In a country of nearly 1.2 billion people where over 60 per cent are below any commonsensical definition of the poverty line, it is quite natural that motorsport, especially Formula One, is associated with the rich, new Indian elite. This is perhaps why the debate whether motor racing is a sport or a meaningless exercise involving profligate spending still rages on in the country. Recently P.T. Usha, one of the greatest athletes the country has produced, trashed Formula One as a criminal waste of money. There are not many who think differently. However, understanding the nuances of F1 would enable people to appreciate the sport better. And the truth is F1 is a sport and a business. The top Indian business houses vying for advertising space during the inaugural Grand Prix of India held at the Buddh International Circuit (BIC) in Greater Noida showed that F1, which has a total global television audience of 527 million, is indeed a fantastic medium for promoting brands in overseas markets. The sport could also act as a powerful vehicle for the steadily growing Indian automotive sector to position its brands globally. After all, the engine maps and components used in the F1 car are not very dissimilar to the ones in a road car today.
The Grand Prix of India, which attracted 95,000 spectators, has opened a new chapter in the country's sport. India's ability to organise top-end, world-class events, especially after the fiasco of the run-up to the Commonwealth Games, has been re-established. The early apprehensions about the conduct of the race and the fears that the farmers would protest against the event on account of the inadequate compensation handed out to them for land acquired to build the track blew over as the big day dawned. The crucial role played by the Mayawati government in this regard and the help it offered to the local organisers, Jaypee Sports International, must be recognised. The organisers though could have avoided the embarrassment caused by the inexplicable act of not inviting India's Sports Minister Ajay Maken to the races. F1 races in Asia — the Korean, Chinese, and Abu Dhabi — outside Japan tend to be handicapped by a lack of understanding of the sport, which has led to a rapid fall in spectator interest. It is here that young cohorts of the ‘Facebook Generation' of avid F1 fans could give India an edge. The 5.371-kilometre long BIC, designed by the renowned German architect and track designer, Herman Tilke, and built at a cost of $400 million, has drawn a lot of praise from F1 officials and the drivers. The future of F1 in India depends on how well the facility is utilised.
