Bad things tend to happen when you build tracks in the middle of nowhere and attendance is well under capacity.

A little correction: The Korean Grand Prix has been held 4, not 3 times, from 2010 to 2013. The last race was most notable for a great performance by Nico Hulkenberg who got 4th place in a Sauber, his best ever career finish to date.

Bernie thought South Korea would have the same mindset in motorsport like the Japanese have, but he was so wrong. There was no existing motorsport culture to speak. F1 went to South Korea solely on the basis that the country is an important automotive market without researching whether or not the populace was even that interested in motorsport

This time on Perspective we explore the deflated Pacman circuit in Korea...

I remember a story from this era from one of the teams. It was said that the people in charge of the track turned the power off, locked the doors and walked away until the next year. The next year teams were greeted by spoiled food that had been left in garage and suite refrigerators.

I will forever remember this track as the one where Mark Webber threw away his title chances in 2010 after spinning off in the penultimate corner, sliding through the Korean mud and taking Nico Rosberg out with him. Such a shame, up to that point Webber was looking to be the favorite for the championship but he never recovered his mojo after that moment.

I was there for the inaugural race. It was a terrible experience. The place was a muddy mess, there was nothing around the track, there were no vendors selling food or drinks, the ticketing and seating system was a joke, the bleachers had nuts and bolts laying around everywhere as they had hastily installed them, and price of the hotel we booked magically changed to almost double the price we booked it at when we went to check in.

As a Korean, as much as I want an f1 race to be held here, I think it shouldn’t because f1 deserves better support. There are so many countries that are eager to host one and have more supportive crowds, so I think it’s a waste of time and slot to race here tbh

