The Formula 1 Season 2006 Thread (13 Viewers)
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new track coming up.
Motor racing-South Korea to host F1 race from 2010
Mon Oct 2, 3:57 AM ET
SEOUL, Oct 2 (Reuters) -
South Korea will host a Formula One grand prix from 2010, organisers said on Monday.
Formula One supremo Bernie Ecclestone and Park Joon-yung, governor of South Korea's South Cholla province where a new circuit will be built, said the agreement will bring the race to one of the world's leading car exporting countries.
Ecclestone, who flew to Seoul after Sunday's Chinese Grand Prix in Shanghai, said he would help to bring up Korean Formula One drivers in the hope of having a Korean team take part in the race one day.
The Korea Auto Valley Operation, a joint venture between South Cholla province and the Korean F1 promoter M-Bridge Holdings, will build a Hermann Tilke-designed 5.45-km (3.39- mile) track in the southwestern region at a cost of 250 billion won ($264 million).
Ecclestone has been keen to secure new markets, with the first race in Turkey last year and in China and Bahrain in 2004.
None of those countries have local drivers or teams competing in Formula One at present.
Ecclestone has tried previously to bring Formula One to South Korea, striking a deal in 1996 with the Sepoong Engineering Construction Co Ltd to hold races at Kunsan City from 1998 to 2002.
The track was never built and Ecclestone won a subsequent court case in Britain allowing him to keep a payment of $11.75 million.
Motor racing-South Korea to host F1 race from 2010
Mon Oct 2, 3:57 AM ET
SEOUL, Oct 2 (Reuters) -
South Korea will host a Formula One grand prix from 2010, organisers said on Monday.
Formula One supremo Bernie Ecclestone and Park Joon-yung, governor of South Korea's South Cholla province where a new circuit will be built, said the agreement will bring the race to one of the world's leading car exporting countries.
Ecclestone, who flew to Seoul after Sunday's Chinese Grand Prix in Shanghai, said he would help to bring up Korean Formula One drivers in the hope of having a Korean team take part in the race one day.
The Korea Auto Valley Operation, a joint venture between South Cholla province and the Korean F1 promoter M-Bridge Holdings, will build a Hermann Tilke-designed 5.45-km (3.39- mile) track in the southwestern region at a cost of 250 billion won ($264 million).
Ecclestone has been keen to secure new markets, with the first race in Turkey last year and in China and Bahrain in 2004.
None of those countries have local drivers or teams competing in Formula One at present.
Ecclestone has tried previously to bring Formula One to South Korea, striking a deal in 1996 with the Sepoong Engineering Construction Co Ltd to hold races at Kunsan City from 1998 to 2002.
The track was never built and Ecclestone won a subsequent court case in Britain allowing him to keep a payment of $11.75 million.
channel 7 should steal it from them..Just like they did with the footy from channel9Massa grabs last minute pole
Felipe Massa snatched pole position from his team-mate Michael Schumacher in the dying seconds of qualifying for the Japanese Grand Prix.
The 25-year-old Brazilian clocked the best time of 1:29.599 to secure only his second career pole as he and Schumacher completed an all-Ferrari front row.
Afterwards, Massa said: "This is a fantastic result. To be on pole position at a track that I like very much and where the driver counts for a lot is very special.
"I managed to do a great lap, with no mistakes and starting from the front is definitely important for the race."
"I am also happy that we have both Ferraris on the front row and that our main rivals are two rows behind us and I hope we can also finish the race with them the same number of places behind us."
His team-mate Schumacher, who is engrossed in a championship battle with Fernando Alonso, had set the fastest time overall, in the low-fuel second part of qualifying, and looked set for a record ninth Suzuka pole.
Massa though, had not read Ferrari's usually perfect script.
As the chequered flag dropped, he snuck one final lap in just 0.112 seconds ahead of the seven-time world champion.
But as the 2006 drivers' championship battle intensifies, the soon-to-retire German can sleep easy knowing that Renault driver Alonso is at least back in a distant fifth.
Schumacher said, "It's been a great weekend so far for us. We are looking strong, we are on the first row and we have the Renaults on the third row and that's a very good starting place for the race."
The Suzuka track was favouring a Bridgestone tyre which meant a struggling session for the Michelin-shod Alonso - the defending world champion.
The Spaniard was pushed back down the order by a strong performance from Toyota. Both their drivers helped to bolster the Ferrari challenge by taking the second row for themselves. Ralf Schumacher will line up behind his brother in third while team-mate Jarno Trulli starts in fourth.
