2010 Korean Grand Prix

The 2010 Korean Grand Prix (formally the 2010 Formula 1 Korean Grand Prix ) was a Formula One motor race held on 24 October 2010 at the Korea International Circuit in Yeongam , South Jeolla , South Korea. It was the 17th round of the 2010 Formula One World Championship and the first Korean Grand Prix . Ferrari driver Fernando Alonso won the 55-lap race starting from third position. McLaren 's Lewis Hamilton finished second and Alonso's teammate Felipe Massa was third.

The victory was Alonso's fifth of the season; the result elevated him to the lead of the World Drivers' Championship , 11 points ahead of Webber, who had dropped to second after failing to finish the race because of an accident. Hamilton moved into third and Vettel's retirement demoted him to fourth. Jenson Button remained in fifth position. In the World Constructors' Championship , McLaren reduced the points deficit to Red Bull to 27 points behind. With two races of the season remaining, Ferrar...

The 2010 Korean Grand Prix was the 17th of the 19th rounds in the 2010 Formula One World Championship and was held at the 5.615 km (3.489 mi) anti-clockwise Korea International Circuit on 24 October 2010. [ 1 ] [ 2 ] The Grand Prix was contested by twelve teams with two drivers each. The teams (also known as constructors ) were Red Bull , Mercedes , McLaren , Ferrari , Renault , Williams , Force India , Sauber , Toro Rosso , Lotus , Hispania and Virgin . [ 4 ] Tyre supplier Bridgestone provided ...

Following increased hostilities between North Korea and South Korea in the wake of the sinking of the South Korean corvette Cheonan in March 2010, Formula One Group chief executive Bernie Ecclestone said the race would be in jeopardy if political tensions continued to escalate, and it would be abandoned if the North Korean army crossed the border. [ 16 ] The revival of the French Grand Prix at the Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours was mooted as an alternative if the Korean Grand Prix was cancelled. ...

The layout of the track received a mostly positive response from the drivers. Adrian Sutil of Force India said he felt it was a "real pleasure" to be racing on the track and praised it for having "a lot of character". [ 22 ] Mercedes driver Michael Schumacher said the asphalt improved during the Friday free practice sessions and that the track was "very demanding and tricky which provides a challenge that I like a lot". [ 22 ] Kubica said although the first sector was "boring" he felt the entire...

Some teams modified their cars in preparation for the event. Red Bull and Williams revised their brake ducts. [ 24 ] [ 25 ] Williams team changed their brake ducts at the front to improve airflow inside the tyres and direct the duct towards their car's central section more efficiently. [ 24 ] Red Bull's brake ducts, which had been changed for the third consecutive Grand Prix, reintroduced a small fin seen at the Singapore Grand Prix ; for Korea two aerodynamic fins were fitted and a larger duct ...

After discussions with Whiting during a Friday night drivers' briefing, the height of an apex at turn sixteen was increased and the wall in the area was moved back. A new apex kerb at turn 18 was built to stop dirt and stones from accumulating on the circuit, which was extensively cleaned. [ 31 ] Drivers were told they could enter the pit lane from the racing line without incurring a penalty. [ 23 ] Bridgestone had reported heavy tyre graining during the Friday practice sessions; its Motorsport ...

It's a special feeling to be on pole – it was very close. The track is good here – in the first sector there's not so much you can do, just hit your braking points at the right time, but the second and third sectors are quite entertaining with nice flowing corners, but it's easy to make a mistake. It was a small margin for pole, but it was enough and it was a good result as yesterday we didn't have smooth running. We had a puncture in the practice, so I hadn't done too many laps on the new track...

With a lap of 1:35.585, Vettel set the fastest time in the final session on his second timed run at the end of the period, achieving his ninth pole position of the season—his first at the Korea International Circuit. Although he was delighted to get pole position, he felt he lost time in the middle sector after making a mistake. [ 38 ] Vettel's teammate Webber was also on the front row of the grid; he recorded a lap time 0.076 seconds slower. [ 37 ] Webber was not happy with his first set of opt...

Hülkenberg in 11th was the fastest driver not to advance into the final session. His best time of 1:37.620 was 1.5 seconds slower than Webber's pace in the second session. [ 40 ] He said 11th was a "good position to start from" despite losing the rear of his car in turn twelve, which caused him to abort one of his quick laps. [ 35 ] Hülkenberg was followed in the times by the BMW Sauber drivers Kobayashi in twelfth and Heidfeld in 13th, followed by Sutil in the quickest of the two Force India ca...

The fastest lap in each of the three sessions is denoted in bold .