Three-line summary of my long opinion: 1. the failure of the Korean Grand Prix is the result of a "showpiece" event for the local government and an organizer who is ignorant of F1. 2. the problem still hasn't been fixed, as evidenced by last year's Seoul E-Prix. 3. even if the popularity of F1 and motorsports is growing in Korea, international formula racing events are unlikely to succeed unless these fundamental issues are addressed. 본인 의견에 대한 세 줄 요약: 1. 한국 그랑프리의 실패는 지방 정부의 '보여주기식' 행사와, F1에 대해 무지한 주최 측의 결과임. 2. 작년 서울 E-Prix에서 알 수 있듯, 아직도 그 문제가 고쳐지지 않음. 3. F1과 모터스포츠에 대한 인기가 한국에서 오르고 있어도, 이런 근본적인 문제가 해결되지 않는 이상 국제적인 포뮬러 레이싱 대회는 성공하기 힘듦. First of all, as a Korean, the failure of the Korean Grand Prix is very painful. 우선 한국인으로서, 한국 그랑프리의 실패는 너무 뼈아픕니다. The fiasco pinpoints one of South Korea's social problems: local government "show" events. Even the commercial in this video compares F1 to the Olympics and World Cup, showing that it is a prestigious sporting event (3:07). What makes F1 different from the Olympics and World Cup is that the financial support comes from a local government, namely the provincial government of Jeollanam-do, rather than South Korea's central government. 사실 이 실패는 한국의 사회 문제 중 하나를 정확히 보여주는데, 바로 지방 정부의 '보여주기식' 행사입니다. 이 영상의 광고에서도 F1을 올림픽과 월드컵에 비유하며, 명망 높은 스포츠 행사라는 것을 보여주고 있습니다(3:07). 다만 올림픽과 월드컵에 비해 F1이 달랐던 것은, 재정적인 지원을 한국의 중앙 정부가 아닌 지방 정부, 즉 전라남도 도청에서 행했다는 것입니다. The fact that Jeollanam-do hosted the event is quite surprising, as in the past, Korean F1 fans had hoped that the Grand Prix would be held in a "densely populated area" such as Seoul, Incheon, or Busan. While several local governments showed some interest, they were dismissed due to complaints from residents about noise pollution, the burden of a huge budget, and the uncertainty of revenue to match, and only Jeollanam-do went through with it. This was surprising because Jeollanam-do has always been a grain-growing region and has never had much to do with the automotive industry, but once it was confirmed, South Korean F1 fans could only hope that they would prepare properly. 사실 전라남도가 이런 행사를 개최했다는 것은 상당히 의외인 부분이기도 한데, 과거의 한국인 F1 팬들은 그랑프리가 '인구 밀도가 높은 지역', 즉 서울이나 인천, 부산 등에서 열리기를 바랐기 때문입니다. 여러 지자체들이 어느 정도의 관심을 보였기는 했으나, 소음 공해를 비롯한 주민의 민원이나 거대한 예산 지출의 부담과 그에 걸맞은 수익의 불확실성의 문제로 기각되었고, 오직 전라남도만 끝까지 추진한 것이 그 결과가 된 것입니다. 전라남도는 예전부터 곡창지대였고, 자동차 산업과는 이렇다 할 관련이 없었기에 더욱 의외이기도 했습니다. 그럼에도 한국의 F1 팬들은 개최가 확정된 이상 그들이 제대로 준비하기를 바랄 뿐이었습니다. However, that dream never came true. The organization in charge of F1 in South Korea did not know the sport, and embarrassed the people who paid for their tickets by giving away so-called "free tickets." They seemed to think that F1 was a "one-off" event, like the Olympics or World Cup, and that they would make a "show" of it in a short period. As you know, it's very difficult to break even on an F1 event alone, and most of the time it's a combination of the commercial areas around it that make the economic benefits. The deficit at the Korean Grand Prix was shrinking every year, but *politicians* with no knowledge of F1 came down hard on the officials. 그러나 그 꿈은 절대 이뤄지지 않았습니다. 한국의 F1 담당 단체는 F1과 관련한 지식이 전무했고, 이른바 '공짜표'를 남발해 제값을 주고 티켓을 산 사람들을 당혹스럽게 만들었습니다. 그들은 F1이 올림픽이나 월드컵처럼 '1회성' 경기라고 생각했는지, 단기간 내에 본인들의 '보여주기식' 업적을 만들 생각으로 가득 차 보였습니다. 여러분도 아시다시피 F1 경기만으로 손익분기점을 넘는 것은 매우 힘든 일이며, 그 주변의 상권과 결합하여 경제적 이익을 얻는 것이 대부분입니다. 한국 그랑프리의 적자폭은 매년 줄어들긴 했으나, F1에 대한 지식이 전무한 *정치인*들은 관계자를 강하게 추궁했습니다. Plans to build a city next to the circuit are also virtually impossible to realize. The motorsport culture in South Korea is not very developed: despite the presence of car giants like Hyundai, the country's rapid industrialization has not allowed time for motorsport to develop (although the country's "Confucian culture" is partly to blame). Bernard Ecclestone probably got this part wrong, but anyway, Korea had a strong culture of 'racing=illegal street racing' (at least at the time), so the culture of viewing racing as 'offensive' also played a big part in the failure of the Korean Grand Prix. Also, with permanent circuits next to cities, 'noise pollution' is one of Korea's main sources of complaints. Most Koreans would not have wanted to live next to a space where the sound of engines could be heard in full force. 서킷 옆에 도시를 만든다는 계획도 사실 실현되기가 불가능에 가깝습니다. 한국의 모터스포츠 문화는 그리 발달하지 않았습니다. 현대 등 거대 자동차 회사들이 활약하고 있음에도 불구하고, 한국의 급격한 산업화로 인해 모터스포츠가 발달할 시간적 여지를 만들 수 없었습니다(한국의 '유교 문화'도 원인 중 하나이기는 합니다). Bernard Ecclestone은 아마 이 부분을 착각했지 않을까 싶습니다. 여하튼 한국은 (적어도 그 당시에는) '레이싱=불법 폭주 레이싱'을 떠올리는 문화가 강했고, 그렇기에 레이싱을 '상스럽게'보는 문화 역시도 한국 그랑프리의 실패에 큰 영향을 끼쳤습니다. 또한 상설 서킷이 도시 옆에 있는 상태에서, '소음 공해'는 한국의 주요 민원 원인 중 하나입니다. 엔진음이 한껏 들리는 공간 옆에서 대부분의 한국인들은 생활하고 싶지 않았을 것입니다. The popularity of F1 in South Korea began to grow after the Netflix drama aired, and with the recent official (finally!) availability of F1 coverage in South Korea, the sport's popularity in the country began to gain another momentum. 한국에서 F1의 인기는 넷플릭스의 드라마가 방영된 이후 증가하기 시작했으며, 최근 한국에서의 F1 중계가 공식적으로 (이제서야!) 이루어지며, 한국에서 이 스포츠의 인기에 또 다른 추진력이 붙기 시작했습니다. Continued in reply... 답글에 계속됨...

