India has its fair share of F1 fans – after all, we’ve been watching F1 live on television since 1993. So, the hardcore fan is well versed with the great circuits around the world – Monaco, Spa, and Monza in Europe, and the likes of Suzuka in Japan. But, never in our wildest dreams did we think we would be able to add the Buddh International Circuit, Greater Noida, to that list.
There’s been talk for many years now about India hosting an F1 race. You see F1 ringmaster, Bernie Ecclestone, is always keen to tap into new and growing markets – as that’s the key to keep the F1 machinery spinning. In response, the likes of Chandrababu Naidu and Dr. Vijay Mallya have raised our hopes in the past, but to no avail – until now that is.

It took an infrastructure and construction company by the name of the Jaypee Group, and a pair of unassuming brothers by the names of Manoj and Sameer Gaur to turn this dream into reality. And they didn’t just build any circuit – they built one of the greats. And don’t take my word for it, because that’s the view of the entire F1 paddock.

Like all new F1 tracks these days, the Buddh International Circuit (BIC) was designed by German architect, Herman Tilke. But this isn’t just any Tilke designed circuit, such as Bahrain, Malaysia, or China – this one has that little something that can be referred to as ‘soul.’ After all, this is the land of snake charmers – so, between Tilke, the Gaur’s, and the multitude of spiritual forces at be in this strange and secular land, the BIC was able to add that little bit extra to the mix.
Monaco has glamour and F1 cars kissing Armco barriers, Spa has Eau Rouge and Pouhon, Monza has the Tifosi, Suzuka has the Esses, the Spoon Curve, and 130R, and now the BIC has, well, turns 3 to 16 – they’re all epic.



Turn 3 has a very wide entry that’s completely blind as you brake and turn right uphill onto the one kilometer back straight, which has the second DRS zone to aid overtaking in Formula 1. Turn 4 requires hard braking from over 300km/h (if you’re in an F1 car), as you turn right again and head downhill towards the technical half of the track. Turn 5 and 6 is an extended double-apex left hander that leads immediately into a fast right that saw a number of F1 cars throw up dust over the weekend. Turn 8 and 9 is another fast chicane, which leads to the sweeping, and now famous, turn 10, 11, and 12 – a fast right hander where the camber helps you on your way. It can be deceptive though, as the corner tightens at the exit – luckily there’s a lot of tarmac run off area that’s painted bright yellow and orange to mimic the rays of the Sun. Turn 13 and 14 are a fast and flowing left and right that lead to the penultimate corner, which sweeps downhill as the road drops away from you on the right. The last corner is a deceptively sharp left hander that leads back onto the front straight – and into another DRS zone if you happen to find yourself in an F1 race.
Like Lewis Hamilton said, it’s very rare to see three good sectors in a lap. And this is especially true of a brand new circuit. He echoed the words of all the F1 drivers, as he emphasized that the BIC is an amazing track to drive and already one of his favourite – and one that he was sad to leave on Sunday night. His teammate, and also a former world champion, Jenson Button, said before the race that the BIC had the potential to become one of the greats like Spa or Suzuka. And he validated that potential on Sunday night, when he took special care to mention that the Buddh International Circuit strings together an entire lap in a way that makes it very special indeed – in a way that gives it soul. Now, that’s high praise indeed.



But, just what is it that gives a circuit soul? Well, from a technical point of view, there were a number of 5th gear (fast and flowing) corners that the drivers love. Like Ferrari driver, and double world champion, Fernando Alonso said, it was simply good fun to drive. And that was the common theme down the pit lane – and that was why most drivers enjoyed themselves. But it was also challenging, and there were also some corners in which driving skill can make all the difference – as pointed out by Massa when he topped the time sheets in one of the pre-race practise sessions.

The drivers also took note of the fact that the entry to the corners were extremely wide in an effort to aid overtaking. In fact, this was a deliberate change made to the track well into the construction phase – the rationale being that if there’s more than one line into a corner, it’ll give the aggressor more of a chance to tactically out manoeuvre the car in front, and therein create more action on track. Like Michael Schumacher himself said, it’s a very tactical track.

Of course, it wasn’t all smooth sailing, as Schumacher found out in the last phase of qualifying. He had a vibration in one of his tyres and the team blamed Indian customs for holding up some vital pieces of equipment. You wouldn’t know it though if you were to take a walk through the Mercedes garage, because you couldn’t possibly imagine what was left behind. You see, a team garage isn’t dissimilar to a NASA Mission Control Center.



As you walk into the Mercedes garage from the paddock, you see 5 engineers manning different screens that provide readouts and telemetry from everything on the car, right from the engine and gearbox to the brakes and tires. In fact, this information is shared with technicians at the Mercedes GP home-base at Brackley in the UK, where they also look at fuel consumption during the race and advise the race team on the pit wall on strategy. In the main garage, leading to the pit lane, you have both cars being furiously worked on while a local FIA technical delegate looks on to make sure that nothing amiss is taking place. All the garages also have cameras so that the FIA can keep a close watch on all the activity up and down the pit lane.

