Yeongam F1 Records & Statistics

Yeongam F1 records and Korea International Circuit statistics

Korea International Circuit had one of the shortest Formula 1 histories of any modern Grand Prix venue, hosting only four World Championship races from 2010 through 2013. Yet those four events produced a remarkable concentration of significant moments, including a dramatic wet-weather victory for Ferrari and Fernando Alonso in the inaugural race, three consecutive wins for Sebastian Vettel and several important developments in the championship battles of the early 2010s.

Ferrari’s record at Yeongam is particularly efficient. The Scuderia competed in all four Korean Grands Prix and recorded one victory, three individual podium finishes and one fastest lap. Fernando Alonso won the inaugural race in 2010 and finished third in 2012, while Felipe Massa added Ferrari’s other podium by finishing third in 2010.

Korea International Circuit joined Formula 1 in 2010

The first Formula 1 Korean Grand Prix took place at Korea International Circuit on 24 October 2010.

The venue was built in Yeongam in South Jeolla Province and represented Formula 1’s first World Championship race in South Korea.

Its arrival came late in one of the closest championship battles in recent Formula 1 history, immediately giving the inaugural event substantial sporting importance.

The Yeongam F1 circuit measures 5.615 km

The Formula 1 configuration of Korea International Circuit measures 5.615 km and contains 18 turns.

The circuit runs anti-clockwise and the Korean Grand Prix was contested over 55 laps.

Because of a 195-metre offset between the start and finish lines, the official Grand Prix distance was 308.630 km rather than simply 55 times the nominal circuit length.

Yeongam combines long straights with a technical final sector

Korea International Circuit was designed to offer several very different challenges within one lap.

The early part of the circuit includes long acceleration zones and heavy braking points, while the later sequence becomes considerably more technical and places greater emphasis on aerodynamic performance and direction changes.

This contrast made car set-up a compromise between straight-line efficiency and the downforce required through the more demanding final sector.

The run between Turns 2 and 3 was one of Formula 1’s longest straights

One of Yeongam’s defining features was the exceptionally long acceleration zone after Turn 2.

Formula 1 cars spent around 15 seconds at full throttle on this section during the circuit’s Grand Prix era, making engine performance and aerodynamic efficiency particularly important.

The heavy braking zone at the end of the straight also created one of the circuit’s clearest overtaking opportunities.

Korea International Circuit was designed by Hermann Tilke

The Yeongam venue was designed by Hermann Tilke as part of an ambitious motorsport development project in South Korea.

The original concept combined a permanent racing facility with sections intended to form part of a much larger waterfront development.

The Formula 1 project therefore had ambitions beyond simply creating another permanent race track, although much of the surrounding development envisaged when the circuit was planned did not materialise during its Grand Prix years.

The inaugural Korean Grand Prix almost arrived before the circuit was ready

Construction delays created considerable uncertainty ahead of Formula 1’s first visit in 2010.

The circuit received its final approval only shortly before the race weekend, leaving teams and drivers with very little established information about track conditions.

The newly completed surface then faced an even greater test when heavy rain arrived for Sunday’s Grand Prix.

Sebastian Vettel took the first Formula 1 pole at Yeongam

Red Bull controlled the first Korean Grand Prix qualifying session.

Sebastian Vettel took pole position with a 1:35.585, while teammate Mark Webber qualified second at 1:35.659.

Fernando Alonso placed Ferrari third with a 1:35.766, only 0.181 seconds away from pole, while Felipe Massa qualified sixth.

Sebastian Vettel’s 2010 pole remains the Yeongam qualifying record

No subsequent Formula 1 qualifying session at Korea International Circuit produced a faster lap than Vettel’s 1:35.585.

Lewis Hamilton came closest when he took pole in 2011 with a 1:35.820.

The qualifying record therefore dates from the circuit’s very first Formula 1 weekend and remains the fastest official qualifying lap from Yeongam’s four-race history.

The first Korean Grand Prix became a dramatic rain race

Heavy rain transformed the inaugural Korean Grand Prix into the circuit’s most memorable Formula 1 event.

The race initially began behind the Safety Car but was stopped after only a few laps because standing water made conditions too difficult.

Following a lengthy delay, the Grand Prix resumed behind the Safety Car before racing eventually began in extremely challenging conditions.

Mark Webber crashed out of the 2010 Korean Grand Prix

Mark Webber arrived in Korea leading the Drivers’ Championship but suffered a major setback during the race.

