Korean F1 GP is ‘on, end of story’: Ecclestone

Suzuka: The inaugural Korean Grand Prix will go ahead as planned after Formula One boss Bernie Ecclestone said the race is “on, end of story”.

Doubts had been raised whether the new circuit, in Yeongam province 400 kilometres (250 miles) from Seoul, would be completed ahead of the race on October 24. The circuit is yet to pass an official inspection from the FIA, the sport’s governing body, but Ecclestone said the event will take place. “They had problems, but have done wonders in the last few weeks,” Ecclestone told Britain’s Daily Express newspaper.“I will be there, the world will be watching, and we will have a great race. I’ve seen photographs, and the top layer of the track has been laid. They will pass the inspection.” FIA technical director Charlie Whiting will complete a two-day inspection of the new Korean circuit following this weekend’s Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka, with an official decision on the race set to be announced on Wednesday.Races in Brazil and Abu Dhabi will complete the season after the maiden Grand Prix in Korea. Earlier this weekend in Japan, Grand Prix Drivers’ Association (GPDA) chairman Rubens Barrichello said he was confident the FIA would make the right decision regarding whether to race or not in Korea. Red Bull are the only F1 team to have sampled the circuit, with Indian driver Karun Chandhok completing a demonstration run in a six-year-old V10 chassis at a promotional event last month. Bureau ReportCanada’s Jamie Adjetey-Nelson, meanwhile, proved to be the best all-round athlete by winning the decathlon title with 8,070 points from the 10 events. The action followed Australia’s Sally Pearson being stripped of the 100m gold medal she won on Thursday for a false start, with Nigeria’s Osayemi Oludamola elevated to first. Pearson had been escorted to the medallists’ waiting room and Commonwealth Games Federation president Mike Fennell admitted it was handled badly. “It was a major communication blunder,” he said. Despite the absence of 800m world record holder David Rudisha, Kenya has proved to have plenty of depth here and World Indoor Championships silver medallist Boaz Lalang easily qualified for the semi-finals. Joining him were fellow Kenyans Abraham Kiplagat and Richard Kiplagat on another sweltering Delhi day. Bureau Report