Pit Stop

By Formula One's VIP standards, it might not be the most comfortable of weekends. Korea promises to be a bit of an unknown quantity, but the most important thing is known - the track itself is ready. The infrastructure may be a different matter.

The recent problems with facilities at the Commonwealth Games in India caused many petrolheads to wonder whether the Korean track might also fight against the clock to make the deadline. FIA only gave the green light to the circuit last week after a thorough inspection. While the track might be in place, some stands and hospitality facilities will be temporary in nature, leaving more than a bit to be desired.

It won't please the pampered prima donnas who inhabit the champagne-fuelled world of privilege. The drivers may find themselves outside their normal comfort bubble, and the teams may have to improvise. But those of us who tune in on the television probably will wonder what all the fuss is about, and that will relieve Bernie Ecclestone.

The commercial boss of Formula One is uberkeen to expand the sport across as many time zones and markets as possible.

But even he admitted his concerns about whether the track would be ready in time. Perhaps privately he wondered whether it was one new track too many. The expansion of Formula One across the globe has been breathtaking, but surely it has to be done in a more considered and orderly way.

Places like Abu Dhabi got its stunning circuit in place in time because they could call on an army of immigrant workers, who were paid a pittance and worked around the clock. It also had the financial clout of the oil-rich royal family, whose word is law. In other parts of the world it's not always that simple. With India next year and Russia in the future there may be more anxious moments down the road.

Still, Korea has squeaked onto the calendar just in time, so what can we expect? It's a difficult question to answer given the fact that none of the drivers have put a wheel on it yet. The best they can do for now is to get on the factory simulators and play video games. Sebastien Buemi has done just that, and reckons it's another from the Hermann Tilke sausage factory, provoking groans from some quarters.

It's not that the designer creates bad tracks, it just that he has been responsible for all the recent purpose-built tracks added to the calendar. Might it not be nice to give someone else a crack, who might provide something a bit unique?

The rush to finish the track ended with the last layer of tarmac going down just before the FIA inspection. With that short timescale, expect the track to be oily, adding to the initial problems for the drivers. That's the opinion of Nick Heidfeld, but given he's not been near the track so far it is only informed speculation.

Ironically, the only person to have driven a Formula One car there isn't unlikely to get a drive this weekend. Hispania's Karun Chandhok took an old Red Bull for a spin last month. Sadly he's only been a spectator for the past few races, but given his inside knowledge of the track he's backing Red Bull to do well.

Let's hope that whatever the state of the track, Kamui Kobayashi puts in another exciting drive in his Sauber. Heroes in this sport don't have to be at the front of the race, and the Japanese driver gave his countrymen something to cheer about last time out at Suzuka. Starting in 14th, he produced some breathtaking overtaking, particularly at the hairpin, to haul himself into the points in seventh.

While he and his crew were celebrating in the pits, Sauber's marketing team were rubbing their hands in glee, too. You may have noticed Sauber's two cars are rather bereft of sponsor's logos, and the thought of a Japanese thrilling a home crowd had them thinking a flush Japanese business might ride to the rescue. Some things in Formula One never change.

The expansion of Formula One across the globe has been breathtaking, but surely it has to be done in a more considered and orderly way