2012 had one of the best calendars of all time with Malaysia, India and Korea it was so amazing

Small correction mate, they raced in 2013

Favourite story of this race was the F1 circus returning after racing the year before to find the bins had rubbish left over from the previous GP. Basically the track had sat dormant for an entire year as soon as F1 left. Also that first race with the track surface issues meaning Korea's first F1 race started late and then ran for 10s of laps behind a safety car. Basically the worst first impression any modern track has ever had.

3 circuits I miss: Hockenheim (old configuration, obviously), Nürburgring, and Sepang.

I was at the track last weekend for the Hyundai N Festival. First thing I did was having a dump in the race director building. Still can't decide if this is a good thing but I am sure it's a nice story😂

I kinda Liked the track Alonso's Win in 2010 in Korea was Something Special

I grew up in southwest Korea, visited Korea Grand Prix in 2010 with my parents. Tickets were really given out free and I remember people around me making fun of my family who paid for the tickets. In general, people didn’t really appreciate and they all left before the race ended. Most of them also were wearing earplugs…hah.

Sometimes I will see a video's opening and immediately fall in love with a creator's style. I look forwards to seeing more of your work here!

I remember the Gangnam style dude waving the chequered flag in 2012 Sign of the times

I love the quality of this video, it's like a mini documentary!

Awesome video as always! Keep it up big man

That would definitely be one of the tracks I'd like to see back in the F1 game, along with India. I still have the games from that time, but I find the handling very hard to get used to from today's perspective. At the time, it was said that a city would form around the track. According to Google Maps, there is still nothing there today.

amazing video as always man! I never liked the track that much but still a historic circuit. also your 100th like 😉

I think if it had been closer to seoul (incheon ideally) or one of the bigger main cities and had been organised from recent years instead of 2010, it would have been much more successful. Korea now has a much bigger reach internationally and having korean celebrities attend would definitely fill the stands and interest in the sport. Pity really, but there are other countries much more eager for a chance at hosting a gp.

What always baffles me is how nobody seems to have the idea to copy the nürburgrings tourist drives concept. Its basically affordable for anyone who can affort a full tank of gas and helps build a local racing community, which will support the track

Basically the image they were selling was based on developing a city around the track but then the recession hit so they wound up with a track in a swamp in the middle of nowhere. But I always really liked the track itself for F1, think it was one of the better modern additions to the calendar in terms of the layout of the circuit itself.

It did happen 4 times, from 2010-13. Otherwise, very interesting topic!. Awesome video as always! Keep it up big man.

I've been watching F1 for while now and I just can't remember ever watching a Korean grand prix, I'm slowly starting to think either I'm crazy, or the internet has made an elaborate hoax... Great video, subscriber gained!

That track was so fun on the f1 games. Lots of swooping corners with intense/percise braking required, only to have two long straights completely sabotage your set up so you had to wrestle the car through corners. Great track

Tbh I liked a lot of those late 2000 to 2010s tracks that F1 no longer goes to, Buddh, Sepang, Istanbul….but the track in Korea was particularly awful 😂

Track looks fun! Gonna have to find a version of this for AC!

Good video👍

it would have been a beautiful and awesome event if it was succesful , it would be so interesting to see a permanent track in the middle of the city, could have been amazing.

good video, just one correction: The Korean GP happened *4 times, not 3*,it stayed in the calendar from 2010 to 2013, the 2013 edition being a mostly bland race with a few incidents and tyre/wing failures, it was won by Seb Vettel.

It was a fun track to drive, but even in a video game it felt industrial and empty

I enjoyed driving this circuit in the games. Had a good flow

Building the track in what seems a million miles from Seoul was the first mistake. The track is still very much used for other series but I don't ever see F1 going back there to that track.

If the track was near an urban area, the 2010 race would’ve helped kick start a mass flow of Korean audience to the circuit to a certain degree. However you have to remember Korea has some of the busiest and most brutal work life in the world. I believe sooner or later, the circuit will fail despite being close to civilization due to the fact people won’t have the time or interest to care about racing

This, along with Indian GP, are my favorite currently unused F1 tracks. It's sad seeing the current state of track itself.

I think this was one of Hermann Tilke's worst layouts. No natural flow, no areas that would allow for continuous side-by-side racing, and the track is just too far away from a heavily populated city.

I used to love Yeongam, I was sad when it was left out of the concurring F1 calendars prior.

2013 was the last race of Korean Grand Prix not 2012!

