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Formula 1
VARSHA: A Passage To India, And Other Thoughts
A (hopefully) complete BIC in India will welcome Formula One this weekend...
The five start lights prepare to go out at the beginning of the inaugural Indian Formula One Grand Prix at the Buddh International Circuit on October 30, 2011 in Noida, India. (Photo: Getty Images)
I often repeat a quote I once saw from Lorne Michaels, creator of the famed Saturday Night Live franchise, which perfectly captures my experience in live television. As I recall, Michaels said: “We don’t go on Saturday nights at 11:30 because the show is ready; we go on then because that’s when we go on.”
By the time you read this, the new Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas, will be officially open for business, and while the United States Grand Prix next month will no doubt have its share of opening-weekend issues, the show will go on, and hopefully it will be as big a hit as SNL. I hosted the dedication ceremonies, which included the first ceremonial laps of the 3.4-mile circuit by 1978 world champion, Mario Andretti. Quick story: when the ex-Robert Kubica Lotus/Renault Mario was scheduled to drive suffered a mechanical failure, its replacement was the Lotus 79/Cosworth test chassis he and Ronnie Peterson drove as Colin Chapman developed the definitive car that carried Mario to the ’78 title. I thought that was entirely appropriate.
The new Circuit of the Americas is simply awesome. Other than the Olympic Games, I can’t think of another sport in which you open your doors by hosting your biggest event of the year. If you’re going to the USGP leave yourself plenty of time, take it all in, and be patient. I’ll save the track details for the special half-hour preview coming your way a few days before our coverage of the United States Grand Prix, November 16-18. My point here is about the coming Grand Prix of India, and the massive task of creating a state of the racing art facility from scratch.
A year ago the builders of the Buddh International Circuit near Delhi raced the clock to have their track ready in time for its debut; a race it appeared they would lose up until the last minute. Unlike CotA, at the BIC paint was literally still drying as the teams arrived, and only after the event did series boss Bernie Ecclestone admit that he nearly postponed the race. This sort of thing is not unprecedented; a week ago the decision was made to move the proposed Grand Prix America in New Jersey back a full year, to 2014, to allow time to complete preparations.
A (hopefully) complete BIC in India will welcome Formula One this weekend. Six drivers remain mathematically eligible for the world championship, but more than half of them could be eliminated Sunday if Sebastian Vettel and Red Bull maintain their recent superiority, winning three straight races and leading every lap in the latter two. Only second-place Fernando Alonso is safe this weekend, but the Spaniard and his Ferrari team must find new speed, which can be difficult in the face of an Indian customs bureaucracy that makes it very tough to get new parts from the factories in Europe to the track quickly.
The other championship contenders: Vettel’s teammate Mark Webber, Kimi Raikkonen in the Lotus, and the McLaren duo of Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button, can keep their title hopes alive, or at least serve as spoilers, helped by the fact that the Indian circuit will feature two completely independent DRS zones. Each will have its own detection point for activating the rear wing flap, and one zone has been lengthened for passing help following a fairly processional race last year. Pirelli is bringing the hard and soft tire compounds, a two-step separation in tire performance that should produce a reasonable gap in lap times, more overtaking, and more strategy options.
With Felipe Massa confirmed this week by Ferrari for another season alongside Alonso, the Brazilian’s recent run of good results puts Ferrari in position to defend second place in the constructors championship, well behind front-running Red Bull but just six points ahead of McLaren. The midfield fight between Mercedes, Sauber and Force India should be fun to watch as well, provided their drivers can avoid the kind of first-lap chaos witnessed two weeks ago in Korea. There are still plenty of drivers hoping to keep their jobs, or find new ones, for next year, so that may be asking a lot.
Mechanical reliability down the stretch will be critical. Of the four remaining events: India, Abu Dhabi, the USA and Brazil, three are power circuits, one (Brazil) is at high altitude, and another (CotA) is virtually a blank slate for the teams. Anything can happen. Wouldn’t it be something if the return of Formula One to the USA featured the crowning of the world champions? This weekend will tell us a lot about the possibilities.
