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Delhi - F1 GP

F1 coming to India: Analysis: Part 1- The circuit location.

By: Karthik :+: Under: Delhi - F1 GP, Formula 1, Motor Racing, Sports
On: ⋅ June 14, 2007 ⋅  Email this post ⋅  Print this post ⋅ Post a comment
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Is this the possible location of India’s new F1 street circuit? (Click for a larger version)

Image from Yahoo Maps India.

Over the past few months in covering the possibility of an Indian GP, Delhi was the name that came up time and again. Back in January, at the Launch of the Toyota race car, Vijay Mallya made a statement saying The Government of Delhi and him wanted a GP for India.

He followed up in March after a meeting with the Chief Minister Sheila Dixit. Being a close friend of Bernie, it looked like things were falling into place. During this meeting, he threw the idea that the track “might” be a street circuit and possibly around India Gate.

A month later the famed German circuit designer Hermann Tilke visited Delhi and made a statement to the effect that the location would make a good street circuit and added that it would be a perfect track.

So we can safely assume that Delhi is getting a street circuit (it is too late in the game to build an exclusive race track, even if they wanted to and the investment like that will not make sense where space is hard to find and expensive).

Expanding on Mr. Mallya’s statement, a track around India gate would make absolute sense. Rajpath Rd. is the host of India’s Republic Day parade every year.

Seating for Spectators:
Thousands of people (I can’t find exact figures) are normally seated on either side of the Rajpath every year. Temporary stands are erected and the same would probably be done for the race. Attendance figures at a typical F1 event range from 50,000 (Belgian GP 05) to roughly 250,000 people (US GP). A crowd of about 100,000 would be decent, but I have a feeling that not everyone can be accommodated on Rajpath. This would also be determined by the exact turns that are laid out for the race.

A photo of Rajpath from abrinsky

Safety:
Anyone who saw last week’s Canadian GP, would appreciate the safety in F1 and how after Kubica’s horrific crash, he walked away unscathed. Armco barriers will be installed along most of the circuit and gravel traps / tire walls will be erected and this is where the expertise of Tilke would come in very handy. Of course after everything has been setup, the circuit will have to be approved by the FIA.

Location:
Although I have never been to Delhi, I am told that the area around Rajpath is one of the prettiest sights in India. With very beautiful and Historic buildings all around, this backdrop would be a very different one from the what F1 has seen so far. The only other street circuit on the F1 calender is Monaco. Although the race is very traditional, the location is one of the biggest party scenes. As compared to this, Delhi would be a very different atmosphere.

Stay tuned for more updates and detailed analysis on other aspects of the Delhi GP.

Part 2 of our analysis: What has India got to gain is here.

Update: A lot of blogs are buzzing with news about the GP. (1,2,3,4,5)

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