It was the first time since Michelin's re-entry into Formula One in 2001 that Bridgestone-tyred cars had locked out the front two rows.
Despite this weekend's disagreements Giancarlo Fisichella will be supporting his team-mate Alonso, lining up alongside in sixth. Honda have the fourth row to themselves with Jenson Button ahead of Rubens Barrichello.
BMW's Nick Heidfeld and William's Nico Rosberg completed the top 10.
The biggest disappiontment of the session was the pace of McLaren, who did not even make the top 10 "shoot-out" and are facing up to the prospect of a winless season for the first time since 1996.
Ferrari-bound Finn Kimi Raikkonen was only 11th with his team-mate Pedro de la Rosa directly behind him in 13th.
The second session also saw the departure of Sauber's Robert Kubica, Williams' Mark Webber, the Toro Rosso of Vitantonio Liuzzi and the Midland of Christijan Albers.
The first session had seen the departure of many of the usual suspects. Both Red Bulls of David Coulthard and Robert Doornbos had a disappointing session. They line up at the rear of the grid along with the Toro Rosso of Scott Speed, Midland's Tiago Monteiro and the two Super Aguri's of Takuma Sato and Sakon Yamamoto.
The Driver's championship can be decided tomorrow if Michael Schumacher wins and Fernando Alonso fails to score. If not the fight will go down to the final race of the season in Brazil.
Felipe Massa snatched pole position from his team-mate Michael Schumacher in the dying seconds of qualifying for the Japanese Grand Prix.
The 25-year-old Brazilian clocked the best time of 1:29.599 to secure only his second career pole as he and Schumacher completed an all-Ferrari front row.
Afterwards, Massa said: "This is a fantastic result. To be on pole position at a track that I like very much and where the driver counts for a lot is very special.
"I managed to do a great lap, with no mistakes and starting from the front is definitely important for the race."
"I am also happy that we have both Ferraris on the front row and that our main rivals are two rows behind us and I hope we can also finish the race with them the same number of places behind us."
His team-mate Schumacher, who is engrossed in a championship battle with Fernando Alonso, had set the fastest time overall, in the low-fuel second part of qualifying, and looked set for a record ninth Suzuka pole.
Massa though, had not read Ferrari's usually perfect script.
As the chequered flag dropped, he snuck one final lap in just 0.112 seconds ahead of the seven-time world champion.
But as the 2006 drivers' championship battle intensifies, the soon-to-retire German can sleep easy knowing that Renault driver Alonso is at least back in a distant fifth.
Schumacher said, "It's been a great weekend so far for us. We are looking strong, we are on the first row and we have the Renaults on the third row and that's a very good starting place for the race."
The Suzuka track was favouring a Bridgestone tyre which meant a struggling session for the Michelin-shod Alonso - the defending world champion.
The Spaniard was pushed back down the order by a strong performance from Toyota. Both their drivers helped to bolster the Ferrari challenge by taking the second row for themselves. Ralf Schumacher will line up behind his brother in third while team-mate Jarno Trulli starts in fourth.
It was the first time since Michelin's re-entry into Formula One in 2001 that Bridgestone-tyred cars had locked out the front two rows.
Despite this weekend's disagreements Giancarlo Fisichella will be supporting his team-mate Alonso, lining up alongside in sixth. Honda have the fourth row to themselves with Jenson Button ahead of Rubens Barrichello.
BMW's Nick Heidfeld and William's Nico Rosberg completed the top 10.
The biggest disappiontment of the session was the pace of McLaren, who did not even make the top 10 "shoot-out" and are facing up to the prospect of a winless season for the first time since 1996.
Ferrari-bound Finn Kimi Raikkonen was only 11th with his team-mate Pedro de la Rosa directly behind him in 13th.
The second session also saw the departure of Sauber's Robert Kubica, Williams' Mark Webber, the Toro Rosso of Vitantonio Liuzzi and the Midland of Christijan Albers.
The first session had seen the departure of many of the usual suspects. Both Red Bulls of David Coulthard and Robert Doornbos had a disappointing session. They line up at the rear of the grid along with the Toro Rosso of Scott Speed, Midland's Tiago Monteiro and the two Super Aguri's of Takuma Sato and Sakon Yamamoto.
The Driver's championship can be decided tomorrow if Michael Schumacher wins and Fernando Alonso fails to score. If not the fight will go down to the final race of the season in Brazil.
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