Über Desi » Delhi – F1 GP

Karun dropped for the German GP and why he is coming back.

Karthik — Sat, 17 Jul 2010 04:15:01 +0000

A month ago, there was a lot of chatter about Karun facing the axe from the HRT team, for a lack of funds. While similar rumors had been circulating since the start of the season, there were a couple of incidents that week, which made me believe them. First there was Karun talking up the idea of an Indian driver at Force India F1 and how it would attract sponsors. But the second and more significant event was Karun’s mom, Chitra Chandhok re-tweeting fan’s messages referring to the rumor about him being dropped, because of a lack of funds.

When Bruno Senna was dropped for the British GP, I wondered how and why he was dropped in favor of Karun. Bruno obviously has way more following and seemed in a much better financial position than Karun. Later that weekend, news broke that Karun had a new sponsor. Jaypee group, the people who are building the circuit in Delhi for the Indian GP in 2011, at which point I thought that it was all well.

Today we hear the disappointing news that Karun was dropped and as always, we have no reasons. Adding insult to injury, no one, including Karun himself, is sure about when he will be back.

At the moment we are talking only about Hockenheim but with four drivers and two cars, it is probably inevitable I will miss some more races. We will sit down after Hockenheim and talk about the next race, which is in Hungary the following week. Then we have the summer break and we will see what happens. It is a little bit up in the air. The team are looking towards 2011. I have talked with Jose Ramon Carabante [team owner] about their plans for 2011 today so it’s not like there’s been a total breakdown between us or anything. It’s just something they want to do now.

The norm in F1 is for the driver to not “talk”, but Karun is changing all that and in the process winning a bunch of fans, not just outside the F1 fraternity, but the hardcore insiders. Instead of trash talking, he had something constructive to say.

As a racing driver it’s obviously not great to be missing races but I’m not in contention for the world championship or in a points battle over anything. I came into this team looking to establish myself as a credible, respectable Formula 1 driver and I’ve done that. I expect to be back for some races later in the year. The team gave me the chance to be in F1 and I have to respect and support this decision.

Like Narain, I think Karun could have proved a lot more, had he been put in a better car. But one thing is for sure, he is a very cool customer (he is tweeting his weekend plans) and has made a bunch of people love him, by being himself. For that one reason, I’d love to see him back on the grid.

But one thing I’ve known as an F1 fan is that Karun is one of the few people, who is loved by all. Maybe it was his first interview at the start of the season or the fact he is open or that he deals with things well, but judging by the reaction form the general public, it’s only a matter of time before he comes back. And would not be surprised if he shows up in the Force India cockpit next year.

Ps: If you have not, I suggest you take a look at Karun’s blog posts. Specifically the one where he talks about what it took for him to get on the grid. I’ve never read anything close to this from any of the current F1 drivers.

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Post tags: chandhok, f1, FIF1, force india, Force India F1, formula1, German GP, hrtf1, karun, karun chandhok

Desi motorsport roundup.

Karthik — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 04:04:07 +0000

Renault Roadshow in Delhi

With an amazing season coming to an end, the F1 circus, Renault in particular, took a detour to India before heading home.

The road show of the F1 team, sponsored by ING Vysya, will have a spectacular display of the 2007 Renault F1 cars driving down the Rajpath. The show will comprise stunts by professional drivers on Renault Megane Trophy cars, the Toon cars and the display of their Logan cars.

Delhi GP delayed by a year

Meanwhile, Delhi’s GP has been delayed by a year [Tip F1 Fan]. There is no official word on why the GP has been delayed by a year, up until the announcement, Mallya was convinced that the 2010 time line was realistic. The other problem with the GP also seems to be internal politics. With the Indian Olympics Committee originally set to handle the entire event, another private firm seems to have taken the lead role, while news still trickles out of IOC.

India’s date with Formula One racing is delayed by another year, to 2011, Indian Olympic Association president Suresh Kalmadi said on Thursday but refused to give any reason for it.

Management Changes at Force India F1

In related news, Force India F1 have parted ways with Mike Gascoyne and team boss Colin Kolles. It looks like Vijay Mallya will play a bigger role in next years operations. For those who care to remember, Gascoyne was the brain behind the Toyota team and helped design their car up until he moved to Force India. A new technical director, according to Mallya will be named shortly.

