The Korean International Circuit will be built in time for the inaugural Korean Grand Prix in October, according to renowned Formula One track scribbler Hermann Tilke, as the organisers released a series of photos of the track so far.
The new circuit is being constructed in the Yeongam County area of the country, but has been beset by rumours and reports of the construction being delayed and the race being cancelled.
The track was originally set to be completed by the end of July, but that slipped to the end of August and then later again after complaints of poor weather impeding the construction work.
It is now set to be officially opened on September 4th, when HRT driver Karun Chandhok will complete a demonstration run in a Red Bull car.
But spyshots of the track released last week showed the circuit still in a poor state, with the asphalt surface yet to be laid and the grandstands and track barriers still under construction.
However, Tilke has said that he is sure that the race will go ahead, though he admitted that the track was still being built just days before the official opening.
"The track is not finished yet, but it will be," Tilke was quoted as saying by Autosport, "It will be ready.
"Of course it is tight. But every circuit is tight. With every F1 circuit, the problem is always that the race date is there – and if there is bad weather or other circumstances then we cannot delay."
He added: "With a normal building, they can say that it will be finished now one week or two weeks later. We cannot do that with an F1 track. We cannot have it one week later."
Meanwhile, the race organisers released a series of photos on Monday showing completed trackside buildings, including the pit complex and the race control building, as proof that the track would be ready on time.
Perhaps tellingly, the photos that were released contained no shots of the circuit itself, adding credence to the reports that the track surface is still not fully laid.
But team bosses throughout the pit lane still seemed confident that the race would go ahead as planned on October 24th.
"I have seen the photographs and I've seen the concern that parts of the track were still rubble a few weeks ago," McLaren boss Martin Whitmarsh shrugged over the Belgian GP weekend.
"I think that this must be a very big event for South Korea, they have got lots of people and resources and I am sure they are not going to allow us to turn up and not be ready. It may well be ready the night before but I suspect we will be there."
Ferrari team principal Stefano Domenicali added that: "It [getting cancelled] is for sure something that I am not expecting to happen. I am expecting that we will be there."
Bernie Ecclestone, meanwhile, when asked about the situation around the race, answered simply that: "It is still on the calendar."
In response to questions as to whether he would put money on the race going ahead, he added: "Yes, I would. They will get it done somehow."
He also insisted that there was no alternative venue being prepared should Korea be forced to postpone, despite earlier rumours from Spain suggesting Ecclestone had been in touch with the Motorland Aragon track as a short-term replacement for the Korean venue.
"Tell me the name of the [replacement] place and who's paying for it," Ecclestone shrugged when asked about the potential for a replacement.
Red Bull boss Christian Horner remained ambivalent about the situation. When asked about whether the planned Red Bull demo run was still going ahead, he smiled that: "If there is no asphalt, it might be a short demonstration."
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