2011 Korean Grand Prix

Championship standings

Vettel is the 2011 World Drivers’ Champion. Button leads the race for second place by eight points over Alonso, with Webber a further eight behind and Hamilton sixteen back in fifth. Red Bull enter this weekend with the opportunity to clinch the Constructors’ Championship.

Previous race

Vettel clinched his second World Drivers’ Championship at Suzuka, completing the podium in third — enough to secure the title. Button won the race for his third victory of the season; Alonso finished second. Button had started alongside Vettel on the front row but was forced wide at the first corner and lost positions; he undercut Vettel in the pits during the second round of stops to take the lead. Webber finished fourth, Hamilton fifth.

Between-race developments

Following a collision between Alguersuari and Rosberg during FP2 at Suzuka — where Rosberg made contact with the Toro Rosso as it emerged from the pit lane — the FIA has installed a system of warning lights on the approach to the first turn to prevent similar incidents.

Jean-Éric Vergne, Formula Renault 3.5 runner-up, drives for Toro Rosso during free practice. He announced a deal to run in FP1 at Korea, Abu Dhabi and Brazil.

Tyre choices

Pirelli bring their most aggressive dry-weather selection: the yellow-banded soft compound as the prime and the red-banded super-soft as the option — a significant step softer than the hard compound Bridgestone used as their prime tyre at this circuit last year. Pirelli’s motorsport director Paul Hembery is predicting four-stop strategies throughout the race. Pirelli committed to this aggressive approach for all four remaining rounds following the championship’s resolution in Japan.

Milestones

This is the 700th Grand Prix in which the McLaren team has competed.