The Red Bull driver lost control, hit the barrier and slid back across the circuit, collecting Nico Rosberg’s Mercedes.

Both drivers retired, dramatically changing the championship situation and removing one of Fernando Alonso’s principal rivals from the race.

Sebastian Vettel also retired while leading in Korea in 2010

Sebastian Vettel controlled much of the inaugural Grand Prix and appeared capable of converting pole position into victory.

His race changed late in the afternoon when his Renault engine developed a serious problem while he was leading.

Vettel slowed and retired, promoting Fernando Alonso into first place with the race approaching its conclusion.

Fernando Alonso won the inaugural Korean Grand Prix for Ferrari

Fernando Alonso took advantage of an extraordinary race to deliver Ferrari the first Formula 1 victory ever recorded in South Korea.

The Spaniard completed all 55 laps in 2:48:20.810, finishing 14.999 seconds ahead of Lewis Hamilton.

Felipe Massa finished third in the second Ferrari, making the inaugural Korean Grand Prix an exceptionally successful race for the Scuderia.

Ferrari scored a double podium in the first Korean Grand Prix

Alonso’s victory was complemented by Felipe Massa’s third place.

The two Ferrari drivers scored 40 championship points between them, which remained the Scuderia’s strongest single Korean Grand Prix result.

It was also the only Yeongam race in which Ferrari placed both cars on the podium.

Fernando Alonso also set the fastest lap in Ferrari’s 2010 victory

Alonso completed Ferrari’s successful afternoon by recording the fastest lap of the race.

His 1:50.257 on lap 42 was achieved on a wet and gradually improving circuit.

The time was naturally much slower than the dry-weather race record established the following season, but it remains Ferrari’s only official Korean Grand Prix fastest lap.

The 2010 Korean Grand Prix put Fernando Alonso into the championship lead

The inaugural Yeongam race had major consequences for the 2010 Drivers’ Championship.

Alonso had arrived in South Korea 14 points behind championship leader Mark Webber and level with Sebastian Vettel.

With both Red Bulls retiring and Alonso winning, the Ferrari driver left Korea leading the championship by 11 points over Webber with only two races remaining.

Ferrari’s Yeongam victory came at a crucial point in the 2010 title fight

The Korean result was Fernando Alonso’s fifth victory of the 2010 season and placed Ferrari in an apparently strong position heading towards the final rounds.

Alonso subsequently maintained his championship lead into the Abu Dhabi finale.

Although the title was ultimately won by Sebastian Vettel at Yas Marina, Yeongam had fundamentally reshaped the championship battle only weeks earlier.

Lewis Hamilton ended Red Bull’s pole streak in Korea in 2011

The second Korean Grand Prix produced the only Yeongam pole position not achieved by a Red Bull driver.

Lewis Hamilton set a 1:35.820 for McLaren, defeating Sebastian Vettel by 0.222 seconds.

The result also ended a long sequence of consecutive Red Bull pole positions stretching across the preceding races.

Ferrari qualified fifth and sixth at Yeongam in 2011

Felipe Massa was Ferrari’s fastest qualifier during the 2011 Korean Grand Prix weekend.

Massa qualified fifth with a 1:36.831, while Fernando Alonso was sixth at 1:36.980.

It was the only one of the four Korean Grands Prix in which Massa outqualified Alonso.

Sebastian Vettel won the 2011 Korean Grand Prix

Vettel converted second on the grid into victory during Formula 1’s second visit to Yeongam.

He finished 12.019 seconds ahead of Lewis Hamilton, while Mark Webber completed the podium in third.

Fernando Alonso finished fifth for Ferrari and Felipe Massa sixth.

Red Bull secured the Constructors’ Championship at Yeongam in 2011

The 2011 Korean Grand Prix carried championship significance even though Sebastian Vettel had already secured the Drivers’ title at the previous race in Japan.

Vettel’s victory combined with Mark Webber’s third place gave Red Bull enough points to secure the Constructors’ Championship with three races still remaining.

Yeongam therefore decided a Formula 1 World Championship in only the second season of its existence.

Sebastian Vettel set the official Yeongam race-lap record in 2011

Vettel recorded a 1:39.605 on the final lap of the 2011 Grand Prix.

The time remains the official Formula 1 race-lap record at Korea International Circuit.

Neither the 2012 nor 2013 Grand Prix produced a faster race lap, meaning the benchmark has stood since Yeongam’s second Formula 1 event.

