India to host F1 GP in 2011

India is all set to host its first F1 Grand Prix in 2011 if All goes Well. The circuit in the Jaypee Greens Sports City bears the usual hallmarks of a Hermann Tilke-designed track. But from this first impression it seems to have some of the open, flowing corners that many modern tracks often lack.

There are several slow corners before and after the main start/finish straight. These are surely intended to increase opportunities for overtaking, something F1 car designers have been demanding recently.

But the other half of the track includes several longer-radius corners and some quick-looking bends. It is quite impossible to get any sense of gradient from this flat map, however.

The circuit is being built by JP Associates which is a part of a large industrial conglomerate called the Jaypee Group. The circuit is being built alongside the Yamuna Expressway, a new road being built to connect India’s capital New Delhi with the country’s biggest tourist destination, the Taj Mahal, in the city of Agra.

The road to the Indian Grand Prix has not been completely smooth. The race was originally slated for the 2010 F1 calendar but Bernie Ecclestone, the big boss of F1, confirmed it had been moved back to 2011.

In August this year the government’s sports minister M S Gill refused to support race promoter JPSK’s request for money to hold the race, claiming F1 is not a sport. Ecclestone dismissed the minister’s comments saying: “That’s his view. The rest of the world thinks it is a sport.”

India is all set to host its first F1 Grand Prix in 2011 if All goes Well. The circuit in the Jaypee Greens Sports City bears the usual hallmarks of a Hermann Tilke-designed track. But from this first impression it seems to have some of the open, flowing corners that many modern tracks often lack.

There are several slow corners before and after the main start/finish straight. These are surely intended to increase opportunities for overtaking, something F1 car designers have been demanding recently. But the other half of the track includes several longer-radius corners and some quick-looking bends. It is quite impossible to get any sense of gradient from this flat map, however.

The circuit is being built by JP Associates which is a part of a large industrial conglomerate called the Jaypee Group. The circuit is being built alongside the Yamuna Expressway, a new road being built to connect India’s capital New Delhi with the country’s biggest tourist destination, the Taj Mahal, in the city of Agra.

The road to the Indian Grand Prix has not been completely smooth. The race was originally slated for the 2010 F1 calendar but Bernie Ecclestone, the big boss of F1, confirmed it had been moved back to 2011.

2011 FIA Formula One World Championship Race Calendar

01           Bahrain (Sakhir)                                11 – 13 Mar

02           Australia (Melbourne)                       24 – 27 Mar

03           Malaysia (Kuala Lumpur)                   08 – 10 Apr

04           China (Shanghai)                              15 – 17 Apr

05           Turkey (Istanbul)                              06 – 08 May

06           Spain (Catalunya)                             20 – 22 May

07           Monaco (Monte Carlo)                      26- 29 May

08           Canada (Montreal)                            10 – 12 Jun

09           Europe (Valencia)                              24 – 26 Jun

10           Great Britain (Silverstone)                   08 – 10 Jul

11           Germany (Nürburgring)                      22 – 24 Jul

12           Hungary (Budapest)                           29 – 31 Jul

13           Belgium (Spa-Francorchamps)            26 – 28 Aug

14           Italy (Monza)                                     09 – 11 Sep

15           Singapore (Singapore)                      23 – 25 Sep

16           Japan (Suzuka)                                  07 – 09 Oct

17           Korea (Yeongam)                             14 – 16 Oct

18           India (Delhi) *                                 28 – 30 Oct

19           Abu Dhabi (Yas Marina Circuit)          11 – 13 Nov

20           Brazil (Sao Paulo)                             25 – 27 Nov

* Subject to circuit approval