I’m still a fan of this circuit and also Buddh international circuit. Hope f1 goes back to both these circuits. 🙏🤷‍♂️

I went to the 2013 race; I was stationed there, and it the tickets were really cheap and came with a bus ride to and from the track. I personally enjoyed the race and to be honest I don't remember being bothered about the track being underdeveloped if anything I had more visibility of the track since it was so bare.

Hi! Is a similar video about Jacarepagua in your plans? Or maybe Montjuic our Rouen-Les-Essarts or Watkins Glen or Long Beach?

i used to work as member f1 Korean grand prix organizer committee, it was fun organizing the event, but the gap between hope and reality was too far apart. i had lot of complain regarding why is korea hosting such a big event in remote area without central government support. 1. too remote area, i remember, Michael Schumacher stayed Kwangju and flew to circuit with helicopter, which takes about 30~40min ride. 2. lack of central government support due to miscommunication with greedy local government. 3. Lack of infrastructure near the circuit. 4. Yeongam, and Mokpo people were trying to take advantage of F1 event, they marked up all prices. i think those 4 are main reason why it failed. i attended 2010 and 2012.

Currently, in Korea, the city of Incheon, where Incheon International Airport is located, has declared the hosting of the F1 race. However, even if the race is held in the future, such motor sports may be outlawed in the cause of preventing noise pollution depending on Korean citizens' reaction to it.

Great video, such an interesting but also not surprising case. I don't think I've EVER seen a case where there are plans to build a new city around something and it worked (coughcough Akoncity coughcough). It's always a farce, you can't just magic up an entire place worth living in like that.

It was held 4 times, with the last race being 2013. The Indian Grand Prix was held 3 times, between 2011 and 2013

I'm sad I want F1 to go back to Korea again it would be so fun with all the interaction from Korea celebrities and the pop culture there

Nice video PERS. First as well!

This track was built in the middle of nowhere, and it was way too far away from Seoul or any other major city in South Korea, you know, where the market is.

the beep at the end is way too loud

The best circuits tend to be the ones with racing heritage, Britain, Brazil, Italy, Belgium, Germany, Japan and the failures are in countries without that passion for motorsport like China, Korea, India, etc

Thoughts on a video on the layout changes to all the circuits recently and its impact on the racing 🤔

Correct me if am wrong F1 raced in 2013 in Korea

To me, the course looks like a chore to drive. 5 of the first 6 turns are hairpins with bend angles greater than 90 degrees. Turns 10 and 15 are also greater than 90 degrees, but look a little faster. The rest of the turns look like medium-speed sweepers. And the whole thing is flat as a board, so there is no entertainment value from driving vertical curves. I only remember the first Korean GP, mostly because of the last-minute rush to get the track completed that was reported in the media. I've completely blanked out the fact there were Korean GP's after that.

Tilke and F1, still a better love story than Twilight

i kinda miss this circuit same with the India & Sepang circuits. More races for us Asian F1 fans !!

i could see the same thing to happens to Mandalika circuit in Indonesia, they have the same issues, which hosted wsbk and motogp 2022 and 2023. The circuit built in a remote place, hasn't been in profit, and were too pricey for us local, so the antusiasm isnt high...

What I hate most is the waist of it all. All that money, hype, excitement, all for not. Thankfully it’s still being used and hasn’t been bull dosed.

I don’t see any difference with Korea International Circuit, this is the most terrible case of injustice I ever heard from the FIA

The Jeollado province, where the Yeongam Circuit is located, is known for corruption involving government officials and contractors. Almost every single SOC projects carried out in Jeollado had problems like this one and many of them even got canceled in the middle.

Always liked the Asian Grand Prixs, especially those run in autumn. Being from Germany, having breakfast, watching F1 while it´s windy and rainy outside. I always really loved that setup.

At least, I can see Michael Schumacher's raceing through my eyes.

As a korean, there's not much support for it in Korea. Not big into auto racing. If there was a Korean driver, maybe

In Indonesia we have a abandoned circuit called Lippo Village International Formula Circuit, The track was confirmed to host a round of the 2008-09 A1 Grand Prix season, but its closed in 2011

As a Korean F1 fan, it breaks my heart to see failures like these. Unlike the West, or even Japan, motorsport is extremely niche in Korea. F1 is not aired on TV, and before Coupang started broadcasting it, there was no legal way to watch it. And I'm never going to forgive the 2022 Seoul E-Prix. I was planning to go watch it in person, but the tickets cost a million won, which is around 1000 USD. Front row tickets to Billie Eilish's concert the next day were cheaper than that. And the final laps of the final race were cut off in order to air a soap opera. I had to watch UKposts to figure out who won the race. It was a total disaster.

