F1′s travelling circus is arriving in South Korea, and the first reports are mixed.

BBC television anchor Jake Humphrey summed up the Yeongam venue as satisfactory but “far from finished”.

“Things look pretty ready to go,” said Virgin driver Lucas di Grassi, “with some beauty work still to be finished but the main structure is ready.”

Others talked about their long journeys from the huge Seoul airport to Mokpo, the closest city to Yeongam, in the impressive high-speed KTX train with free wi-fi.

Photographer Darren Heath was less impressed with the journey, tackled by many in buses.  “F1 in Seoul?  Nah, let’s have it in the middle of nowhere 100s of miles from anywhere,” he wrote on Twitter.

Veteran Swiss correspondent Roger Benoit, writing in Blick newspaper, said the F1 track itself is an “enormous construction site”, and his hotel room one of the ones usually rented by the hour.

“No joke,” he said.

Reportedly so unimpressed was Williams with the local accommodation on offer that the British team has committed to a 3 hour round trip every day in order to stay in a nicer hotel.

“Dominating the venue are the excavators, debris and waste,” wrote Benoit, who said a bridge over the front straight is still littered with scaffolding and hard-hatted workers.

Sauber’s team manager Beat Zehnder complained about the cost of the team buildings, with the rent costing $40,000.

“Whoever wants to use the upper floor must pay another 20,000,” he said, “but everyone has decided to just use the ground floor!”

Said Benoit: “I’m already looking forward to the final races in Sao Paulo and Abu Dhabi!”

Germany’s Auto Motor und Sport said rolling machines are still working on the recently-laid top surface of asphalt, with the paint for the starting grid yet to be sprayed.

“Only on Friday will we know whether the surface will withstand the stresses of formula one cars,” read the report.

“Everything on the sandy site is under construction.  Next to the pitlane is a large pile of sand.  Whoever didn’t know that F1 is running here in a few days would think it’s not happening until next year,” it added.

German Sky television pundit Marc Surer reports in Speed Week that the seating in some grandstands is not complete.

“Much remains to be done, but as for the track itself, I am surprised that it is ready,” he said.

“Whether it can withstand hours of practice and racing, however, is another question.”

Ferrari driver, Fernando Alonso welcomes the extension of the contract of Felipe Massa and comments on the development work in Maranello

Since Wednesday is clear: Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa will take over the next two seasons with Ferrari at the wheel. The tradition of Maranello team extended the contract of Massa by a further two years until 2012, making the contracts, the regular drivers now have the same maturity. Alonso welcomes this decision and is happy for Massa.

“I am very satisfied,” Alonso is quoted by ‘Ticionline’. “The same group is still working so for two more years together. Stability is very important to the success of a team. I am very familiar with Felipe. We have much respect for each other and create a good harmony. And such a one also needs if one is long journey together. ”
It is also important that the development during the season, not stagnant. In relation to Ferrari, however, could be no question of such a scenario, said the Spanish driver. “It is not true that the development has stalled. The distance to Red Bull is still a few tenths. We have improved, but even they have become faster.”
“The truth is, however, that we have not made progress in Barcelona, as we had planned. The others, however good progress come,” Alonso is before the Canadian Grand Prix on record. As team boss Stefano Domenicali admits that Ferrari could have burned “specially modified in view of the new F-shaft technology something.

Alonso would not miss this development: “It was a good thing to address this matter,” says the 28-year-old. “We were so far not yet in a position to exploit the full effectiveness of this system. Other teams also seem to have trouble with it. Who the F-shaft had been from the beginning, however, retains its advantage.”

(TotalMotorsports)