F1 Track That Cost £300m Was Abandoned and Hasn't Been Used for 12 Years
An abandoned Formula 1 track that has not been used in over a decade cost some £300 million to build.
A Formula 1 track, which cost more than £300 million to build, has been left unused for over 10 years.
The 2025 F1 season is getting towards the business end, with Lando Norris, Oscar Piastri and Max Verstappen still in the race to become world champion.
Following last weekend's Brazilian Grand Prix, Norris has taken control of the title race as he leads Piastri by 24 points with just three Grands Prix left to run.
Looking ahead, the 2026 season promises to be a classic as F1 will undergo a massive regulation change.
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Aside from regulation changes, there will be a new track on the calendar, with Spanish capital Madrid playing host for the first time in September.
The track in Madrid, named 'Madring', will be part street circuit and part classic race track and will be built around the IFEMA exhibition centre with 20 corners and a distance of 5.47km.
While a new track is set to be unveiled next season, there is one circuit that has been left rotting for more than 10 years.
The Korea International Circuit in Yeongam, South Korea, which reportedly cost £300 million to build, hosted four Grands Prix, the last of which took place in 2013.
Construction of the circuit was completed just in time to be used for the 2010 Korean Grand Prix, and it only received FIA (F1's governing body) approval 10 days before the race.
In addition, the facilities around the site were said to be incomplete when the race weekend arrived.
Also, the location was believed to be a problem, with South Korea not renowned for its love of Formula One, and the Korea International Circuit was built a whopping 200 miles from the capital city, Seoul.
Overall, the Korea International Circuit failed to capture the imaginations of the local public across the four years that it was featured in the F1 schedule.
Park Bong-soon, a South Jeolla Province official, told the New York Times in 2015: “We started with a big dream of making lots of money. Instead, we ended up with a spectacular flop."
Two-time world champion Fernando Alonso was the first winner on the track, with Sebastian Vettel then winning in 2011, 2012 and 2013.
12 years on from Vettel's last victory in Korea, the track remains unused by the FIA.
Topics: Formula 1
Marcus Chan