In a statement, Mallya said

Force India is my most difficult project to date and it has become clear that it requires more direct input from my side and greater performance accountability, We have come a long way this season, but we need more and that requires some radical reorganisation of the management structure to ensure the maximum productivity. I would like to thank Colin Kolles for his tireless efforts in keeping such a small team alive and to Mike Gascoyne for bringing his wealth of technical expertise. Both have played an instrumental part in making the team what it is today.

On Monday November 10th, I will announce the new technical direction of the team as well as the appointment of a new Chief Operating Officer who will assume overall responsibility for our Silverstone and Brackley facilities, Race and Test operations.

For the Indian fans, this gives a very small opening for Narain Karthikeyan to get into Force India. Karthikeyan did not have a great relationship with Kolles and this was public knowledge. When Karthikeyan did not get picked, even as a test driver for Force India, rumors were circulating on the web that it was Kolles who was blocking Narain’s return to F1. This should no longer be the problem.

Team India scores first point in Chinese round of A1GP

Speaking of Karthikeyan, Team India managed to secure their first point in the 08-09 A1GP season at the race in China. With the construction of cars being delayed, Team India was one of few outfits that did not participate in the season opener. This gave Narain additional time to run in the rookie practice session and he managed to top the time sheets, however when it came to race pace, it looks like the Indian team has more work to do. However, banking a point in the “first” race of the season is better than coming home empty handed.

Force India, splits with Ferrari, picks McLaren for next year’s engine.

Updating our earlier story Force India have officially parted ways with Ferrari. Instead of picking the Italian engine and KERS system, they have opted to move to a Mercedes powerplant.

With huge changes in the pipeline for Force Indian, including the reported signing of a technical deal with McLaren that will see the backmarker outfit supplied with engine, gearbox and the new KERS from the Championship-winning team, Mallya has implimented a management reshuffle.

With so much happening, I lost track of Naren Kumar and his WRC results. Does anyone have any updates on that?

Karun Chadok impresses & India to host GP in 2010

Karthik — Thu, 15 Nov 2007 17:40:13 +0000

Karun in the RBR pits.
Image from http://karunchandok.com

Karun Chandok made the best use of his test with Red Bull Racing, driving alongside David Coulthard, the past two days. Sitting in the cockpit of the Red Bull senior team’s car, powered by Renault engines, Karun managed to set the 18th fastest time on track on the first day. He was only trailed by the two Force India cars. Although teams test various components and set up’s, they normally run the car for a few laps on low fuel for the bragging rights.

For the second day in a row, retired Ferrari World Champion, Michael Schumacher, helping Ferrari with their testing, set the fastest time, fueling speculation that he might return. What went unnoticed was that Karun managed to hoist himself to 11th. Although the press was going gaga over Schumi’s pace, I am fairly confident that a few major teams have taken notice at Karun’s performance.

In other F1 – India news, Bernie Ecclestone has confirmed that India will be hosting it’s GP starting 2010. Bernie was quoted as saying

“India has always been known for its love of cricket, but F1 has been growing hugely in popularity in recent years as the viewing figures would suggest,Now with Vijay Mallya’s team, Force India, and the news that Karun Chandhok could soon be driving in F1, the announcement of the future Grand Prix in India will spark an explosion of further interest to rival that of the traditional sport

The Indian company JP Associates that won the contract was represented by Manoj Gaur who confirmed the news to the Indian news paper Hindustan Times.

The tests also revealed Force India’s new color scheme, Dark red on white and sported the Kingfisher logo.

I am booking my tickets to the GP, any one wants to join me?

Delhi GP in 2010?

Karthik — Tue, 18 Sep 2007 10:26:18 +0000

We reported earlier this month about a decision the the Indian F1 GP in Delhi and it looks like progress has been made.

India has sealed a deal to host its first Formula 1 grand prix from 2010, the countryâ€™s Olympic Association (IOA) has announced.

IOA president Suresh Kalmadi confirmed that Formula One Management had approved two prospective sites for a circuit on the outskirts of New Dehli and that F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone had given the green light for it to make the final decision on which site to use.

The other interesting piece of news to come out of the interview was that India could actually be the season opener. This is important because venues normally fight for the first race of every season and somehow India seems to have made the list.

Kalmadi added that the inaugural race in India had been set for three seasons’ time and that it could possibly be the season-opener.