Felipe Massa set Ferrari’s quickest race lap at Yeongam in 2011

Although Vettel recorded the official fastest lap of the 2011 race, Felipe Massa produced Ferrari’s quickest race lap across the four Korean Grands Prix.

Massa’s 1:40.541 was only 0.936 seconds slower than Vettel’s circuit race record.

Fernando Alonso was almost identical in pace, recording a 1:40.547 during the same Grand Prix.

Mark Webber took pole for the 2012 Korean Grand Prix

Red Bull returned to the top of the qualifying order in 2012.

Mark Webber secured pole with a 1:37.242, defeating teammate Sebastian Vettel by 0.074 seconds.

Fernando Alonso qualified fourth for Ferrari, while Felipe Massa started from sixth.

Sebastian Vettel beat Mark Webber at the start in 2012

Webber’s pole advantage disappeared almost immediately during the Grand Prix.

Vettel started alongside his teammate and took the lead during the opening phase.

The German controlled the race from there and headed a Red Bull one-two, with Webber finishing 8.231 seconds behind.

Fernando Alonso returned Ferrari to the Korean podium in 2012

Fernando Alonso finished third behind the two Red Bulls in the 2012 Korean Grand Prix.

The Ferrari driver crossed the line 13.944 seconds behind Sebastian Vettel.

It was Alonso’s second Yeongam podium after his victory in 2010 and Ferrari’s third and final podium at Korea International Circuit.

Felipe Massa finished fourth for Ferrari in Korea in 2012

Massa produced one of his strongest drives of the 2012 season at Yeongam.

He climbed from sixth on the grid to fourth and closed substantially on teammate Fernando Alonso during the later stages.

With Alonso fighting Sebastian Vettel for the Drivers’ Championship, Ferrari instructed Massa to maintain position rather than challenge his teammate.

The 2012 Korean Grand Prix cost Fernando Alonso the championship lead

Alonso had entered the weekend leading Sebastian Vettel in the Drivers’ Championship.

Vettel’s victory combined with Alonso’s third place reversed their positions.

The Red Bull driver left Yeongam six points ahead, beginning the closing phase of a championship battle that would eventually be decided by only three points in Brazil.

Mark Webber set the fastest lap of the 2012 Korean Grand Prix

Webber recorded a 1:42.037 on lap 54 to take the race’s fastest lap.

Felipe Massa was second-fastest at 1:42.242, only 0.205 seconds behind the Red Bull.

Fernando Alonso recorded a 1:42.442, giving Ferrari two of the three fastest individual race laps that afternoon.

Sebastian Vettel took pole again at Yeongam in 2013

The fourth and ultimately final Korean Grand Prix began with another Vettel pole position.

The Red Bull driver recorded a 1:37.202, ahead of Lewis Hamilton and Mark Webber in the qualifying classification.

Fernando Alonso qualified sixth for Ferrari with a 1:38.038, while Felipe Massa was seventh at 1:38.223.

Fernando Alonso started fifth in the final Korean Grand Prix

Although Alonso qualified sixth, he moved to fifth on the starting grid because Mark Webber carried a grid penalty.

Felipe Massa consequently started sixth.

This distinction is useful when comparing qualifying statistics with actual starting positions from the final Yeongam race.

Felipe Massa’s 2013 race was compromised on the opening lap

Massa lost control during the opening stages of the 2013 Korean Grand Prix and fell down the order.

He was able to continue and eventually recovered to ninth place.

Fernando Alonso finished sixth, leaving Ferrari with another double-points finish but no podium in Formula 1’s final race at the circuit.

The 2013 Korean Grand Prix featured two Safety Car periods

The final Yeongam race became increasingly chaotic during its second half.

Sergio Perez suffered a tyre failure that left debris on the circuit and triggered a Safety Car period.

Shortly after racing resumed, Adrian Sutil collided with Mark Webber, whose Red Bull subsequently caught fire, leading to another intervention.

Mark Webber’s burning Red Bull produced an unusual scene in 2013

The response to Webber’s burning car became one of the most unusual images from the circuit’s final Formula 1 race.

A local fire-response vehicle entered the circuit while the incident was being dealt with, adding to the confusion surrounding the second Safety Car deployment.

The episode became another memorable feature of what proved to be Formula 1’s final Grand Prix at Yeongam.

Sebastian Vettel won the final Korean Grand Prix in 2013

Despite the interruptions, Vettel remained in control and completed his third consecutive Yeongam victory.

