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Sebastian Vettel’s dominance is not likely to suddenly end.
That is Mercedes boss Ross Brawn’s warning ahead of the Korean grand prix, as Red Bull figures hint that Vettel’s crushing dominance in Singapore might have been exaggerated.
Indeed, there are fewer tighter corners to accentuate the traction of the Red Bull in Yeongam, and the times have been closer this weekend.
But ahead of Sunday’s race, Brawn said: “I don’t think we saw a long run from Sebastian (in practice).
“We haven’t seen his true pace yet, but hopefully we won’t get a repeat of Singapore.”
Telegraph correspondent Tom Cary, however, thinks only “a gust of seriously bad luck or a typhoon” will blow Vettel off course.
Second on the grid is Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton, and he sounds pessimistic about beating Vettel on the heels of the German’s crushing dominance in Singapore.
“I can imagine it’s frustrating for the audience,” the Briton told Germany’s Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung newspaper.
“There is a car that gets to the line 30 seconds before the others, and so the viewers aren’t seeing any real racing or a wheel-to-wheel battle.
“Of course it’s boring for them if they know after the start what’s going to happen,” he added.
The only bright spot of Sunday’s likely Vettel walkover is that it might be the last-ever race at unloved Yeongam.
“I’m struggling to think of a worse one of the current lot than Korea,” admitted McLaren sporting director Sam Michael.
The upside is that the apparent refusal of spectators and sponsors to attend the race is that it is “the most relaxed weekend of the whole year”, Mercedes’ Hamilton admitted.
“Here we don’t really see many people except the two receptionists at my hotel,” he smiled.
© RIF | GMM
