Korea’s 1st F1 Sees Thrills, Spills in a Captivating Race

After months of preparation, a groundswell of anticipation and Herculean efforts by all involved, Korea’s first ever Formula 1 Grand Prix race took place last weekend at the International Circuit in Yeongnam, in Korea’s southwest. In a gripping, rain-swept encounter, Spain’s Fernando Alonso took the checkered flag to claim his fifth victory of the season.

The top three after qualifying at the Formula 1 Korea Grand Prix: (left to right) Mark Webber, Sebastian Vettel, and eventual winner Fernando Alonso

F1 Korea Grand Prix Imagery

A rare quiet moment at the International Circuit pit lanes

Crowds mill about in anticipation of the forthcoming Grand Prix race

Formula 1 is the world’s premier motor racing event, taking in venues around the world and drawing a huge global audience. This year’s event also marks the 60th anniversary of Formula 1, with the first championship taking place way back in 1950.

F1, the world’s biggest motor racing event, turns 60 this year

Over the years, Formula 1 has been graced by some of the most colorful and talented athletes in the world of sports. At F1 Grand Prix races, drivers such as Juan Miguel Fangio, Ayrton Senna and Nelson Piquet have often elevated driving into something approaching an art form.

LG has been a big presence in Formula 1 over the past two years, including at this year’s Malaysian Grand Prix

At least as important, though, has been the incredible technology, which sees teams of experts and billions of dollars devoted to getting that little extra push from the engine, or shaving fractions of a second from the time spent in a pit stop. For such a high-tech event, Formula 1 needed suitably advanced and forward-thinking supporters, making LG the ideal choice for global partner over the last two years.

A booth at the track showcasing LG’s latest technology

A Lotus Racing team display at the LG booth

LG screens not only transmitted high-quality images but also the drama and emotion live from the race track

LG innovation meets F1

Overlooking the track, LG’s Paddock Club welcomes VIP guests with some of the best food and hospitality in the world of sports

Paddock Club cuisine, seen above, was also on the menu at this year’s Life Tastes Good Championship final in Seoul

LG’s latest TV, the NANO FULL LED LEX8, on display at the LG booth

The Korean Grand Prix was the 17th race in a sequence that started in Bahrain on March 14. After racing in Sao Paulo, Brazil, on November 7, the 2010 Formula 1 season will conclude in Abu Dhabi on November 14.

The Lotus Racing team at the Korea Grand Prix

Sebastian Vettel, one of the star racers at Red Bull Racing, shows his determination to win

At the Korea Grand Prix, Red Bull Racing prepares for the big race

Starting at 4 p.m. on Sunday, Korea’s Grand Prix saw the much-fancied Red Bull duo – Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber – burst from the starting line as they sought to consolidate their grip on the drivers’ championship’s top positions. But it wasn’t to be their day: Webber hit a wall on the 13th lap, and Vettel bowed out after an engine failure on the 46th.

Vettel’s Red Bull Racing car tears along the drenched track at the Korea Grand Prix

Though fortune wasn’t smiling on Red Bull Racing in Korea, the team remains at the top of the constructors’ championship standings, with Webber and Vettel respectively second and fourth in the drivers’ rankings. Everything is still to play for in the final two races, and Red Bull Racing’s many fans around the world will be rooting for their team as the season hits its dramatic climax.

The Red Bull Racing team has been the hottest property in the 2010 Formula 1 championships

LG has sponsored the Red Bull Racing team since July 2010

Red Bull Racing’s stations in the pit lanes

Years in the planning, Korea’s Grand Prix passed in a blur of screaming engines and high excitement. All the fans lucky enough to be there witnessed a true carnival of motor sports, and will already be looking forward to seeing Formula 1 return here next year.

LG will soon be helping fans relive the excitement of the Korean Grand Prix, along with the other races on this year’s circuit, through the “LG Moment of the Year” photo contest. In conjunction with F1 Racing magazine, LG, Formula 1’s global partner, will be inviting fans to submit their best photos of 2010 Grand Prix races onto the LG Racing website (lg.com/f1) from November 1. Voting starts on November 15, with the winners receiving their awards at the prestigious Autosport Awards 2010, held in London in December. Please be sure to cast your vote as we look to capture the “LG Moment of the Year.”