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[andrew]

For India, however, Pirelli has aired on the side of caution,

As long as they don't fart on my side, I'm ok with that...

When you get to a certain age, never trust a fart.

[Fred_C_Dobbs]

India’s F1 track: Another cookie-cutter circuit?

24th October 2011 @ 12:10 12:10 pm by Keith Collantine

Straight, hairpin, straight, hairpin. Twiddly bit and back around again for another lap.

It was Korea last and it’s India next: the scenery changes but the tracks don’t.

Does the Buddh International Circuit, scene of the first ever Indian Grand Prix this weekend, offer anything to distinguish itself on F1′s increasingly homogeneous calendar?

Last week Sebastian Vettel raised the prospect of India’s circuit being one of the quickest in F1.

Red Bull’s simulator indicated an average lap speed of 235kph, suggesting a lap time of around 1’18. But tyre manufacturer Pirelli’s predictions are rather more conservative, estimating a 1’27 lap with an average speed of around 210kph.

On the face of it the Buddh International Circuit looks entirely typical of modern F1 tracks: roughly five kilometres in length with the usual combination of long straights leading into slow hairpins, plus some medium-speed corners.

Its layout has much in common with other recent additions to the calendar such as Yas Marina, Korea, Istanbul and Bahrain. This is not exactly a ringing endorsement.

Without wishing to judge the track before it’s even held a race, it’s impossible to ignore the conspicuous lack of imagination in modern F1 track design – whether you choose to blame ubiquitous designer Hermann Tilke, or the safety and commercial restrictions he is constrained by.

We see far too much of circuits that “have a bit of everything” and, consequently, have nothing that marks themselves out from other new tracks. As the graphs above make clear, it’s the classic old venues such as Monza, Spa and Monaco that provide the extremes on an otherwise increasingly homogeneous calendar.

But this will matter little if the Buddh International Circuit provides exciting race. We’ll find out if it can on Sunday.

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Hermann Tilke, poster child for retroactive birth control.

[f1ea]

^^ correct.
The best tracks are... unorthodox.

This race has no potential to be great, so i guess it will be pointless to measure it given the current context... but hopefully at least, for the future, its exciting.

Again, and as i always say: Tilke tracks are not necessarilly BAD, the problem is that all tracks are his and therefore designed with the same approach.

[bud]

The Times of India reports that Sachin Tendulkar has been asked to wave the chequered flag at the end of the inaugural Indian Grand Prix this weekend.

Tendulkar, who is a keen fan of the sport, has been suggested by the organisers as the best candidate, although a final decision will be taken by the Formula One management on Thursday.

"Sachin's love for motorsport is well known, and he is also the biggest sporting icon of the country," said a spokesman for the organisers. " It's only logical that we nominate him."

Tendulkar has followed Formula One since he attended his first grand prix at Silverstone when in England in 2002.

Asking the great and the good to wave the chequered flag might seem a good idea - and also to be a fairly straightforward task - but it can go wrong. At the 2002 Brazilian Grand Prix, Pele missed race winner Michael Schumacher crossing the line and instead waved the flag at a bemused Takuma Sato who was several laps behind.

[LewEngBridewell]

The chequered flag at Interlagos '02 was funny

[vlad]

Pele?

[bud]

Bit of a better idea what the track is like from McLaren

[youtube]wOPLv9dS7sI[/youtube]

[LewEngBridewell]

Bit of a better idea what the track is like from McLaren

[youtube]wOPLv9dS7sI[/youtube]

Well, I quite like what I can see here. Also, it's always nice to have a track that's not completely flat. Should look quite good on TV.

[Fred_C_Dobbs]

Indian GP organisers slash ticket prices
Ticket prices are cut for the first Indian Grand Prix

Organisers of the inaugural Indian Grand Prix have slashed tickets prices in an attempt to ensure a sell-out for this weekend's race.

With just days to go before the race, a number of tickets are still available at the new 120,000-capacity Buddh International circuit near Delhi with ticket prices reported to have been too expensive for many fans who were keen to attend the event.

Discounted race day tickets have now been made available in an effort to ensure more fans attend the event, which will be the first F1 race on Indian soil.

“We have sold close to 80,000 tickets which is pretty encouraging considering that it's the first F1 race ever in the country,” a spokesman for Jaypee, the group behind the new circuit, told AFP. “Of course we would have been happier had we sold off 90 per cent of tickets because ticket sales are the only source of revenue for us. But there are still a few days to go and we are keeping our fingers crossed.

“Fans can now opt for only race day tickets at discounted price instead of the season tickets which are a little on the high side. A lot of big companies are also in the process of booking corporate boxes.”

[LewEngBridewell]

...a number of tickets are still available...

...We have sold close to 80,000 tickets...

This is highly encouraging. Good vibes.

Better than "...the majority of tickets are still available...", which usually the case with somewhere like Shanghai...

[acosmichippo]

Kinda crappy news for the 80,000 people who already bought tickets, though.

[darwin dali]

Kinda crappy news for the 80,000 people who already bought tickets, though.

[myownalias]

Kinda crappy news for the 80,000 people who already bought tickets, though.

It'll backfire next season though as the people paying full price will simply wait until nearer the event and get their tickets on the cheap and if the organisers don't drop the prices we could end up with quarter full stands around the track... if I had paid full price, I would indeed be pissed and probably either wait for a last minute deal or not bother the next year!

[Hammer278]

This is bad pricing strategy. Like what you say, next year they are going to be staring at lousy numbers.

What should've been done is to offer closed group promos - ie. for specific organizations and member faculties (though you can target as many as you want)...instead of a "Open for all" discounted pricings. Very unfair, and doesn't help next year.

[racechick]

Or what they could do is offer those who've paid full price a healthy discount off next years race. Keep them happy and guarantee numbers next year