India GP getting closer to reality
"If it comes to India, which I hope it will, I'd really welcome it," Sheila Dixit told reporters after her meeting with leading Indian businessman Vijay Mallya, whose Kingfisher Airlines is a new sponsor of the Toyota F1 team.
"It certainly is feasible. We had an extremely positive meeting with the chief minister, who is entirely supportive of the idea," Mallya said.
"One of the areas which we believe would be beautiful and has a lot of heritage value is in and around the India Gate," Mallya added.
Toyota driver Ralf Schumacher, on a visit to India for the new team sponsor, said: "Clearly from what I have seen, it will be a great event. I am looking forward to it and hopefully it will happen."
"Yes, cricket is like a religion in this country. I am not saying 1.1 billion people are going to watch F1. But there is more than enough appetite out there," Mallya said.
At a news conference in Mumbai on Tuesday, Mallya said the facilities to be built for the 2010 Commonwealth Games could be used for the F1.
"This is the first time I have been involved in trying to bring F1 to India. Delhi is gearing up big time in infrastructure for the 2010 Commonwealth Games and the chief minister is excited about the possibility," he said. tvnz.co.nz
01/24/07 (GMM) After months and years of speculation, formula one is definitely heading to India in the near future, according to reports.
The burgeoning south Asian country's 'Economic Times' said capital New Delhi has been selected as the host city, and that "a formal announcement is expected in March."
Central to the new talks with F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone has been Vijay Mallya, chief of Toyota's new on-car sponsor Kingfisher Airlines.
Recently predicting an inaugural Indian GP in 2009 with government backing, Mallya has reportedly promised to be the main sponsor of the Delhi race.
Global financial services firm Goldman Sachs said in a paper this week that India will overtake the economies of the UK, France and Italy by 2015.
It could then overtake Germany, Japan and finally the US by 2050.
05/27/06 India is once again moving towards hosting a Formula 1 race. There have been several projects in recent years, notably in Calcutta and in Hyderabad but both plans ran into trouble at the political level and disappeared. The latest project is in New Delhi and the plan is to combine the race with the development work currently going ahead in preparation for the Commonwealth Games in 2010. The Indian government has agreed to provide $1.1bn in funding, double what was spent in Melbourne, and this has led to controversy as sports authorities are saying that the money should be spread around a little more. Building a circuit as part of the project would be a clever way to offset some of the criticism. The problem, as always, is the fees that the Formula One group want for a race and talks over that are currently taking place.
Sunder Mulchandani, the boss of Argus Integrated Systems, is behind the new plan and hopes that the government will agree to fund the contract so as to put India on the motor racing map and improve the image of New Delhi. Grandprix.com
01/30/06 Narain Karthikeyan says it would be 'logical' for the Indian government to stage an annual formula one race.
The 29-year-old from Chennai, who became the country's first grand prix driver last year, reckons joining the pinnacle of motor sport will help India compete with key rivals like China.
''A grand prix would help improve our image,'' said Karthikeyan, whose Indian sponsor Tata is funding his 2006 test drive for the Williams team.
Narain thinks India and the sport would mutually benefit from a race.
''It is a big market (in India),'' he continued. ''We have many large international businesses and many potential formula one sponsors.''
10/26/05 A future Indian grand prix could still be on track with news that Vicky Chandhok met with F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone at the Shanghai GP.
'Motorsport Aktuell' reported that Chandhok, president of the 'federation of motor sport clubs of India' and father of A1 driver Karun, arranged that Bernie personally visit India next month to inspect some possible sites for a F1 circuit.
Bangalore is now considered the favorite site for a grand prix venue in the highly populated country, according to the publication. It is speculated that land might already have been bought.
''We think we can establish a new formula one race track for $60 million,'' Chandhok said.
10/19/05 Construction of a permanent race circuit will shortly begin in India, according to reports. The Indian 'Business Standard' said on Tuesday that the partly state-funded track would be built near Panvel, on a 75-acre plot of land.
Supporters of an Indian (F1) grand prix, though, should not get too excited — the track will be built only for F3.
But the publication wrote: ''Senior tourism … officials said that the government was very keen on bringing F1 racing to (India), as it would not only bring in investments … but would also generate employment.''
'Business Standard' said land near Gorai and Navi Mumbai may be suitable for a F1 venue.
08/21/05 Narain Karthikeyan has admitted that he might have to settle for a test driving role next season. The Jordan rookie, formula one's first and only Indian, told Reuters that staying at the Midland owned team is a possibility. But he admitted: ''At the moment there are not many race seats. I have to see which is good for my career — whether to stay here or whether to get a good test … seat.''
Karthikeyan started his rookie year pretty well but has recently struggled to keep up with his similarly inexperienced teammate Tiago Monteiro. Narain, 28, said India is a 'very marketable place' for a team.
He also dismissed the view of Jordan's new 'sporting relations manager' Johnny Herbert that Karthikeyan drives too wildly. NK insisted: ''He's been here for only one race. That's his opinion.''
08/19/05 While many in the paddock stare anxiously at their rapidly expiring F1 contracts, Narain Karthikeyan is oddly confident of not only remaining part of the furniture, but of a better ride. The Jordan rookie, who is India's first grand prix driver, says 'everybody' has now figured out that the hugely populated country is a big potential market for the sport.
''Things will be different next year,'' Karthikeyan, 28 – faintly referring to his mid year slump in the outdated Jordan, told the Rediff publication.
He insists he is negotiating not only with Jordan's owner Midland, but also with others. Narain insisted: ''(2006) won't be a repeat of this year. Any team I will be associating myself with will speak to potential sponsors."
08/18/05 This rumor is downgraded to 'false' today. There are no current plans for an inaugural F1 grand prix in India. In the Indian government's parliament this week, politician Kudeep Bishnoi asked Manmohan Singh – the Prime Minister – whether there were 'any plans' for an event or a grand prix race track. The PM's office, according to Qatar's 'The Peninsula' newspaper, replied that the government 'had no such plans' and 'did not organize' any such event. [Editor's Note: This explains why Jordan's Indian driver, Narain Karthikeyan, is rumored to lose his ride in 2006]
02/12/05 The news of a possible Indian GP comes just a week after Narain Karthikeyan became the first Indian driver to sign up for a Formula One team. India will stage its first Formula One race within three years Bernie Ecclestone said on Friday. India would 'definitely' have a race, "it's just a case of where," the F1 commercial rights holder told the BBC. Calcutta and Hyderabad have both been linked with a Grand Prix in the past, but Ecclestone said it would 'probably end up in Bombay. 02/03/05 Narain Karthikeyan could be the catalyst to putting an abandoned Indian grand prix project back on track. According to Akbar Ibrahim, the 28-year-old's countryman and a former F3 driver, the popularity of motor racing in the densely inhabited nation is on the grow. Karthikeyan announced earlier that he had won a seat at Midland-owned Jordan for 2005. ''Hopefully … (he) will help the government to get up from its slumber and build facilities required for hosting F1,'' Ibrahim told the BBC. Narain will pop up at Silverstone (Northamptonshire) in a day or two to collect the requisite 300km mileage for a FIA superlicense.