Bernie Ecclestone fears for Korean Grand Prix

FORMULA 1 chief Bernie Ecclestone has voiced his concern that the circuit for next month's inaugural Korean Grand Prix may not be ready in time, leaving the sport scrambling to make alternative plans at a crucial stage of the season.

The new Yeongam track, due to host the grand prix on 24 October, was initially due to be inspected on 21 September, but that was a Korean holiday. The race track is incomplete, but organisers have now been informed by motorsport's world governing body FIA that an inspection will take place on 11 October - less than two weeks before the race.

"It's not good. It should have been inspected six weeks ago," said Ecclestone after Sunday's Singapore Grand Prix. "We normally have a 90-day check before a race and now we are sort of putting this off. What we've done is quite dangerous. It's a question of do we cancel the race or not? They say everything will be OK - we have to hope they're right."

A Korean race official admitted that organisers were taking Ecclestone's remarks "seriously" but insisted they would be ready to host the race as scheduled. "We will have no problem in hosting the race on 24 October as we have almost completed work," said Korea Auto Valley Operation (KAVO) spokesman Kim Jae-Ho. "We will rush to complete work and FIA officials will see a complete circuit when they conduct a final inspection in two weeks."

Under FIA rules, if the track does not pass its inspection, the Korean GP will be scrapped for both the 2010 and 2011 seasons. If the track is deemed unfit to host the race a double-header could be held at one of the other remaining venues on the 2010 calendar. The next race is in Japan on 10 October, followed by Korea, Brazil (7 November) and Abu Dhabi (14 November)

Meanwhile, Fernando Alonso has warned his F1 title rivals he feels at his peak more now than in any previous season. Written off more than once this year, a rejuvenated Alonso is the form driver of the five in contention for the championship. Three victories in the past five races have catapulted the 29-year-old to within 11 points of championship leader Mark Webber. Alonso is nine clear of Lewis Hamilton after his win in Singapore, a driver he trailed by 47 points prior to his resurgent run. It is no wonder Alonso is bubbling. "A championship that is nine months long rarely happens in other sports," he said. "We are in a sport where you cannot be completely fit, focused and motivated 100 per cent at every race, every month. You are up and down. But right now, I'm at a peak - 100 per cent motivated It feels like the championship is starting now."

Ferrari team principal Stefano Domenicali believes the winner from the championship-chasing quintet, that also includes Sebastian Vettel and Jenson Button, will be the one who is strongest mentally."As we all know the car is crucial," said Domenicali. "But we also know that when things are so close, and there are certain moments that are the main moments of either qualifying or the race, the difference is really in the head."