Sebastian Vettel storms to another victory it is likely, even with five more races remaining, rivals team will call it a day and switch all their focus to 2014. On the other hand, in someone, anyone, can derail the Vettel/Red Bull steamroller who knows what might happen in Japan and beyond.

Despite dominating on Saturday, today, when it most mattered, Lewis Hamilton didn't have the goods to deliver, though full marks for effort.

The Mercedes driver's best hope is to get the jump on the world champion into the first corner, otherwise it is likely the German will disappear into the distance.

The chasing pack, led by Romain Grosjean should see some fun and games, especially in terms of a very frustrated Fernando Alonso, while Mark Webber has a point to prove following his ten-place grid penalty which sees him start thirteenth.

Consistently disappointing in qualifying, Kimi Raikkonen is usually much stronger in the race, and his superb drive to third in Singapore - like Alonso's drive to second - proves that anything is possible.

The real surprise of qualifying was Sauber, Nico Hulkenberg and Esteban Gutierrez taking eighth and ninth on the grid, the Mexican's best qualifying position since entering F1. In the last couple of races the Swiss outfit has looked its old self, the money orries of the summer seemingly put on hold for the time being.

McLaren had a dreadful qualifying but its fight for fifth in the championship is helped by the fact that Force India's was worse, though nothing compared to Williams dismal performance.

The tropical storm that threatened the race moved on elsewhere, but the winds that accompanied it are already hitting the region and are sure to cause problems. The rain on which so many teams were banking looking highly unlikely to arrive.

In the three Grands Prix so far, there have been more Safety Car periods (5) than race leaders (2, Vettel and Alonso), however, as we saw in Singapore such interruptions don't put Vettel off his game. On the other hand such an occurrence could be a game changer elsewhere down the field.

In all honesty, such is the dominance of the German and hit team it is best focus elsewhere, on the numerous battles throughout the field as drivers struggle to impress and team fight for the points that win prizes. After all, at present only 7 of the seats are officially filled for 2014, and at least one of those - you know who - is still in doubt.

As has already been said, should Vettel win by two laps today it is unlikely that he will receive the sort of podium reception witnessed in Singapore, the reason being that so few people attend the event.

While there has been talk of drizzle - possibly wishful thinking - it is dry, but quite windy. More importantly, it is cooler than it has been all weekend, and this will almost certainly impact tyre performance.

Tyre options weekend are medium (prime) and supersoft (option). We've been seeing an average of about 0.8 seconds per lap difference between the two compounds, considerably less than Singapore. This is set to form the platform for some interesting strategies during the race, but it also means that more of the frontrunners were able to get through Q1 without having to put on the supersoft compound.

The fastest strategy on paper is start on supersoft, change to supersoft again on lap 20 and then change to the medium on lap 40. Realistically though, most cars are likely to start on the supersoft, change to the medium on lap 20, then change to the medium again on lap 38.

The best three-stop strategy - for those wanting to try something different - is to start on the supersoft, change for supersoft again on lap 19, supersoft once more on lap 34, and finally medium on lap 47.

Alonso, who was highly critical of the Pirelli's yesterday, was on the receiving end of a no-nonsense response from Paul Hembery, a rare outburst from a man whose company has been on the receiving end of much criticism this year, most of it very unfair.

Unlike 2012, this year there are two DRS zones. The detection point of the first is 70m after Turn 2, with activation 360m after Turn 2. The second detection point is 60m before Turn 16 with activation 95m after Turn 18.

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