And the contract runs for 10 years, once they figure out what the support races will be for the circuit.

The initial contract on the table is for a period of 10 years and Kalmadi says that before signing the deal, the promoters need to ensure the new venue will be served by events other than just F1.

We are guarded about our response until we actually see a press release by the FOM, until then, we will call this speculation.

Indian GP venue decision soon?

Anantha — Sun, 09 Sep 2007 13:21:55 +0000

It is official. Alonso and Hamilton have just completed a McLaren 1,2 at Monza. But the talking point in the Indian context is that the decision on the venue for the Indian GP is expected in a week.

This piece of news is probably a week old, but sadly slipped under the UD radar. But SPEEDTV analysts, while covering the race have just reported that F1 designer Herman Tilke (the main brain behind tracks such as Baharin, Shanghai and Malaysia) was in India last week to survey the proposed sites. Tilke has since returned to London to consult with F1 head honcho Bernie Ecclestone before the announcement can be made.

ET has reported that “the track length would be around 5 km with an investment of Rs 500 crore”. Formula One awaits the financial guarantee of Rs 60-200 crore or a letter of credit towards the licence fee from India by September 30.

According to Suresh Kalmadi, the President of Indian Olympic Association and the man in the forefront of the Indian F1 bandwagon, the proposed sites identified are Tughlaqabad Shooting Range (Delhi), Kundli-Manesar highway (Haryana) and Taj Expressway(UP). All these sites were surveyed by Tilke last week. Additionally it appears that the Rajpath venue which seemed to be the front runner earlier is no longer in the reckoning (confirming the fears that many, including yours truly had expressed).

“We have shown Mr Tilke all the sites. He would discuss the sites with Mr Ecclestone and close in on one of them. All the expenses for construction of the site would be borne by us. F1 management would only provide technical expertise to develop the site,” Mr Kalmadi said.

(link)

So we wait. Watch this space for more news as it breaks!

F1 coming to India: Analysis: Part 2- What has India got to gain?

Karthik — Sat, 16 Jun 2007 08:29:04 +0000

Part 1: Our Analysis on the circuit location is here

The Taj will be one of the major attractions. Photo from Saad.

Street circuit or not, F1 is coming to India, Bernie thinks, its better than the USGP.

Anywho, is this a boon for India or as Ashoe put it, a resource hog?

A one off GP will be a resource hog, the ROI, will not make any sense. But FOM signs a multi-year deal with most venues. We can safely assume at this point that this is the case with India.

Here is what India will get in return:

Tourism:
The tourism industry will be the first to enjoy the F1 impact. Besides the hordes of tourists who will show up for the event, delegations, reconnaissance teams from various factories and a plethora of media personnel will show up from now until the checkered flag is waved and a few weeks beyond that.

Delhi has a lot of old world charm that the west likes to photograph, it is near the Taj Mahal and is well connected to most parts of the world.

Rickshaws will not fly, if Delhi want’s to improve its image. Photo from VM2827

Infrastructure:
Indian airports are terrible. They make the Colosseum look like it was built and painted yesterday. It was sad and funny to note that the Airbus A380’s Indian tour had to be put off, because we did not have a large enough air field. So how are we going to handle at least 24 jumbo jets parked on the tarmac for about 10 days?

It looks like Delhi already has plans of modernizing its airport, they are also working on eliminating the red tape. Simultaneously, Macquarie Bank, the world’s second biggest owner of airports is working on acquiring airports in India.

No pressure, New Delhi will also be hosting the Commonwealth Games in 2010.

Popular hotel chains like the Taj Group already have plans of building new accommodations. Other companies will jump on the bandwagon in the near future.

There is only one way for Delhi to go, up.

Sponsorship:
Of the current car makers participating in Formula 1, Almost everyone has a product out in India.

Mercedes, Toyota, Honda, BMW, Renault (with Mahindra) and Ferrari (Fiat) have operations in India. Spyker has plans.
Red Bull has two teams, one using Renault engines and the other using Ferrari Engines.
Super Aguri is Honda’s B team in the context of this discussion and Williams uses Toyota engines.

Only if these guys had an F1 team. Image from babasteve.

End result, this is a great opportunity for the companies to market their cars. Besides just F1, you will find their sponsorship spilling into other smaller motor racing events and even improving facilities for up and coming drivers.

