2000 crore worth Formula 1 racetrack left abandoned like a Ghost town

Formula 1 is in huge demand across many countries because of the huge marketing appeal and legendary drivers driving the world's fastest cars across different tracks. The F1 championship also has a lot of prestige and glamour for many big automotive brands, and they spend millions of dollars on technology and innovation and bring their best product.

Many governments want to be part of the iconic sport, and to get their attention, they spend millions of dollars and build international race tracks. Consider a country like India, which built the Buddh International Circuit to host the Formula 1 races. The Indian Grand Prix in F1 happened from 2010 to 2013, and after that, the organisers and the government had issues regarding the tax money, and the race was suspended for the next two seasons. The track remained abandoned until last year, when the MotoGP races took place on the circuit for the first time. 

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2000 crore race track turned Ghost town

There is also another race track in Asia, built for 2000 crores and hosting just four Grand Prix, now abandoned, and the circuit looks like a ghost town. The South Korean Grand Prix was held from 2010 to 2013, just like in India, but after that, it never returned. The Korea International Circuit was built in Yeongam, and it had a deal with FIA for seven years with the additional option of five years that extends their contract till the 2021 season. But the inaugural event was itself a disaster for the organisers, as the Grand Stands, which have a full capacity of 1,35,000 people, had only 80,000 spectators turn up to the race.

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Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso won the first race at the circuit, and Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel won the next three races. But year by year the race lost interest, and finally, the event was cancelled in 2014. The F1 race never returned to the South Korean soil. Experts said that the organisers made a mistake by building the race track 200 miles, which is 322 kilometres away from the capital city of Seoul. After that, several racing series, like the Asian Formula Renault series, GT Asia series, and Porsche Carrera Cup Asia events, were held at the circuit.

Again, the South Korean government and the race organisers are aiming for the Formula 1 races inside South Korea by suggesting a street race in Incheon like the Las Vegas Grand Prix. The city mayor submitted the plan and the race track layout to the FIA, aiming for a return from the 2026 season. But F1 was already in huge demand in many other countries, like South Africa, India, and Vietnam, so they plan to implement a rotational policy in many countries. 

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