F1

YEONGAM. South Jeolla Province _ Since the first F1 race at Silverstone in the United Kingdom in 1950, the goal has been one and the same: to be the fastest.

The Korean Grand Prix draws drivers who are ready to push it to the limit.

Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso of Spain will compete with Red Bull driver Sebastian Vettel. The latter’s teammate Mark Webber, McLaren’s Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes driver Michael Schumacher of Germany are also revving up their beasts.

Here, a crowd gathers to witness the result of the competition.

Vettel, Webber set pace at Korean GP

YEONGAM (Yonhap) — Sebastian Vettel of Red Bull recorded the fastest time in the second practice session for the Korean Grand Prix on Friday.

Vettel, the defending world champion and the winner here last year, topped the field of 24 with a lap of 1 minute and 38.832 seconds at the day’s second practice run on the Korea International Circuit here, about 400 kilometers south of Seoul.

Lewis Hamilton of McLaren- Mercedes had the fastest time in the first practice held earlier Friday with 1:39.148.

In the practice sessions, the racers drove the 5.615 km circuit for 90 minutes to acclimatize themselves with the track.

The results have no bearing on the actual race. Qualification for pole position is scheduled for 2 p.m. Saturday, and the race will start at 3 p.m. Sunday.

Drivers may do as many laps as they choose in practice, with their fastest time marked as their official result.

In the second practice, Mark Webber of Red Bull was second fastest at 1:38.864, followed by Fernando Alonso of Ferrari and Jenson Button of McLaren-Mercedes.

Alonso leads the drivers’ championship with 194 points, four points ahead of Vettel. Kimi Raikkonen of Lotus is at third at 157 points and Hamilton is right behind him with 152.

Hamilton was the runner-up in both the 2010 and 2011 Korean Grand Prixs. He also had the fastest practice time in the first session in 2010 with 1:40.887. A win this weekend would give Hamilton a muchneeded boost to his championship aspirations.

The Formula One, the world’s most prestigious openwheel racing circuit, attracts millions of fans and television viewers each year.

YEONGAM (AFP) — Red Bull boss Christian Horner says that title success this year would be the team’s “biggest victory” in Formula One, calling the current campaign the toughest in years.

The Austrian-owned outfit is chasing a third constructors’ title on the bounce, as is Sebastian Vettel in the drivers’ championship.

Horner believes that the way Red Bull have fought back this season after an indifferent start would make a hat-trick of titles all the sweeter. They top the constructors’ standings from perennial rivals McLaren.

“I think it would be our biggest victory in many respects because it doesn’t get easier,” Horner was quoted as saying by the Autosport website.

“2010 was a phenomenal achievement and the realisation of having achieved it, while in 2011 we defended the title better than we won it.

“This year with the regulation changes we achieved over the winter there has been a real challenge, so whoever wins this championship is going to be very deserving because it has been one of the toughest years in recent F1 history.” Red Bull, who made their debut in 2005, and Vettel dominated the last two seasons.

They have not had it all their own way this year, but still lead the constructors’ championship by 41 points with five races to go, starting with the Korean Grand Prix on Sunday.

Vettel is the man in form and has cut the lead of Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso in the drivers’ standings to just four points. <The Korea Times/Jung Min-ho>

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