Kimi Räikkönen finished second for Lotus and teammate Romain Grosjean third.

Fernando Alonso finished sixth for Ferrari, while Felipe Massa recovered to ninth.

Sebastian Vettel won three of the four Korean Grands Prix

Vettel completely dominated the circuit’s short winner list after missing victory only in the inaugural event.

• 2010: Fernando Alonso – Ferrari.
• 2011: Sebastian Vettel – Red Bull.
• 2012: Sebastian Vettel – Red Bull.
• 2013: Sebastian Vettel – Red Bull.

Vettel therefore holds the Yeongam driver victory record with three wins, while Alonso is the only other Formula 1 winner at the circuit.

Ferrari is the only team other than Red Bull to have won at Yeongam

The four Korean Grands Prix were shared between only two constructors.

Red Bull won the final three editions through Sebastian Vettel, while Ferrari won the inaugural event through Fernando Alonso.

Ferrari therefore ranks second in the Yeongam constructor victory standings with one win.

Sebastian Vettel holds the Yeongam pole-position record

Vettel took pole twice at Korea International Circuit, in 2010 and 2013.

Lewis Hamilton took the 2011 pole for McLaren and Mark Webber took pole for Red Bull in 2012.

Red Bull therefore accumulated three of the four official pole positions, while Ferrari never started a Korean Grand Prix from pole.

Ferrari’s best Yeongam qualifying result was Fernando Alonso’s third place

Ferrari came closest to pole during the inaugural weekend.

Fernando Alonso qualified third in 2010 at 1:35.766, only 0.181 seconds slower than Sebastian Vettel’s pole and outright qualifying record.

No Ferrari driver qualified inside the top three at Yeongam again.

Sebastian Vettel also holds the Korean Grand Prix fastest-lap record

Vettel recorded the fastest lap in both 2011 and 2013.

Fernando Alonso set the fastest lap for Ferrari in 2010, while Mark Webber did so for Red Bull in 2012.

Red Bull therefore owns three of the four Korean Grand Prix fastest laps, with Ferrari responsible for the remaining one.

Ferrari has three individual podium finishes at Yeongam

Ferrari reached the podium three times during the circuit’s four-race Formula 1 history.

• 2010: Fernando Alonso – P1.
• 2010: Felipe Massa – P3.
• 2012: Fernando Alonso – P3.

That places Ferrari second in the constructor podium ranking behind Red Bull, which accumulated five individual podium finishes.

Fernando Alonso is Ferrari’s most successful Yeongam driver

Alonso competed in all four Korean Grands Prix for Ferrari and finished every one.

His results were victory in 2010, fifth in 2011, third in 2012 and sixth in 2013.

He therefore scored two of Ferrari’s three podiums at the circuit and also delivered its only victory and fastest lap.

Felipe Massa finished every Korean Grand Prix for Ferrari

Massa also completed all four Formula 1 races held at Yeongam.

He finished third in 2010, sixth in 2011, fourth in 2012 and ninth in 2013.

His third place in the inaugural race remains his only Korean Grand Prix podium.

Ferrari completed every racing lap of every Korean Grand Prix

Ferrari’s reliability record at Yeongam was exceptional.

Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa each completed all 55 laps in all four Korean Grands Prix, meaning the Scuderia accumulated 440 racing laps across its eight car entries.

Neither Ferrari suffered a retirement during Formula 1’s entire four-year history at Korea International Circuit.

Both Ferraris scored points in every Korean Grand Prix

Ferrari also achieved an unusual perfect points-scoring record at Yeongam.

Both cars finished inside the points in 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013.

The Scuderia therefore scored championship points with all eight of its race entries at Korea International Circuit.

Ferrari scored 95 championship points at Yeongam

The Scuderia accumulated 95 Constructors’ Championship points from its four Korean Grand Prix appearances.

Forty of those points came from Fernando Alonso’s victory and Felipe Massa’s third place in the inaugural 2010 race.

The remaining total came from fifth and sixth in 2011, third and fourth in 2012 and sixth and ninth in 2013.

Yeongam’s official Formula 1 lap records remain unchanged

• Fastest qualifying lap: Sebastian Vettel – 1:35.585, Red Bull, 2010.
• Official race-lap record: Sebastian Vettel – 1:39.605, Red Bull, 2011.
• Ferrari’s fastest qualifying lap: Fernando Alonso – 1:35.766, 2010.
• Ferrari’s quickest Grand Prix lap: Felipe Massa – 1:40.541, 2011.

