India is preparing for its First F1 Grand Prix. And I was one of the fortunate few who got to experience the circuit, the adrenalin & and the thunder of an F1 Race-car on the track! A Sneak peak to what the race on 30th Oct has in store for all of us. Simon, Ian & Pete from the RBR Racing Team put up a superb show at the pits, while Rajiv Makhni interviewed the Engineers & geniuses behind the Show Car team. The highlight of the show was Neel Jani, driving an older modified F1 show car. Neel, a Swiss Driver of Indian origin, has also conquered the highest motorable road at Khardung-la with the same RBR Showcar.
The F1 ‘preview’ was not without all the security measures & checks – including a scrutiny lap, the safety car doing the rounds & the driver following the pit road speed limits. Neel surprised everyone after a few laps by burning some rubber at the chicane. Doing insane spins & sprints – to give the fans a spectacular experience of the Speed & Sound. Rajiv was joined by Vikram Chandra of NDTV for more on-track discussions. While the pit was buzzing with activity as the RBR F1 Car was getting dis-assembled. It was also great to bump into Ruhi Batra (Times of India) who – with her girly charms – got the special privilege to sit in the Safety Car. Special Thanks to the Red Bull Racing Team & Gaurav Wadhwa from Red Bull India – for such a great Experience.
A few pointers if you are planning to be at race:
- Carry the Correct Tickets. If you have the Seasons Pass (3-day access) you would have 3 different tickets for 3 different days. Make sure you check the date on the ticket.
- Leave early! If you are coming from New Delhi – chances are, it would take you 3hrs + to reach the venue & another 1hour to park and reach your designated stands.
- The F1 circuit is about 55kms from South Delhi via the Noida-Greater Noida Expressway.
- Parking though, is not a part of your package! (Sigh! Hidden costs) So make sure you buy your parking permit and avoid missing the race because of this silly little thing.
- Here’s a direct link to the circuit on the Map – Buddh International F1 Circuit.
- Not only does it take long to reach there, it takes even longer while coming back, as you have to use the busy service lane & merge with traffic coming from Greater Noida.
- No Cameras! This might sound strange, but the latest information that I have says – No DSLRs. Point and shoots are okay & so are iPhones.
- F1 rocks (Metallica Concert) tickets are not included in the F1 GP tickets – So if you are planning to be in Delhi – Don’t miss the Metallica concert in Gurgaon! Get your tickets here. The online sales are almost closing, so Hurry up!
- Best Deal for the F1 race is the Sunday Race pass – which is cheaper than a full 3-day access pass, but puts you right in the middle of action. Book your Race Day passes here at BookMyShow.com!
- Best Value tickets would be the Star Stand & the Classic East Stand. The Best possible place to be is at the Grand Stand – to view the start of the race, clear view of the pits & MAX speeds! This doesn’t really assure a long enough view, But since the Turn 16 is clearly visible from the Grand Stand, it would be super fun to see the F1 cars brake, and accelerate & vanish, and then finally brake again at Turn 1. With one of the longest straight line stretches, speeds would be touching 320-330 kmph here. Don’t forget your earplugs!
- Getting a ticket doesn’t assure you a good view. And not all stands would have seats or allotted places to sit. In the Natural & Picnic stands – as the name suggests – get your own sheets to sit & carry sunscreen!
With just three more races to go, the real race is between the Constructors. RBR Renault victorious with 558 points, McLaren Mercedes with 418 & Ferrari with 310. Force India is Number 6 with an impressive 49! While Vettel has already bagged Victory with 349 points. Button, Alonso, Webber & Hamilton are going to fight it out with 222, 212, 209 & 196 points respectively. 4 Drivers & 2 constructors fighting for the Number 2 spot is good enough for a lot of action!
Race Timing (IST):
Fri 28 October 2011
Practice 1 10:00 - 11:30
Practice 2 14:00 - 15:30
Sat 29 October 2011
Practice 3 11:00 - 12:00
Qualifying 14:00
Sun 30 October 2011
Race 15:00
Download a copy of a Free F1 Wallpaper here:
F1 Wallpaper for your Screen & Mobile Device
Right click on the desired resolution – and hit ‘Save Link As…’
For Computer Screens : 1920 x 1200 | 1920 x 1080 HD | 1600 x 1200 4:3
For Mobile Devices: iPad2 | iPhone4
Leave a reply
Nice Share.
Thanks for sharing.
Photos are really cool.
me super duper archi mega encanta esta cosa de los si
Great stuff. Would be great if you can post some tutorials on post processing.