2011 Korean Grand Prix The Korean Grand Prix
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Lap 5: Buemi has turned defence into attack and passed Rubens Barrichello for 15th place.
Lap 4: Massa has team-mate Alonso right on his gearbox in the closest battle across the top six.
Lap 4: DRS is now enabled.
Lap 4: Replays catch Button's drop down the order, running wide and being passed by Webber and Alonso while trying to get back at Massa.
Lap 4: Dark clouds loom beyond the circuit and there may be further spots of rain in the next few minutes.
Lap 4: Buemi is 16th in the second Toro Rosso and has Perez climbing al over the back of him.
Lap 3: Massa again got a great launch, towing behind Webber down the long back straight.
Lap 3: Sutil has dropped back to 11th with Alguersuari 12th, Kobayashi 13th, Maldonado 14th and Barrichello up three to 15th.
Lap 3: Replays show a good launch from the McLaren pair, holding first and third comfortably in the first corner.
Lap 3: Behind the top six, Rosberg is seventh with Petrov maintaining eighth, di Resta ninth and Schumacher up to 10th.
Lap 2: Webber has slipped past Massa towards the end of the first tour, with Button dropping to sixth after an unseen scramble.
Lap 2: Liuzzi exits the pits after a change of front wing.
Lap 2: The drivers are on their tip-toes on this opening lap in these tough track conditions and Liuzzi is into the pits.
Lap 2: Vettel's Red Bull has a one second lead from Hamilton as they flash over the line for the first time.
Lap 1: Massa is also a man on the move as he storms up to third, the McLaren pair mugged into the hairpins on the first lap.
Lap 1: Racing down to Turn 4 it is Hamilton... under pressure from Vettel who dives into the lead!
Lap 1: Contact at the rear of the field and spots of rain are beginning to fall once again.
Lap 1: Hamilton gets a decent start and holds the lead into Turn 1 ahead of Vettel and Button with the rest chasing.
Lap 1: The five red lights go out and we are racing in Korea!
The front few rows are now in position and the field is forming up nicely. We await the lights ...
Burnouts as the leaders head towards their grid slots.
Hamilton rounds the final corner and heads for home.
Lewis backs off the pace a little, allowing the others to close up to him as they come round the final section.
Alguersuari and Schumacher have gone for the softer option to begin the race from 11th and 12th.
Round the middle of the circuit now and Hamilton is still some distance in front of Vettel and Button.
Hamilton pulls ahead of the rest down the long straight into Turn 3 and is quite content to be alone up front.
Kobayashi, Senna, Maldonado and Perez are also men to watch on the harder rubber.
Force India opts for a split strategy, with di Resta on supersoft rubber and Sutil looking at a longer first stint on the harder tyres.
The formation lap begins at Yeongam. Hamilton answers the call and leads the field of 24 away from the grid.
The engines fire with a minute to the formation lap.
D'Ambrosio is warned of a small, light shower, which Meteo France predict could hit the circuit at the top of the hour.
With Hamilton on pole and Button third on the grid, McLaren is looking for its sixth win of the year in the 700th F1 start for the team.
Sebastian Vettel is ready to rock from second place this afternoon. The last time he retired from a grand prix was at this event last year.
Just five minutes remain until the formation lap begins at Yeongam.
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A grid start has never been attempted here, with the safety car leading the pack away last year in heavy rain.
Alonso has been inspecting the view from the front of the grid, eying his run into the tight first corner.
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• Who will get the best start and lead into Turn 1 today? Both McLaren drivers got away well last time out at Suzuka.
• Will the Force India drivers finish the right side of the points this afternoon?
• What can Michael Schumacher do from 12th on the grid?
Tell the world what you think.
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One DRS zone at this circuit, detected just after the first corner before allowing the wing to open part way down the long back straight.
The spectators rise in unison to respect the Korean national anthem, as it rings out over Yeongam's public address system.
By: Emlyn Hughes, Geoff Creighton
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