For the second successive Grand Prix weekend the weathermen appear to have got it right.

The weathermen - are we still allowed to say that? - had been saying for days that there was a 60 percent chance of rain, and boy were they right.

The rain that had been forecast began last night and pretty much continued from then on, only stopping at 12:30 pm local time - just two and a half hours before the race is due to get underway.

All the rubber laid down over the last couple of days has now been washed away and such are the conditions that the sole support event run this morning (for Hyundais) took place almost entirely behind the Safety Car.

While the dust that plagued the drivers in the previous four sessions has been washed away - along with the rubber - the big concern now is how the oils rising from the newly laid asphalt will react with the damp track surface.

However, less than an hour before the start of the race, Bob Constanduros writes: "It's very muddy off-line, in fact it's a bit of a quagmire/quicksand off the circuit. Bernd Maylander (Safety Car driver) has already been round the track in the wet and says there is much more grip than you might think. Alex Wurz also says that there isn't so much oil in tarmac these days for road safety reasons. This tarmac is supplied by a German company, and it shouldn't be too slippery, but if people go off they're going to bring mud back onto the race track and that's going to be very messy. Therefore, it could be a bit of a procession with people not wanting to go off line."

Even if there is no more rain - and that's a mighty unlikely as we look at the skies - the drivers are already going to have their work cut out, and Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber will be delighted to have claimed the front row. All the overtaking we were promised might never happen with drivers aware that the slightest slip, the slightest off could mean disaster. All Sebastian, or Mark, have to do is be in front and stay there.

That said, there is a championship at stake, so we have to wonder - this being the last chance for the McLaren duo - will Lewis Hamilton throw caution to the wind or was this Jenson Button's cunning plan all along.

Despite the fears, the Koreans have done a wonderful job here it is hardly their fault that the weather might kill off any hope of a real 'go for it' race. After all, it was the weather that caused the delays to the construction of the circuit in the first place.

Sadly, despite the media hype, many of those in the stands look bewildered and one cannot help but feel that this could be another Turkey… if you'll pardon the pun. A great track but located in a region/country where there is no local interest in the sport. While Bernie and the various cash-laden governments might believe the Field of Dreams mantra that "if you build it they will come", F1 has proven that this is not always the case. Ironically, the South Koreans are big on Baseball.

Forty-five minutes before the start of the race it begins to spit, Mike Gascoyne tells Bob Constanduros that there will be "proper rain" in thirty minutes.

As the drivers go out for their exploratory laps before taking their place on the grid most are on intermediates. Spins for Glock and Massa are just two drivers to be caught out, while even the acknowledged 'rainmaster' Michael Schumacher slips and slides as he leaves the pitlane.