Mercedes is bringing Formula One back to South Korea for the first time in 12 years with a showcase run in Yongin next week, and team principal Toto Wolff says it’s long overdue for the sport to make a regular return to the country.
The team arrives on a high after George Russell secured Mercedes’ second win of the season at Sunday’s Singapore Grand Prix, one of only three East Asian stops on the current 24-race calendar alongside Japan and China.
South Korea previously hosted four grands prix at Yeongam between 2010 and 2013, and Wolff is confident the nation’s tech-savvy fans would embrace the cutting-edge spectacle Formula One has become over the past decade.
“It has been a little bit of an untapped market for a while now, considering that Formula One has grown very strong over the last few years, particularly in the younger target group,” Wolff, an Austrian, told Reuters in Singapore.
“Our strongest-growing demographic is young females from 15 to 24, and they are very active on social media. South Korea is an extremely social-media-connected country, so it would be great if we could come back and show how Formula One has changed over the last 10 years.”
Formula One now has six races in the Americas and four in the Middle East on top of its traditional European core.
“(Formula One chief executive) Stefano Domenicali’s aim is always to balance it well,” Wolff said. “There are obviously commercial factors, but also long-term planning, and I believe that we have a little bit of a blank spot in East Asia.”
East Asia’s modest presence on the calendar is also reflected on the grid, with only Japan’s Yuki Tsunoda and Thailand’s Alex Albon representing the region.
Wolff acknowledged that fans are drawn to drivers they can relate to, but said more Asian representation must come from grassroots programs.
“Formula One is purely meritocratic because you can’t afford not to have the best driver in your car,” he said.
“It always starts with go-karting. People need to see heroes. When we had a boost of German drivers, it was because kids saw Michael Schumacher. It needs this kind of igniting spark and then it rolls.”
Mercedes has a strong link with Asia through its long-term partnership with Petronas, Malaysia’s national oil and gas company.
Wolff said he is excited about the work they are doing on sustainable fuels being introduced next year under new regulations, as Formula One aims to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2030.
“The next generation of engines will run 100% on sustainable fuel, and we hope to achieve performances equal to fossil fuels,” he said.
“This is a high-tech innovation exercise that Petronas is doing together with us. It’s a mind-blowing R&D exercise, with the aim of eventually fueling high-performance road cars and aviation.”
