The FIA is planning to make changes to Yeongam’s Turn 16 before Saturday morning practice.
The kerb on the inside of the corner is being modified because a bump there unsettles the cars. In effect the new kerb will cover the bump, and will slow lap times.
The matter was discussed at the drivers’ briefing, where some competitors – presumably those who felt that they had successfully dialled their cars in to deal with the bump – were not very happy.
In addition the wall on the right on the exit of the corner is to be moved back, although engineers have still to decide how far they can move it.
Watching there today was a scary experience as the end of it jutted out somewhat awkwardly, and did not have any tyres protecting it, and it was apparent that a car getting out of shape there could have had a massively destructive impact. That’s not just the view of a journalist – I watched there this afternoon with ex-F1 drivers Ralf Schumacher and Christian Danner, both of whom were surprised to say the least by the layout.
The man who was really on the limit there, and was regularly running closest to the wall, was Mark Webber.
“It’s close,” he said when I asked about it. “I don’t like to go and watch in a place like that because it scares me. It’s best to be in the car…”
Finally the FIA is considering telling the drivers tomorrow that they do not have to respect the white line at the pit entry. The idea would be to allow them to take a faster line as they come into the pits, which would mean they are less likely to obstruct cars behind.
Adam Cooper F1 