F1 and India “have the makings of a long and happy relationship” after the inaugural Airtel Grand Prix at Buddh International Circuit yesterday, according to Alan Baldwin of REUTERS. Some of the facilities “were far from finished” and traffic snarls “made access difficult for many on race day.” Yet the reaction from the F1 community and local officials alike “exceeded expectations” and was “overwhelmingly positive, a feeling that India was sure to become a favorite fixture once the teething problems were resolved.” Drivers “loved the Buddh International Circuit, and Sebastian Vettel, who won the race, said, “I think it will turn out to be one of the great events on the Formula One calendar." Organizers said that “95,000 attended the race, on the outskirts of New Delhi,” and today's newspapers “delighted in declaring India the winner.” F1 Management Chair Bernie Ecclestone said, "I'm very, very happy with it, and everybody else is as well. We've nothing to complain about" (REUTERS, 10/31). In London, Tom Cary writes it would be wrong to give a negative impression of what was a truly unique race weekend.” The consensus was that India “had more than earned the right to label its maiden grand prix a qualified success.” The “local colour, the enthusiasm of staff and volunteers, the undeniable ambition of the organisers and, of course, the track itself, which was praised to the rafters by the drivers, more than making up for the whiff of chaos which pervaded proceedings; the design flaws in the paddock, the issues of transportation and timing” (GUARDIAN, 10/31). In N.Y., Brad Spurgeon wrote prior to the race F1 and India “await the results with a mix of optimism and trepidation, hoping it will work better in the world’s second most populous country than it has so far in its larger neighbor to the north.” India has “had some bad experiences holding international sporting events, notably the fiasco of the Commonwealth Games last year.” Spurgeon noted the difference is the F1 race was not “run by the government” (N.Y. TIMES, 10/30).
PLACE AND TIME: Speed’s Steve Matchett said the new F1 race in New Jersey beginning in '13 is "all about location, location, location.” Matchett: “When Bernie Ecclestone is looking around for a location, he has it here in New Jersey because of that iconic Manhattan cityscape in the background and it also has great access. There's a ferry which within eight minutes gets you to the pit lane from leaving Manhattan. That in itself is pretty staggering and geographically, when you look at the layout of the proposed track, just behind the harbor front there at the Hudson River, we have 150 feet of elevation change up the Palisades. So in many ways, this potential track that they're going to layout looks like the layout of Monte Carlo. … It looks to me like it has everything. It is staggering” (“Wind Tunnel,” Speed, 10/30).
