When the Buddh International Circuit (BIC) in Greater Noida, on the outskirts of Delhi, stages its third F1 Indian Grand Prix next weekend (25-27 October), it should be the cause of a nation’s celebration; instead the occasion will be tinged with sadness, even foreboding. Because Formula One (F1) will not return here in 2014. Although the event is half-expected to be reinstated the following year, possibly at an earlier date in the season, no one can be sure.
Nothing is certain in this world, least of all in this mad and rowdy circus.
Indian motor sport chief Vicky Chandhok, father of F1 driver Karun, said: “I will be disappointed if the race does not return to India in 2015. But the truth is I am not hopeful, not sure about it. Of course, that would make me sad. I said in 2000 that we would have Formula One in 10 years’ time, and we did.
“But the fact is that when we signed a contract seven years ago, it was Rs.40 to the US dollar and now it is 62. So it’s difficult to blame Bernie Ecclestone (the sport’s commercial rights holder) and Formula One itself. Conditions are different now.
“Bernie has the right to take the race somewhere else if he wants to. (The general) Elections here are just around the corner, which makes everything more difficult.”
Bernie Ecclestone. Photo: Mark Thompson/Getty Images
Chandhok would like to see the Indian government offer its support, although in such a vast nation, in which there is still widespread poverty, any government might properly claim to have other priorities. He added: “This race has been good for the economy for the past two years. Taxi and hotels drivers have been busy, and so have labourers. The taxpayers have not been paying for it—it has been a private promoter.
“India is now recognized worldwide as making great technological advances. So F1 makes sense. It is more than just a sporting occasion. It is an event capable of encouraging people all over the world. It is good for India, and good for its government.”
It is not just people in India who are disappointed to see the Indian GP vanish from the sport’s globe in 2014.
Force India driver Adrian Sutil, a German, was speaking for many inside the sport when he said: “It is disappointing to not have the race in 2014. I remember coming to India in the first year and it seemed the event had a long future. The crowd turnout was good and track is so nice. All drivers are fond of it.”
Track changes
India’s economy is in trouble and has been for some time. The rupee has depreciated by over 20% in the last two years and in August, hit a record low of Rs.68.85 against the US dollar. There are large budget and trade deficits that must be addressed.
It is not just India that is in trouble—at next year’s provisional calendar, there are 22 races fighting for room like a litter of kittens in a basket.
Teams are cringing with dread, and they all hope that two of them—perhaps New Jersey and Korea—will drop off before the schedule is confirmed. No one in the paddock wants more than 20 races.
A number of venues are struggling to stay on the list. Two that were government-backed, unlike India’s race—Turkey and Valencia—didn’t even make it on to this year’s calendar. That is why some events have to jostle up and down the calendar to make room for others
Indian GP race sponsors Jaypee Sports International Ltd (JPSI) say they prefer the established October date, but would be willing to host the race in March if needed. Or, one suspects, any time. “The October-November period suits us better both weather-wise as well as it being the festive season in India,” said JPSI CEO Sameer Gaur.
“But if Formula One management wants us to hold our race in March 2015, we don’t have any problem with that.”
That is what Ecclestone hinted at when he said, “When we signed the five-year deal with Jaypee, we were keen on going to India in the first half and Jaypee wanted it to be in October. We gave in at that time, but now it looks like we will have the race early 2015.
“We think it is best not to have a race in 2014 and have one in 2015. We will have to club India with the four rounds in the Asia Pacific region.”
Then there is the problem of India’s tax laws, seen as harsh by Ecclestone. “There are issues that need to be sorted out. I hope the organizers are able to deal with it,” he added.
F1 team Sauber’s Indian-born principal Monisha Kaltenborn told Reuters: “It would be a pity if for these (tax) reasons we don’t go there. India is an important market for partners who are already in Formula One or who could get into Formula One because of that market.”
“A number of venues are struggling to stay on the list. Two that were government-backed, unlike India’s race—Turkey and Valencia—didn’t even make it on to this year’s calendar. That is why some events have to jostle up and down the calendar to make room for others.”
Gaur, like Chandhok senior, would like to see more government involvement. “If F1 has to be in India on a long-term basis, the government of India should own the event like it is their own event, not only look at it as a Jaypee event. Yes, Jaypee has made the circuit. Yes, Jaypee has paid the licence fee but the government can share the licence fee. There are many governments around the world that share the F1 licence fee”.