Because Formula 1 used the same fundamental 5.615 km configuration throughout all four Korean Grands Prix, the circuit does not require the separate historical lap-record sets needed for venues that underwent major Formula 1 layout changes.

The 2011 race record remains more than a decade later

Vettel’s 1:39.605 was never beaten during the remaining two Korean Grands Prix.

Mark Webber’s 2012 fastest lap was 1:42.037, while Vettel’s fastest lap during the final race in 2013 was 1:41.380.

The 2011 benchmark therefore remains the definitive Formula 1 race record for the Yeongam Grand Prix configuration.

Four Korean Grands Prix produced only two race winners

The circuit’s winner list is unusually concentrated because of its short Formula 1 lifespan.

Fernando Alonso won once for Ferrari and Sebastian Vettel won three times for Red Bull.

No McLaren, Mercedes, Lotus or other constructor ever won a World Championship Grand Prix at Korea International Circuit.

Seven drivers reached the podium at Yeongam

Sebastian Vettel leads the individual podium ranking with three appearances.

Fernando Alonso, Lewis Hamilton and Mark Webber each reached the podium twice, while Felipe Massa, Kimi Räikkönen and Romain Grosjean each appeared once.

Ferrari contributed three of the 12 individual podium places available across the circuit’s four Formula 1 races.

Red Bull holds most of the major Yeongam Formula 1 records

Red Bull’s three consecutive victories between 2011 and 2013 give it the circuit constructor wins record.

The team also took three of the four poles and three of the four fastest laps.

Ferrari remains the only constructor to interrupt that record, thanks to Fernando Alonso’s victory and fastest lap during the inaugural 2010 Grand Prix.

The Korean Grand Prix disappeared after the 2013 race

Formula 1’s Yeongam era ended after only four seasons.

The Korean Grand Prix did not return to the World Championship after the 2013 event, despite earlier plans for a considerably longer relationship between Formula 1 and the venue.

As a result, all Formula 1 records at Korea International Circuit remain frozen at the results established between 2010 and 2013.

Korea International Circuit continues to exist after Formula 1

The end of the Korean Grand Prix did not mean the end of the racing circuit itself.

Korea International Circuit remains an active motorsport venue and continues to use the 5.615 km full-course configuration alongside shorter layouts.

Its Formula 1 record nevertheless remains limited to the four World Championship Grands Prix held from 2010 through 2013.

Ferrari’s complete Formula 1 record at Yeongam

Ferrari competed in all four Korean Grands Prix at Korea International Circuit and recorded one victory, no pole positions, three individual podium finishes and one official fastest lap.

Fernando Alonso delivered the victory and fastest lap in the inaugural 2010 Grand Prix and added another podium with third place in 2012. Felipe Massa supplied Ferrari’s other podium by finishing third in 2010.

The Scuderia scored 95 championship points and completed all 440 possible racing laps with its two cars, with both Ferraris reaching the points in every Korean Grand Prix.

Yeongam F1 records are complete through the final 2013 Korean Grand Prix

The final Formula 1 World Championship race at Korea International Circuit took place on 6 October 2013.

Sebastian Vettel won ahead of Kimi Räikkönen and Romain Grosjean, while Fernando Alonso finished sixth and Felipe Massa ninth for Ferrari.

Vettel remains the circuit’s record holder with three victories, two poles and the official 1:39.605 race-lap benchmark.

Ferrari remains the only constructor other than Red Bull to win at Yeongam, thanks to Fernando Alonso’s memorable wet-weather victory in 2010.

Why Yeongam remains significant in Ferrari Formula 1 history

Four races were enough for Korea International Circuit to create an unusually strong connection with Ferrari’s early-2010s championship campaigns.

Fernando Alonso’s victory in the inaugural race transformed the 2010 title fight and placed him at the head of the championship with only two rounds remaining. Two years later, Alonso’s third place at the same circuit marked the moment Sebastian Vettel moved back ahead in their extraordinarily close 2012 title battle.

Combined with Ferrari’s perfect reliability record, three podiums and points from every car entered, those results give Yeongam a much richer Scuderia history than its brief four-year Formula 1 lifespan might suggest.

Explore more Formula 1 circuit records

Use the F1 Circuit Records & Statistics database to compare Yeongam with other current and historic Formula 1 venues. You can also browse the Formula 1 circuits section for additional Grand Prix history, track guides and circuit information.