It is of course bad luck to build something before there is a rule change. – For example, it must be bad to have built something big in the United States last year and then hear that Donald Trump has lifted the ban on asbestos!.
Something similar has been the case for enthusiasts who wanted to sign up Korea for the Formula 1 circus!
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The 2025 Formula 1 season is approaching its crucial phase, with Lando Norris, Oscar Piastri and Max Verstappen still battling it out to become world champion.
After last weekend’s Brazilian Grand Prix, Norris has taken control of the championship battle, as he leads Piastri by 24 points with only three Grand Prix events remaining.
Looking ahead, the 2026 season promises to be a classic, as Formula 1 will undergo massive rule changes.
Rule changes aside, there will be a new track on the calendar, as the Spanish capital Madrid will host a race for the first time in September.
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The circuit in Madrid, called ‘Madring’, will be a combination of street track and classic race track, and it will be built around the IFEMA exhibition center with 20 turns and a length of 5.47 kilometers.
While a new course is set to be unveiled next season, there is another course that has been abandoned and decayed for over ten years.
The Korea International Circuit in Yeongam, South Korea, which reportedly cost £300 million to build, hosted four Grand Prix races, the last of which took place in 2013.
Construction of the track was completed just in time to be used at the 2010 Korean Grand Prix, and it only received approval from the FIA (Formula 1’s governing body) ten days before the race.
In addition, the facilities at the site were reportedly not completed when the race weekend arrived.
The location was also considered a problem, as South Korea is not known for its love of Formula 1, and the Korea International Circuit was built a full 200 miles (around 322 kilometers) from the capital Seoul.
All in all, the Korea International Circuit failed to capture the imagination of the locals during the four years it was part of the Formula 1 calendar.
Park Bong-soon, an official in South Jeolla province, told the New York Times in 2015: “We started with a big dream of making a lot of money. Instead, we ended up with a spectacular failure.”
Two-bob world champion Fernando Alonso was the first winner on the track, while Sebastian Vettel won in 2011, 2012 and 2013.
Twelve years after Vetttel’s last victory in Korea, the track remains unused by the FIA.
