India has made it. It has finally found a place on the Formula One calendar. All is set for the inaugural Indian Grand Prix from October 28-30 as the 17th race of the 2011 Formula One season. Charlie Whiting officially homologated the new race track on September 1. With India finding a place on the Moto GP, hotel and tourism industry would get an immediate boost.
Reigning World Champion Sebastian Vettel who is excited to take part at the Indian GP said in Istanbul recently that he was looking forward to the race. The Turkish Grand Prix winner said that he had heard a lot of good things and was expecting a full house at the Indian circuit. Vettel has won three out of the four races in the season so far.
Vettel’s teammate at Red Bull, Mark Webber too is eager to race in India and meet the World Cup winning Indian cricketers during the event. He appreciated the fact that the country hosted some big events recently like the Commonwealth Games and the Cricket World Cup.
Two-time world champion Fernando Alonso is also expected to be behind the wheel on the NOIDA track. The Ferrari driver said that he had always been keen to visit the country and would spend a week between the races.
At the inaugural event, India’s first F1 driver Narain Karthikeyan is being backed by Hero Motors and would be seen driving his Hispania car. The Chennai-based driver said that driving before the home crowd would be the most cherished moment of his life. October 28 would be a special day for me when I get ready for practice, Karthikeyan said.
All set to realize his dream, the country’s F1 driver said that since a child he had been dreaming of driving in front of his home crowd and he never imagined that he would be racing in the inaugural Indian GP. Speaking about the Buddh International Circuit, the venue for the race in Greater Noida, Karthikeyan said that it was among the top three in the world.
Speaking about the race circuit, 34-year-old Karthikeyan said that he could relate some of the corners to corners of some other circuits in the world. He went on to add that there were a lot of overtaking opportunities and long straights and spectators could see the speed of an F1 car reaching 320kmph.
Since his debut in Jordan in 2005, Karthikeyan has the support of the Tata group. When questioned whether he would change his team, the Hispania driver answered diplomatically that results would be better with better teams. On whether more Indian sponsors were likely to back teams, Karthikeyan said that it would happen slowly. Reiterating his stand, he said after the first Malaysian Grand Prix, four corporates were supporting their team. There are many aspiring drivers who need support, he said.
Another Indian driver who is waiting to feature at the Indian GP is Karun Chandhok, who replaced Italian Jarno Trulli in a one-off appearance in July’s German Grand Prix. He voiced that Indian drivers race for their respective teams at their home GPs. Echoing similar sentiments was Chandhok, who said that the circuit was challenging for drivers and it was a tremendous facility. There are two-three corners with double the width for overtaking, he added. In 2011, Chandhok signed up with Lotus Team as a reserve driver.
Speaking to the media, in Delhi, Pankaj Munjal, MD of Hero Motors, world’s largest cycle manufacturers, said that the pact with the Chennai-based driver was restricted to the Indian GP only. Not ruling out a long association, Munjal said it was time to back individual sportsperson. Not disclosing the sponsorship figure, the MD said that they believed in the principle of catching young and decisions would be taken one at a time.
Vicky Chandhok, head of the Federation of Motor Sports Clubs of India, in a statement said that FIA safety delegate Charlie Whiting had expressed delight over the progress of the work. Whiting also expressed confidence that the inaugural Indian Grand Prix would be a huge success. He stated that the final track licence necessary for all F1 venues would take place in the week before the race, when the facility would be complete.
Since 1997, the country has been toying with the idea of holding a GP. Plans for the track changed frequently from Kolkata to Hyderabad, to Bangalore, Mumbai, and Gurgaon before finally settling for NOIDA. However, in September 2007, International Olympic Association announced that the debut race would be held in 2010 on the Buddh International Circuit in Greater Noida. A year later FIA chief Bernie Ecclestone announced that the Indian GP had been delayed till 2011. It may be recalled that till 2003, India had only two car tracks, one in Chennai (Irungattukottai), and Kari Memorial Speedway in Coimbatore.
To enthuse the Indians, the Renault F1 team showcased their car across the country except Mumbai in October 2008. The team led by Nelson Piquet also showcased their skills on Rajpath at the India Gate end, Delhi, in November 2008. The others who showed their teams included McLaren in August 2009 in Lucknow and the Red Bull team in Mumbai in October 2009.
Racing Track
The Buddh International Circuit in Greater Noida, 24 km from Delhi, roughly 5.15 km has been designed by Hermann Tilke, who has also designed the tracks in Malaysia, Bahrain, China, Turkey, Indonesia, the UAE, South Africa, South Korea and the US. Spread in an area of 875 acres, there is a seating capacity of around 150,000. However there are plans to increase the seating capacity to 200,000. Construction company Jaiprakash Associates has been awarded a 10-year contract to host the Moto GP.
Giving details about the track, a Jaypee Green Sports city official said that the circuit has a mix of straights, corners and elevation changes to allow high speeds and opportunities for overtaking. The total length of the track is 5.15 km consisting of 16 turns.
With India being on the F1 map, the 2012 race earlier scheduled for April has been changed to October 28 next year. Since the coming year, the season will witness 20 races. The season will kick off on March 18 in Australia and end in Brazil on November 25. Another addition to the circuit is United States. The 2012 FIA Formula One World Championship calendar is as follows:
Australia – March 18
Malaysia - March 25
China – April 15
Bahrain – April 22
Spain - May 13
Monaco – May 27
Canada – June 10
Europe – June 24
Great Britain – July 08
Germany – July 22
Hungary – July 29
Belgium – September 02
Italy – September 09
Singapore – September 23
Japan – October 07
Korea - October 14
India – October 28
Abu Dhabi – November 04
United States – November 18
Brazil – November 25
So mark the date on your calendar to watch the F1 sport, which is likely to give cricket a tough competition in catching on the spectators.
