Welcome to Autoxchange

On the fast track

Just three weeks from the dramatic and unexpected finish of the 2007 Formula 1 season, cars and drivers were back in action at the Circuit de Catalunya in Spain. Only this time the cars were slightly modified, as they were testing 2008 electronics, which means they were running without traction control following its ban starting next year. The driver line up was also dramatically different – seven-time world champion Michael Schumacher was back in action behind the wheel of a scarlet Ferrari, undoubtedly in an effort to give his team some valuable feedback since he’s driven in the pre-traction control era. Not far down the pitlane from the Ferrari garage was the Red Bull team. In keeping with their philosophy of giving young drivers a chance, they were testing a number of new drivers – one of whom was our very own Karun Chandok.

Karun’s impressive debut season in GP2, along with his maiden win at the famous Spa Francorchamps circuit not too long ago, ensured his first F1 test with the Red Bull team. Driving an F1 car may have been a lifelong

dream for the young and talented Indian but he wasn’t overawed by the situation. He posted consistent and quick lap times for the entire duration of the two days, and ended up 11th overall (out of 21 drivers), and just seven tenths of a second behind veteran David Coutlhard in the other Red Bull car – very impressive indeed.

At the front of the field, not to surprisingly, it was Michael Schumacher who was quickest on both days of testing. Schumacher stepped back into an F1 car as if he’d returned from a weekend break, as opposed to having been away from the cockpit for over a year. He says it took him only two laps to get back up to pace, which in his case, is quicker than everyone else. He demonstrated, yet again, that the fastest driver in the world is not among those on the current Formula 1 grid, but occasionally behind the pit wall instead – despite the competitive and exciting season we’ve had this year, that’s still a shame for F1 from fans across the world.



Great helmet design sporting colours of the Indian flag	Its fantastic to see Schumacher back on track once again	The Force Indian F1 team sporting a new livery

Jaypee Group contracted to build an F1 track

in Greater Noida

The dream of hosting an F1 race in India appears to be getting closer to becoming reality. In May this year, we reported that Dr. Mallaya felt India Gate would be an ideal street circuit to hold India’s first Formula 1 race. Bernie Eccelstone, however, made it clear that India would need a dedicated facility in order to host an F1 race. In September, F1 circuit designer, Herman Tilke, paid us a visit in order to look at a handful of short listed sites. Shortly thereafter, the Indian Olympic Association announced that they had signed a contract to become the race promoters in India, and the country had secured a slot in the 2010 calender.

Recent reports indicate that Jaiprakash Associates Ltd. (JAL) have signed a deal with Bernie Eccelstone to build India’s long awaited F1 facility at a 700 acre site in Greater Noida – in time to host a race during the 2010 season. JP Associates is the flagship company of the infrastructure conglomerate – the Jaypee Group.

Few details are available at present – rest assured we’ll continue to track the story, keeping our fingers crossed, as we’ve done from the very beginning. Nevertheless, real concerns still remain. As we reported in the past, upwards of Rs. 400 crores will be needed to build such a facility. It’s clear that an F1 race benefits its host city, but the exact returns are difficult to calculate. Moreover, it’s extremely tough for the venue owners themselves to recover their massive investment.

The Jaypee Group as a whole are doing a tremendous amount of development in Greater Noida – perhaps it’s a strategic move in their overall long term interest, or perhaps Bernie’s feeling generous since he’s been keen to host an F1 race in India for some time now.