A brand-new track, some high expectations and already some season's reflections with just three races left… In this week’s preview for the Korean Grand Prix, we get the thoughts of some of the drivers themselves.
Mark Webber (AUS), Red Bull Racing – 1st, 220pts
Sebastian Vettel (GER), Red Bull Racing – 3rd, 206pts 
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Seb’s scintillating form after his win in Japan makes him favourite for Korean glory with bookmakers, but team-mate Mark Webber retains that honour for the drivers’ title, not that he wants that tag. "I may be in the lead by a few points, but I don't think I am the favourite,” the Australian commented this week. “I think we're all pretty even. It can change pretty quickly. It's on a knife edge, but I'm very relaxed… The points will look after themselves. I just have to stay consistent and keep my head down.” Arriving at the new Yeongam circuit, Vettel has the momentum, though he acknowledges it’s a step into the unknown. "I am pretty excited," Vettel says on redbullracing.com. "It's a new racetrack, which means none of us have been there before. While I know the race will take place, I can't really say anything about the track itself until Friday." Webber concurs: "We all have to go there, see the track and get on with the job - it's the same for everyone,” he adds. "I need to win again and, of course, I am very confident I can do that."
'I don't think I am the favourite' – Mark Webber
As for the question of team orders at RBR, there are no team orders, and that’s official. “There will be no team order from our side,” said Red Bull Racing owner Dietrich Mateschitz this week. “The driver who makes the least mistakes and is faster should, or will, win."
Fernando Alonso (SPA), Ferrari – 2nd, 206pts
Felipe Massa (BRA), Ferrari – 6th, 128pts 
Ferrari.com
Unlike at Red Bull, onetime championship favourite Massa has conceded that his role now is to support his team-mate Alonso as he fights to overhaul Webber at the top of the standings, though he admits that he’ll still be fighting for glory in every race, not least his home GP at Interlagos, given the opportunity. “As for my aims this weekend, firstly we need to qualify well on Saturday,” he says of the Korean GP in his official Ferrari.com diary, “and after that, in the race, I want to be in the middle of the battle for the drivers' championship, fighting with those five drivers who are chasing the title, which is the best thing I can do to help Ferrari's and Fernando's aspirations as we head for the end of the championships.”
'I want to be in the middle of the battle' – Felipe Massa
It’s clear that Alonso is relying on Massa’s traditional loyalty to the team to aid his quest. “For me, it will be important to be able to count on my team-mate Felipe,” he says simply.
Lewis Hamilton (GBR), McLaren – 4th, 192pts
Jenson Button (GBR), McLaren – 5th, 189pts
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Realistically, Korea is make-or-break for the McLaren boys, the last two men who have been able to call themselves ‘World Champion’. "It's getting more difficult, I'm fully aware of this,” comments the star of two years ago, Lewis Hamilton. But, in a situation like this, I always look back at the 2007 season and what happened in those final two or three races." Kimi Räikkönen famosuly piloted his Ferrari from a 17-point deficit to a drivers’ title in the last two races. Like many other drivers, Lewis sees a brand-new track as an opportunity not only to make ground, but also have fun. “On paper, it should suit our car quite well. The first sector is all about good end-of-straight speeds and strong performance under heavy braking, both key characteristics of our car,” Hamilton adds. “As long as the track surface is nice and grippy, I think we’re set for an enjoyable first race in Korea… I’m looking forward to it and think we can have a positive race. While recent results haven’t necessarily shown it, we’ve had a strong car. Now I’m hoping to get the chance to prove it.”
'We are pushing the envelope, so I’m optimistic' – Jenson Button
Team-mate and reigning champ Jenson Button agrees: “The track looks quite high-speed and the walls are close, so it’ll be an interesting challenge,” says Button on his website jensonbutton.com. “As with all our upgrades, we are pushing the envelope, so I’m optimistic. At this time of the season, if you're ahead on points then you can't do anything risky, but if you're behind, then you've got more confidence to be aggressive, because you've got less to lose. For me it's a very different situation compared to where I was last year, and I'm actually looking forward to taking the fight to the leaders, because I've got nothing to lose by doing that.”
Sébastien Buemi (SUI), Scuderia Toro Rosso – 16th, 8pts
Jaime Alguersuari (SPA), Scuderia Toro Rosso – 19th, 3pts 
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Buemi, buoyed by another points finish after an impressive charge from 18th on the grid in Japan, is confident of more success in Korea, despite the Toro Rosso team deciding not to run with the F-duct at the new GP. “It looks interesting enough with a very long straight, while the corners cover a really big range of types, from very slow to very fast,” says Buemi in his latest diary. “You get a sense from the simulator that the track layout is very much in the style of the more recent circuits designed by Hermann Tilke.” Team-mate Alguersuari finished just outside the points at Suzuka despite a coming-together with Sauber’s Kamui Kobayashi that required a reparatory pitstop, and he is also in a good mood with his team reiterating that his and Buemi’s services will be retained next year.
'I'm very proud of myself' – Jaime Alguersuari
"The official and final confirmation of our continuing contracts in 2011, confirmed in Japan both for Buemi and myself, will make us stronger," says Alguersuari. "I feel very happy with Toro Rosso, which is like a big family, and I'm very proud of myself."
Nico Rosberg (GER), Mercedes – 7th, 122pts
Michael Schumacher (GER), Mercedes – 9th, 54pts 
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"On one side there is the comparison with my team-mate [Michael Schumacher], and in this respect I am very happy. However, if we look at the absolute results, I must say that I had hoped for something more." So said Nico Rosberg to Autosprint magazine this week, as a season comes to an end that promised much more for the German, who has yet to win a grand prix despite his obvious talent. Like Schumacher, Rosberg will already be looking beyond the disappointments of 2010 to next year as we arrive in Korea. “The gap to make up to the top teams isn't that small. It can be done, but it's a lot of work,” he adds. “In the end, the objective for every driver who has had a career like mine is to win the Formula One world championship, and I'm no exception."
'I had hoped for something more' – Nico Rosberg
The driver he has comprehensively outshone this year has seven titles, but with many commentators and ex-drivers harsh in their criticism of his comeback – Alain Prost claimed this week that his return had shown he “lacked humility” – his team are right on-message, refuting claims that he could be seen next year on the pitwall and not in the car. "There is more credibility in Norbert Haug becoming an F1 driver than in Michael Schumacher becoming sporting director of Mercedes," Norbert Haug, sporting director of Mercedes, commented this week. And when asked if he “was a a ‘Plan-B’ kind of guy” in an official Formula1.com interview this week, Schumi was unequivocal. “No,” he said simply…
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