13/10/2025 10:15
Mercedes brought Formula 1 back to South Korea for the first time
since 2013 over the weekend, as Valtteri Bottas performed a show
run. The East Asian nation last hosted the pinnacle of motorsport
12 years ago, having held four F1 races at the Korea International
Circuit in Yeongam. On Sunday, Mercedes returned to the nation but
at the AMG Speedway, with an impressive 25,000 people having
attended the event in Yongin, Gyeonggi-do. The show run represented
the first time an F1 car had driven in the country since the last
Korean GP, with Bottas having wowed spectators in the Mercedes W13
– the Silver Arrows' car from the 2022 season. Bottas completed
several laps of the 4.5 kilometre circuit, before fans got the
chance to try to beat the Finnish driver's lap time on a simulator.
"It has been brilliant to bring F1 back to South Korea for the
first time in 12 years," said Bottas. "I remember the passion of
the fans from when I raced here back in 2013 but if anything, that
fandom has grown since then. "The fans were knowledgeable and
enthusiastic, and it was such an honour to have so many people here
to enjoy the day."
