[shortbread]

Almost all the drivers have only positive opinions of the track layout. This I believe is the most important aspect, the other small niggles can be ironed out after gaining experience this year. Here are some of the drivers comments regarding the track:

• MASSA: 'The ideas are different, I really enjoyed it, The track is very nice; some uphill, some downhill, some high-speed corners,It can make the race very challenging for the drivers. In some places the actual track surface is very wide and so it will therefore be possible to take various different lines in the race, which could make overtaking easier'
• HAMILTON: 'The track is fantastic - the organisers here in India have done a great job. It’s very fast and flowing, the grip-level is fantastic, the run-off areas seem to be good, and the kerbs are probably the best of any circuit we visit: nice rumble-strips that you can drive on.'
• BUTTON: 'They've done a great job with the circuit, It's also pretty smooth, which is nice for a new circuit, and the lay-out is fun to drive. There are some pretty slow corners here, like Turn Three, which are quite tough but you've also got a lot of high-speed corners; it's a lot faster than what we thought it would be around here.'
• WEBBER: 'It's a good track with good Formula 1 corners,there are quick left-rights, Turn Three is a unique corner, it's very slow but it's uphill and quite extreme on the elevation. Turn Four is also not straightforward, so they're both challenging.'
• VETTEL: 'It's interesting, a good challenge," said Vettel. "It's very dusty to start with, but the track seems fun, especially the wide entries give a lot of options to all the drivers. We'll see a good race on Sunday.'
• SCHUMACHER: 'This is a very interesting track with a challenging layout, and it's certainly enjoyable to drive.'
• SUTIL: 'The circuit is good fun and very nicely done. It has some challenging corners and there seem to be plenty of opportunities to overtake. It should make for an interesting and exciting race on Sunday.'
• DI RESTA: 'The track is quite exciting and the grip seems to be building nicely. It won’t be an easy race with the DRS zones being so effective and likely to result in lots of overtaking.'
• SENNA: 'The track is very good, that’s for sure. When I walked it yesterday it was clear it was going to be very dusty, and that was also the case this morning, but it is improving all the time. The corners are very fast and they encourage you to push, push, push so I think we can have a good weekend here. As the grip to improves and the racing line widens we should be able to push even harder!'
• BUEMI: 'It’s a beautiful circuit, I’m happy to be here and I hope we will have a lot of spectators on Saturday and Sunday.'
• ALGUERSUARI: 'The track looks really nice and it’s a pleasure to drive it. The lap time makes it look like a short lap, because it is so quick, but from a driver’s point of view, it is very interesting.'
• TRULLI: 'The track is not too hard to learn but it’s interesting - there are a few different lines you can take and I think that will encourage overtaking, so Sunday’s definitely going to be fun.'
• ROSBERG: 'The new track here in India is awesome. It has some very interesting corners, and that's why it takes a bit longer to get used to the layout than at some of the other new circuits. Turn two for example is very different; you come from downhill, then go up looking into the sky and so you see the hairpin very late, just before you arrive.'
• GLOCK: 'The track is just awesome and really good fun to drive.'
• RICCIARDO: 'I can say that it is quite a fun circuit, I’m happy with the layout and I think that most drivers will enjoy it.'
• CHANDHOK: 'The track itself is really enjoyable to drive, particularly the middle section which is very quick, and as it evolves and the times keep coming down I think we’ll see some very good racing here all weekend.'

Finally the best one for last, nothing better than feeding some narcissism back to the English:

• ECCLESTONE:'They've done a magic job, its taken Silverstone 20 odd years and I don't think they've achieved it yet!!!'

Well done Jaypee on getting the most important thing spot on, the track layout, Bravo!!

Sources: BBC F1, F1.com

[pranavt]

Dogs and various other animals have interrupted sessions before. Search for Bruno Senna's accident with a dog.

Poor dog was killed in that instance, sadly.

[johnjacob]

Reminds me of a real incident that happened to me.

The year was 2002. I was working onsite in Ottawa, Canada, for the late lamented Nortel. One Saturday evening, I had gone go-karting with friends on this track in the countryside a little outside Ottawa city. I am racing onto a straight at maximum speed, when I see this HUGE reddish-brown animal right in front of me. I instinctively turn the steering all the way to the left and crash ignominously into the tire barrier at the side of the track, and I have to wait for one of the track marshals to come and turn me around and restart my engine. The worst part: the animal (it was probably a groundhog) ran away and nobody else even saw it. Nobody - not my friends, not the track marshals - believed me! I should have just hit the critter and made it roadkill...

[Scorcher]

Some interesting pictures from TopGear

Source

[Scorcher]

Here comes another Buddh cock-up. Pir'leli' eh?

[tifosikrishna]

A friend of mine has one extra Rs. 12500/- ticket (price for 3 days). He says the view is very good (not sure about the name of the stand though) and is willing to sell it at a discount. If you are interested, please PM me.

[Urban_Nomad]

Originally Posted by Scorcher

Here comes another Buddh cock-up. Pir'leli' eh?

Please god please, let this not be photoshopped.

[Butters]

Originally Posted by ch.nathan

The F1 commentator just said he's the 'Brad Pitt' of India.

wonder what will they name him

This time, we have outdone ourselves

[Irish]

Originally Posted by Butters

wonder what will they name him

This time, we have outdone ourselves

Attachment 833951

Posted by Scorcher today. The first post on the previous page (with so many replies):

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/shifti...ml#post2560317



Cheers!
Irish

[scopriobharath]

Originally Posted by Jaguar

Dude! I am not sure I understand you correctly. Are you thinking that an event this scale would not have dedicated photographers and expect spectators to click photos?

I meant to say that if they do not want to allow spectators to carry SLRs, they would post a check for the same and the person must be well versed to distinguish from a basic camera to an SLR. Ordinary security will not even know the full form of an SLR camera .

Example - the person at teh check point must be able to distinguish between a canon S3 IS and a Canon EOS.

[aerohit]

Practice session was halted due an incident...

Lewis Hamilton penalised for Indian Grand Prix | Mail Online

[kaushik_s]

Seriously, it's so true that every Dog has it's day. And this one is having his day right on the F1 Track. Is it me or anyone else also feeling jealous of this particular doggy. He is no less than any other celebrity as of today.
BTW, guys, jokes apart, have they secured the track completely now? I hope there would be no more Dog day afternoon during race-day. Anyone from TBHP is Marshall there?

[sajands]

Sauber F1 team looks for almighty to help them get points to move ahead of Force India

-Sajan

[neoranjit]

what is more entertaining than the race is the coverage and special shows by the news Channels. With their half baked info and am-just-reading-a-script looks, most of them are making a complete fool of themselves.

one of them was praising karthikeyan for finishing 4th at the Indianapolis gp during his Jordan days. Wish they had mentioned what really happened in that race.

[Scorcher]

Some of of the drivers arriving at Buddh.

From Indian GP Facebook page.