The opinions reflected herein are solely those of the above commentator and are not necessarily those of SPEED.com, FOX, NewsCorp, or SPEED
By the time you read this, the new Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas, will be officially open for business, and while the United States Grand Prix next month will no doubt have its share of opening-weekend issues, the show will go on, and hopefully it will be as big a hit as SNL. I hosted the dedication ceremonies, which included the first ceremonial laps of the 3.4-mile circuit by 1978 world champion, Mario Andretti. Quick story: when the ex-Robert Kubica Lotus/Renault Mario was scheduled to drive suffered a mechanical failure, its replacement was the Lotus 79/Cosworth test chassis he and Ronnie Peterson drove as Colin Chapman developed the definitive car that carried Mario to the ’78 title. I thought that was entirely appropriate.
The new Circuit of the Americas is simply awesome. Other than the Olympic Games, I can’t think of another sport in which you open your doors by hosting your biggest event of the year. If you’re going to the USGP leave yourself plenty of time, take it all in, and be patient. I’ll save the track details for the special half-hour preview coming your way a few days before our coverage of the United States Grand Prix, November 16-18. My point here is about the coming Grand Prix of India, and the massive task of creating a state of the racing art facility from scratch.
A year ago the builders of the Buddh International Circuit near Delhi raced the clock to have their track ready in time for its debut; a race it appeared they would lose up until the last minute. Unlike CotA, at the BIC paint was literally still drying as the teams arrived, and only after the event did series boss Bernie Ecclestone admit that he nearly postponed the race. This sort of thing is not unprecedented; a week ago the decision was made to move the proposed Grand Prix America in New Jersey back a full year, to 2014, to allow time to complete preparations.
A (hopefully) complete BIC in India will welcome Formula One this weekend. Six drivers remain mathematically eligible for the world championship, but more than half of them could be eliminated Sunday if Sebastian Vettel and Red Bull maintain their recent superiority, winning three straight races and leading every lap in the latter two. Only second-place Fernando Alonso is safe this weekend, but the Spaniard and his Ferrari team must find new speed, which can be difficult in the face of an Indian customs bureaucracy that makes it very tough to get new parts from the factories in Europe to the track quickly.
The other championship contenders: Vettel’s teammate Mark Webber, Kimi Raikkonen in the Lotus, and the McLaren duo of Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button, can keep their title hopes alive, or at least serve as spoilers, helped by the fact that the Indian circuit will feature two completely independent DRS zones. Each will have its own detection point for activating the rear wing flap, and one zone has been lengthened for passing help following a fairly processional race last year. Pirelli is bringing the hard and soft tire compounds, a two-step separation in tire performance that should produce a reasonable gap in lap times, more overtaking, and more strategy options.
With Felipe Massa confirmed this week by Ferrari for another season alongside Alonso, the Brazilian’s recent run of good results puts Ferrari in position to defend second place in the constructors championship, well behind front-running Red Bull but just six points ahead of McLaren. The midfield fight between Mercedes, Sauber and Force India should be fun to watch as well, provided their drivers can avoid the kind of first-lap chaos witnessed two weeks ago in Korea. There are still plenty of drivers hoping to keep their jobs, or find new ones, for next year, so that may be asking a lot.
Mechanical reliability down the stretch will be critical. Of the four remaining events: India, Abu Dhabi, the USA and Brazil, three are power circuits, one (Brazil) is at high altitude, and another (CotA) is virtually a blank slate for the teams. Anything can happen. Wouldn’t it be something if the return of Formula One to the USA featured the crowning of the world champions? This weekend will tell us a lot about the possibilities.
The opinions reflected herein are solely those of the above commentator and are not necessarily those of SPEED.com, FOX, NewsCorp, or SPEED
Spanish Grand Prix
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