Schumacher’s dismal performance in qualifying for the Indian GP, though, caused F1 legend, Jackie Stewart, who was also in the paddock, to hit out at the German’s return to the sport and prophesize that he could never again win another F1 race – no matter how competitive a car he found himself in. Whether or not you agree with the Scot doesn’t really matter – just that we finally had legends like Jackie Stewart admonishing other legends of the sport, like Schumacher, on our soil was enough to make the hairs on the back of your neck stand on end. Moreover, Schumacher was able to redeem himself in the end by finishing in 5th place, and ahead of his younger teammate Nico Rosberg.



In fact, it was the current crop of drivers who struggled. In the race, Massa fell victim to the same challenges of the track that he relished earlier in the weekend, and had to retire with broken suspension. But, not before he clashed once again with arch rival Lewis Hamilton. Lewis was able to carry on, but not before a very Mr. Bean like grimace from comedian Rowan Atkinson, who was a guest of McLaren and was watching eagerly from the McLaren garage.

But, it was current Formula 1 world champion, Sebastian Vettel, who literally breezed through the weekend. His trip to India started with an excursion to the Taj Mahal and ended with the magical trident of pole position, fastest lap, and race win. He started off enamoured with traffic on our roads, and ended up equally enamoured with the BIC and India as a whole.

I think that the toughest part of his sojourn to India was not the race itself, but the drive from Delhi to Agra and back. He did confess that the chaos caught him by surprise, but he was equally impressed with the way in which the chaos came together to create a system that seemed to work – most of the time anyway. And, like the rest of the paddock, he was excited to be in India for the first time – in anticipation of the circuit of course, but also the turnout and passion of the crowd.

And, after a successful weekend of work, he turned into a more profound version of himself in the post-race press conference. “I think India is a very impressive country – very different to Europe, and very inspiring. If you keep your eyes and ears open, I think you can learn a lot from the way people handle things here. It’s a big country, with a lot of people – but they get on with it, and are very happy here. They enjoy life, and, in the end, that’s what it’s all about. If your life comes to an end, it’s more the emotions and the friendships that you take with you, rather than what you have in your bank account. Even though, most people have so little here, they’re much richer than a lot of people back in Europe. So there’s a lot we can learn. And, it’s a great race, great event.” He even broke into some Hindi in response to a question from a local journalist. “Dhanyawaad, aapki aankhei bahut khoobsurat hai.” Of course, he was speaking to all the ladies in India, complimenting their beautiful eyes.

But, the mood in the paddock wasn’t all upbeat. The drivers observed a minutes silence on the grid for the fatal crashes in the weeks leading up to the event of Indy car racer, Dan Wheldon, and Moto GP rising star, Marco Simoncelli – both of whom paid the ultimate price for competing at the highest levels of motorsport. And, it’s an unspoken risk that all the drivers take willingly to compete in a sport that they love. Like Hamilton said, “I have always said that if I was going to go, then in a racing car would be the way to do it. It is what I love.”




Luckily, today’s circuits, like the BIC, are considerably safer than the tracks of yesteryear and the chances of a fatal crash are reduced dramatically. Nevertheless, the Sauber F1 team, led by Indian born Monisha Kaltenborn, held a car puja in their garage early on Friday morning to ensure they had the support of the Gods during the Indian GP. And Sauber star, Kamui Kobayashi, also asked for a little extra support against ‘Delhi Belly,’ which he, along with the rest of the paddock, were more than a little weary of. In fact, some teams had even brought in reserve staff in case the regular race team had a few dropouts courtesy of that odd, nasty strand of bacteria. Luckily, those reserves didn’t need to be pressed into action on more than a handful of instances.|

There were other small glitches of course, like an occurrence of canine intervention on the track in the opening minutes of the first practise session on Friday morning. But, other than the odd mishap, which is readily expected, and accepted, at any new circuit, it was smooth sailing for the F1 fraternity in India. In fact, most were surprised by the way in which the entire city, and even the whole country, embraced the sport for those few days. And the drivers were delighted with the enthusiasm of the 95,000-strong crowd on Sunday – it’s what they race for. The international press were a little bemused by the excitement created by the Bollywood stars and Indian cricketers in attendance, but it was only fitting for Sachin Tendulkar to waive the chequered flag at the inaugural Indian Grand Prix.

And it was the combination of all this – the phenomenal track, the palpable excitement, the awe of those in attendance, and the glamour – that gave the Indian GP soul. It certainly all came together in the end, and Indian fans could finally enjoy the absolute assault on the senses that is F1 LIVE. So, until next year – with baited breath!