Reigning World Champion Sebastian Vettel who is excited to take part at the Indian GP said in Istanbul recently that he was looking forward to the race. The Turkish Grand Prix winner said that he had heard a lot of good things and was expecting a full house at the Indian circuit. Vettel has won three out of the four races in the season so far.
Vettel’s teammate at Red Bull, Mark Webber too is eager to race in India and meet the World Cup winning Indian cricketers during the event. He appreciated the fact that the country hosted some big events recently like the Commonwealth Games and the Cricket World Cup.
Two-time world champion Fernando Alonso is also expected to be behind the wheel on the NOIDA track. The Ferrari driver said that he had always been keen to visit the country and would spend a week between the races.
At the inaugural event, India’s first F1 driver Narain Karthikeyan is being backed by Hero Motors and would be seen driving his Hispania car. The Chennai-based driver said that driving before the home crowd would be the most cherished moment of his life. October 28 would be a special day for me when I get ready for practice, Karthikeyan said.
All set to realize his dream, the country’s F1 driver said that since a child he had been dreaming of driving in front of his home crowd and he never imagined that he would be racing in the inaugural Indian GP. Speaking about the Buddh International Circuit, the venue for the race in Greater Noida, Karthikeyan said that it was among the top three in the world.
Speaking about the race circuit, 34-year-old Karthikeyan said that he could relate some of the corners to corners of some other circuits in the world. He went on to add that there were a lot of overtaking opportunities and long straights and spectators could see the speed of an F1 car reaching 320kmph.
Since his debut in Jordan in 2005, Karthikeyan has the support of the Tata group. When questioned whether he would change his team, the Hispania driver answered diplomatically that results would be better with better teams. On whether more Indian sponsors were likely to back teams, Karthikeyan said that it would happen slowly. Reiterating his stand, he said after the first Malaysian Grand Prix, four corporates were supporting their team. There are many aspiring drivers who need support, he said.
Another Indian driver who is waiting to feature at the Indian GP is Karun Chandhok, who replaced Italian Jarno Trulli in a one-off appearance in July’s German Grand Prix. He voiced that Indian drivers race for their respective teams at their home GPs. Echoing similar sentiments was Chandhok, who said that the circuit was challenging for drivers and it was a tremendous facility. There are two-three corners with double the width for overtaking, he added. In 2011, Chandhok signed up with Lotus Team as a reserve driver.
Speaking to the media, in Delhi, Pankaj Munjal, MD of Hero Motors, world’s largest cycle manufacturers, said that the pact with the Chennai-based driver was restricted to the Indian GP only. Not ruling out a long association, Munjal said it was time to back individual sportsperson. Not disclosing the sponsorship figure, the MD said that they believed in the principle of catching young and decisions would be taken one at a time.
Vicky Chandhok, head of the Federation of Motor Sports Clubs of India, in a statement said that FIA safety delegate Charlie Whiting had expressed delight over the progress of the work. Whiting also expressed confidence that the inaugural Indian Grand Prix would be a huge success. He stated that the final track licence necessary for all F1 venues would take place in the week before the race, when the facility would be complete.
Since 1997, the country has been toying with the idea of holding a GP. Plans for the track changed frequently from Kolkata to Hyderabad, to Bangalore, Mumbai, and Gurgaon before finally settling for NOIDA. However, in September 2007, International Olympic Association announced that the debut race would be held in 2010 on the Buddh International Circuit in Greater Noida. A year later FIA chief Bernie Ecclestone announced that the Indian GP had been delayed till 2011. It may be recalled that till 2003, India had only two car tracks, one in Chennai (Irungattukottai), and Kari Memorial Speedway in Coimbatore.
To enthuse the Indians, the Renault F1 team showcased their car across the country except Mumbai in October 2008. The team led by Nelson Piquet also showcased their skills on Rajpath at the India Gate end, Delhi, in November 2008. The others who showed their teams included McLaren in August 2009 in Lucknow and the Red Bull team in Mumbai in October 2009.
Racing Track
The Buddh International Circuit in Greater Noida, 24 km from Delhi, roughly 5.15 km has been designed by Hermann Tilke, who has also designed the tracks in Malaysia, Bahrain, China, Turkey, Indonesia, the UAE, South Africa, South Korea and the US. Spread in an area of 875 acres, there is a seating capacity of around 150,000. However there are plans to increase the seating capacity to 200,000. Construction company Jaiprakash Associates has been awarded a 10-year contract to host the Moto GP.
Giving details about the track, a Jaypee Green Sports city official said that the circuit has a mix of straights, corners and elevation changes to allow high speeds and opportunities for overtaking. The total length of the track is 5.15 km consisting of 16 turns.
With India being on the F1 map, the 2012 race earlier scheduled for April has been changed to October 28 next year. Since the coming year, the season will witness 20 races. The season will kick off on March 18 in Australia and end in Brazil on November 25. Another addition to the circuit is United States. The 2012 FIA Formula One World Championship calendar is as follows:
Australia – March 18
Malaysia - March 25
China – April 15
Bahrain – April 22
Spain - May 13
Monaco – May 27
Canada – June 10
Europe – June 24
Great Britain – July 08
Germany – July 22
Hungary – July 29
Belgium – September 02
Italy – September 09
Singapore – September 23
Japan – October 07
Korea - October 14
India – October 28
Abu Dhabi – November 04
United States – November 18
Brazil – November 25
So mark the date on your calendar to watch the F1 sport, which is likely to give cricket a tough competition in catching on the spectators.
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