This video is way ahead of its time.

That loud beep at the end of the video was really unpleasant

Interesting video.

I am not a big fan of slow tight corners in racing. it might be great for time trials, but in a race you want passing opportunities.

Was I the only person who liked the Indian GP track? Even though it was in a smog bog the track was cool

Sadly one of my favourite tracks.

I hope this will be the same fate for the Las Vegas F1. Most locals are already annoyed by the numerous inconveniences caused by trying to get the infrastructure ready 2 months before the scheduled event.

F1 should've raced in Seoul Central Street Circuit.

I really want this track as a DLC in a F1 game 😢

They should have built the small city first and then the track. How were they ever going to build a small city in the middle of a completed track?

1. Monza had 69 grand prix races so far and most used track. 2.Then Monaco 66 grand prix races. Then 3. Silverstone with 53 grand prix races. 4. Spa 52 grand prix races. They sure have lots of tracks to race on in a season.

For foreigners to understand easily, it was as if US gran prix being held in the middle of Texas.

Lovely layout, but had a claustrophobic feel to it with the walls being so up close. The lack of fans made it feel sterile. All of that is a shame as the potential was there.

Will always remember as where Webber lost the world title, horrible weather

It did happen 4 times, from 2010-13. Otherwise, very interesting topic!

Something which strikes me is the idea of building a city around the track. Despite being the F1 fan and generally liking racing myself, I would not like to live in a close proximity to the race track.

To get the Korean racing scene back on track, the country needs an outstanding Korean driver. The country really only gives a damn if one of their own is in the top flight of any sport. There's a 14year old korean kid in the ferrari academy who's the highest rated prospect currently who hasn't failed to get on podium in any race so far so all eyes are on him.

Had to do some research because this didn’t make sense. There is a city of 200k inhabitants 4 miles away from the track. There are hotels. It has high rise buildings. Proper metro area.

There absolutely was a 2013 Korean Grand Prix, for a total of 4.

They did race in 2013... I guess people tend to forget about that, thanks to Vettel's Domination over the 2nd Part of the season. But such shame it failed. It could produce more banger races, but sadly it wasn't destined for that. Place of the Track that looks more like a Desert and/or Field and Some kinda Forest at some areas... Well, It didn't look like a ideal place for it. Maybe if this was built in a actual city it would work actually. But sadly the great track design was taken to the wrong place, It still could be Korea, but in the city, (Of some Capacity, that would make actual profits, instead of losses.) with actual people livin' there. That way it could have profits from that.

This track just by looking at it seem exhausting to drive lol

Pls do the yatabe test track next

Generally, motorsports in South Korea is both unpopular and unappealing to the public. Even the 2022 Formula E Seoul ePrix season finale had an attendance of 36,000 (just over half of the full 60,000 capacity, but in their defence it was a very monsoon day). Despite that, EV sales and demand in Korea is at an all-time high, so a perfect opportunity for Formula E to keep utilising Seoul ePrix.

It's a shame because I liked that track in the Codemasters game 🎮

That was my favourite track in f1 2010 to 13

Great video. You should do F1 South Africa next. We haven't had a Grand Prix in a while.

This track needed to be in Incheon/Seoul, Busan, or Jeju Island.

Great track to drive 👍

4:00 Jamie Algersuari? It's Jeime (Hayme). Obviously, you are a newer fan, I would assume post-2013 era of F1.

I remember the morning of the last day of Qualiy for Korean GP. Crews were staying miles away from the track while there were literally no transportation infrastructure. Transportation companies were still fighting over Jury-is-my-diction and racing crews were literally running around for any means of transportation while making jokes about 'racing event in the middle of rice field with no way to reach'.

2013 was the last time this race was on the calendar actually.

Anyone remember when Hamilton picked up some astroturf and it got stuck on the sidepod

I'm Korean, but I think the Korean Grand Prix at that time wasn't just to host F1 but to be childish because of local selfishness. In addition, there was no way that it could be successful because it didn't make the surrounding infrastructure and left only the circuit alone. If the circuit was just outside of the metropolitan area like Yeongjondo, We wouldn't have seen it like that... Oh, and Korean F1 fan don't think Korean Grand Prix are generally negative about the Korean Grand Prix.