Notes:

At the end of the first racing lap, Vettel led by 2.8 seconds from Webber, [ 34 ] who was followed by Alonso, Rosberg, Hamilton, Massa, Button, Schumacher, Kubica, Hülkenberg and Sutil. [ 48 ] Alonso chose a cautious approach and lost four to five seconds while building up his pace slowly in the early stages. [ 49 ] Sutil ran off the circuit but continued after losing his position to both Williams drivers. [ 43 ] Webber lost grip on the next lap after running across the outside kerbing and spinn...

Schumacher passed Button for fifth position at turn three on the same lap. On lap 28, Trulli drove back to his garage to retire with a hydraulics failure that was caused by his power steering becoming heavy during the safety car period. [ 34 ] [ 50 ] Vettel set a new fastest lap of the race of 1:54.098, extending his lead over Alonso to 3.5 seconds. Button, who was under pressure from Hülkenberg and Kubica, made a pit stop at the end of lap 28 for intermediate tyres and rejoined in 15th place. K...

On lap 31, Buemi tried to pass Glock on the inside heading into turn three but lost control of his car under braking and rammed into the side of Glock. Buemi sustained a broken left, front suspension and front wing damage, causing him to retire. [ 47 ] The incident called for the race's third safety car period. [ 44 ] During the safety car deployment, most of the drivers made pit stops for intermediate tyres. Alonso, who was called in by Ferrari when Vettel changed his strategy, had a pit stop t...

Ferrari ordered Massa to reduce his car speed on his out-lap to help Alonso minimise the effects of losing second position. [ 52 ] Glock drove back to his pit box where his mechanics examined his car for damage and decided to retire him from the race. [ 53 ] Kubica avoided making contact with Sutil when his lollipop man stopped him before he could drive away from his pit box. [ 47 ] It was the second time that season Kubica and Sutil were involved in an incident in a pit lane; Kubica had made co...

As Vettel maintained his lead, the stewards informed the Lotus team that Kovalainen had been caught speeding in the pit lane, for which he was served with a drive through penalty that was taken on lap 39. [ 43 ] [ 47 ] Alonso set a new fastest lap and closed the gap to 1.2 seconds behind Vettel at the start of lap 37. [ 43 ] Further back, Sutil overtook Heidfeld for twelfth on the following lap. [ 34 ] Sutil tried to pass Kobayashi on lap 38 at turn three but out-braked himself, allowing Kobayas...

Alonso opened a gap of 14 seconds to Hamilton, who was suffering from wear on his tyres, as the drivers struggled for grip and crossed the finish line on lap 55; it was Alonso's fifth victory of the season in a time of 2'48:20.810, at an average speed of 68.349 miles per hour (109.997 km/h). [ 44 ] [ 51 ] Hamilton finished in second place, 14.9 seconds behind, ahead of Massa in third. [ 47 ] Schumacher, who explored the best places on the circuit for grip, equalled his best result of the season ...

It is a great feeling winning this way, as it was a very difficult victory, given the track conditions. Especially at the start, the situation on track and in terms of visibility was really precarious. That was the most worrying time, because I knew it would be an achievement just to stay on the track. We had never driven here in the wet and so there was no reference point. Webber's retirement slightly changed our approach because, all in all, it would have been sufficient to finish on the podiu...

The top three drivers appeared on the podium to collect their trophies and spoke to the media at a later press conference. [ 6 ] Alonso said the Grand Prix was "one of the best races of the year" for the Ferrari team and that the wet weather conditions made the victory more difficult; "I think it's one of the most tricky conditions' victories I've ever had, probably, because we started with very extreme conditions, red flag, then a couple of laps behind the safety car". [ 51 ] Alonso said he wou...

Webber said he was at fault for causing the accident between himself and Rosberg on lap nineteen; "I thought I'd managed to catch it but I lost the car and made contact with the wall. Then Nico hit me, which wrecked his race as well. It was my mistake and it wasn't my day." [ 58 ] Rosberg was puzzled over the incident; he said, "I don't understand why Webber didn't hit the brakes. It was crazy to roll back across the track like that." [ 59 ] Gerhard Berger , who raced in Formula One for thirteen...

Buemi and Sutil were summoned to the stewards for the roles in their respective accidents and incurred five-place grid penalties for the next race at Interlagos. Sutil was fined $10,000 (£6,400) for driving in the manner that was performed, despite knowing of a problem with his brakes. [ 64 ] Sutil said he struggled with excessive brake force, which caused him to lock his tyres; he was unhappy with his performance. [ 50 ] Kobayashi said he saw Sutil in his mirror and believed he would not comple...

Drivers who scored championship points are denoted in bold .