“We should see the model of Singapore and Abu Dhabi. When you go to these countries, it looks like a festival. Their government popularizes F1 in every step. Whether it is their buses, their metros, their restaurants. Jaypee can only do so much.”
Karun Chandhok said it might be possible to run the race every other year. “However,” he said, “then you have to figure out whether hosting a race every alternate year will be a viable option for all host countries or not. Let’s not forget that a lot of investment is done for hosting a race, for keeping the safety norms in place. Does it then make sense to invest so much on the circuits just for one year?”
He mentioned the possibility of India and Malaysia sharing races. “But much of it is just speculation. We just need to see how the cards unfold,” he added.
F1 was never going to replace cricket as the country’s greatest sporting passion. It is a fact that Sahara Force India’s team principal, Vijay Mallya, readily concedes.
“No sport will rival cricket in India,” he said, “at least not for the next few generations. We did some research and what was interesting was that all the youngsters loved cricket, and of course cricket is a religion in India. But these same youngsters want to do something different. They don’t necessarily want to do what their forefathers did.
“Everyone’s father, mother, aunt, uncle and boss also loves cricket. So in that sense there is nothing special about cricket. But Formula One represents glitz, glamour, speed, technology, excitement, all this. I’ve arrived, I’m successful, I want to follow Formula One, a lot of people were saying.”
Good or bad?
There was always a certain feeling of impermanence about the Indian Grand Prix. There were more JCBs than racing cars when I first visited the circuit in October 2011. Despite all the hype, I had a notion that the event must have been organized by lastminute.com. There was a desperate rush to get everything finished on time—and in truth, there were still things that needed doing when the cars first roared in action.
“Listen, mate,” said one engineer on that opening day, “the place is chaos. The electricity doesn’t work (continuously), the gas doesn’t work and there are problems with the plumbing.”
But when the terrible dust from the building works had finally settled, it was clear that something remarkable had been achieved. Everyone had to put up with constant power cuts, some unfinished rooms and flying bats everywhere, but the track itself soon won everyone over.
“The track is fantastic,” said Ross Brawn, the Mercedes team principal. He added: “The facilities are good. Clearly, it has just been finished but we understand that and we are not criticizing. We know that next year there will be another step forward with the facilities because it has been a massive challenge for everybody to get it finished, so we are tolerant and understanding of the situation.”
Ecclestone was immediately impressed. “It’s super,” he said. “They have done everything we wanted them to do, within two or three years of us reaching an agreement. It took Silverstone 25 years, so I think they have done well.”
The drivers were also enthusiastic. McLaren’s Jenson Button said: “The circuit is a bit more like Suzuka (Japan) and Spa (Belgium) than Singapore or Korea. It’s exciting. Driving in the simulator, my initial thoughts were: ‘Hang on a sec, it feels like a hilly car park’, because all I could see were asphalt run-off areas.
“But here it’s so different to what we had in the sim. Because they’ve painted the run-off areas it doesn’t feel like you’re at a big car park at all. I think we’re going to really enjoy driving around here.”
By the time F1 returned to India in October last year, the place felt as if it had established itself.
But the setback now is particularly disappointing for the Sahara Force India team, whose “One in a Billion” project searched among the 1.2 billion population to find home-grown race driving talent. From thousands of applicants, 15 young drivers, aged between 14-17, were chosen from each of seven cities and after karting sessions, the best 10 were selected to undergo a week of intensive training and assessment at Silverstone, UK.
Here, they came under the expert eyes of Robert Fearnley, the deputy team principle of Sahara Force India, Eddie Jordan, the BBC commentator, Anthony Hamilton, Lewis’s father, and driver Nico Hülkenberg.
Fearnley said: “Force India has to represent India. Ideally, long term, we want to have an Indian driver in there. So we need to nurture someone through. That is our job.”
At Silverstone the rate of learning was stepped up, with the 10 drivers undergoing psychological and physical fitness tests as well as media training. “They had a baptism of fire,” said Fearnley. “They looked like rabbits caught in a car’s headlights when they arrived.”
So many people, it have, seems invested in F1 in India, and among the Indian people, that it seems almost inconceivable that it could falter now. But that is what everyone will be asking themselves at the BIC next weekend.