All eyes on India’s Formula One debut

Rebecca Hawkes ©RapidTVNews | 30-10-2011

Formula One boss Bernie Ecclestone said that the media coverage of India's inaugural Grand Prix has been "overwhelming", despite the sport not yet having claimed the numbers of fans in the country it hopes to achieve.
"F1 is as popular in India as cricket in France, but things will improve drastically in the years to come. The media coverage has been overwhelming and people here want to know more about the sport," Ecclestone told IANS ahead of the race at the Buddh International Circuit which has captured the headlines.
The debut Indian Grand Prix has had its fair share of controversy over the past week, including reported threats by Indian television channels to boycott coverage of the event because of the restricted access allowed to the race feed by Formula One management.
Askari Zaidi, communications manager for India's F1 promoter and circuit owner, Jaypee, said the terms of coverage for reporters had not changed. "When they signed their accreditation form, they agreed to the terms and conditions, so I expect them to cover the event," he said.
"There will always be issues for the first time, but Jaypee has done a great job in building this fantastic circuit," the 81 year old Ecclestone added.
Ferrari driver Felipe Massa also welcomed the new track, in Greater Noida. "I am enjoying my time in India. The hairpins seem quite unique as they are very wide. You can actually choose two racing lines and there would be a lot of opportunities overtaking. So it will be a good race," Massa told reporters.
The only Indian driver, Narain Karthikeyan of Hispania Racing, is very excited about racing on home soil in the F1 Grand Prix (GP) on 30 October.
"It is going to be the happiest moment in my life and what better than to drive in front of your home crowd," Karthikeyen told reporters.
"It's a historic day to be an Indian driving at the Indian GP. But realistically, we are just hoping that both the cars manage to finish the race. However, the first few laps are going to be really special for me. There are many fans in India who are excited about the race," said Karthikeyan.
ESPN, which holds the broadcast rights for Formula One in 24 Asian countries, reportedly said the entire 800 advertising seconds it offered during each race in India had been sold out, at the rate of INR 150,000 for a ten-second slot.