Korean GP: Mercedes preview

Formula One makes its first visit to Korea next week for Round 17 of the 2010 World Championship, the Korean Grand Prix, which will be held at the new Korean International Circuit in the South Jeolla region. 400kms from the capital Seoul, the ...

Formula One makes its first visit to Korea next week for Round 17 of the 2010 World Championship, the Korean Grand Prix, which will be held at the new Korean International Circuit in the South Jeolla region. 400kms from the capital Seoul, the Yeongam track has been designed by Hermann Tilke and will be the largest sports stadium in the country with the capacity for 130,000 spectators. Next week's Korean Grand Prix will also be the 300th Formula One race for Mercedes-Benz since the company first competed in1954.

NICO ROSBERG
"It will be an exciting challenge to race at the new Korean circuit. It looks great from the pictures that we have seen recently and I hope that the asphalt holds up as it has only been put down very recently. It is always interesting to learn a new circuit and generally I get up to speed quickly so I'm looking forward to the weekend."

MICHAEL SCHUMACHER
"Finally this year we are going to a circuit which is not only new for me but for all of the drivers. Korea will be a very interesting country to see and even if the track has only just been finished in time, I am confident that everything will be fine. I am very much in favour of new races and I think it is a benefit for all of us in the sport. It should not be too complicated to learn the layout and we are used to adapting quickly to new circumstances. We had quite a good race in Japan last weekend and are hoping that we can move forward again and put on a good show at the first race in Korea."

ROSS BRAWN
"We are very pleased to be visiting Korea next week and are looking forward to the experience of racing in a new country for Formula One. It is important for the future of our sport that we continue to expand our global fan base therefore we are very pleased that the venue is ready in time after some uncertainty. We have been preparing for the new Korean circuit back at the factory with work on our simulator so we have a good idea of what to expect but as always with a new track, it will be an interesting challenge."

NORBERT HAUG
"The first Korean Grand Prix will be a completely new experience for everybody involved in Formula One and our team welcomes this new race onto the calendar. The organisers have had a challenging period of time to get the new facilities complete according to the initial plan but everything seems to be ready now. We are looking forward to an exiting first race at this new track in Yeongam where we can hopefully continue to get the maximum from our current technical package, as in the last races, and score additional points."