The major companies that sponsor F1 teams will also find an easy path to enter India for business / sponsorship deals.

Judging from recent news, you might even find a university or two in the long run.

Over time the three reasons above should enable repeat visitors and new ones who take advantage of the facilities to show up before / after the race providing much needed foriegn exchange currency to India.

Economic impact on people:
While the race might make the rich poorer (The cheapest ticket to The USGP is about $80), the skilled workers will have a chance to make a few bucks. Improving infrastructure relies heavily on the availability of man power and even after the completion of major projects, maintenance and upkeep will keep some of them in town.

New facilities will create the need for new jobs and I can see a lot of good things happening.

Are there potential pitfalls? That should be our next post.

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

Karthik — Thu, 14 Jun 2007 16:47:04 +0000

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)

Delhi gets the green light to host an F1 GP in 2009

Karthik — Thu, 14 Jun 2007 15:12:39 +0000

Delhi is get’s its F1 slot for 2009. Suresh Kalmadi, the president of the Indian Olympic Association confirmed this in a news conference.

We have received a letter in this regard from Bernie Ecclestone, CEO of Formula One. The IOA will be the promoter and the first event will be held in 2009. Suresh Kalmadi

We have covered this possibility before here. here and here.

Look for a detailed analysis in our next post.

New Delhi Formula1 GP – Circuit designer visits India.

Karthik — Sun, 29 Apr 2007 16:30:01 +0000

We wrote earlier about the possibility of a street racing circuit in Delhi as early as 2009. The project is supported by F1 supremo Bernie, The Chief Minister of Delhi Sheila Dixit and the Indian Richard Branson, Vijay Mallya.

Now the German architect and designer of Formula One motor racing circuits Hermann Tilke visited India.

Tilke has been responsible for designing many recent circuits from scratch. These include

* 1998 Sepang International Circuit, Malaysia
* 2004 Bahrain International Circuit, Bahrain
* 2004 Shanghai International Circuit, China
* 2005 Istanbul Racing Circuit, Turkey

Times of India rumors that the proposed street circuit layout inspected was around Rajpath in New Delhi.

Tilke was quoted as saying

We’d like to position Delhi as a street circuit, We think it’s a perfect track for F1 racing.

He also commented that he and Formula 1 officials had already met with Delhi’s chief minister Sheila Dixit, and that they would be meeting again.

All this activity makes me think that the Indian GP will finally happen. With Abu Dhabi confirmed for 2009, and Korea for 2010, India needs to get its act together as early as possible to make the best use of the revenue that F1 fans will bring in.

Delhi the next Monaco – A F1 race in 2009 in India?

Karthik — Fri, 23 Mar 2007 04:01:08 +0000

A Ferrari at Monaco, click to enlarge.

With Vijay Mallya now taking a keen interest in bringing F1 to India, things seem to be looking up. Now that he is sponsoring the Toyota F1 team using his Kingfisher brand, the Indian tycoon has a vested interest in the process.

After a meeting with Sheila Dixit, the Chief Minister of Delhi, plans seem to be coming together.

With F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone wanting to expand the sport in Asia, India needs to capitalize on the opportunity.

Mallya has this to say after his meeting.

It certainly is feasible. We had an extremely positive meeting with the chief minister, who is entirely supportive of the idea,One of the areas which we believe would be be autiful and has a lot of heritage value is in and around the India Gate.

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.

Toyota’s Ralf Schumacher who was visiting India as a part of a sponsorship deal has this to say

Clearly, from what I have seen, it will be a great event. I am looking forward to it and hopefully it will happen.

How close to reality is this?

As an ardent F1 fan, I think I have enough background to say the following.

a) A street circuit is a much easier possibility than a dedicated F1 circuit. The tarmac would have to be resurfaced, but that should not be a big problem.

b) Even in Monaco temporary stands are erected. Of course the location of Monaco permits a lot of yacht’s to dock, but here alternative arrangements have to be made.

c) The pit lane and the garage location will be the second biggest issue as far as I go. Will they have enough space to accommodate everything?

d) Transportation of the cars, team and equipment in a timely manner will be the biggest problem, but this is not an isolated case for Delhi. Anywhere in India, this would be the biggest concern.

I have never been to Delhi, but I can assure you that combined with the culture and the location they are discussing right now, the race will be a run away success.

Let’s hope that the politicians recognize this opportunity and act on it.