NEW DELHI — Proving both the world and its own skeptics wrong, India staged its first Formula One race on Sunday in what has been hailed as a success for a country with a tarnished reputation for hosting international sporting events.
Burying the memory of the fiasco of the Commonwealth Games here last year, the organizers of the Indian Grand Prix staged a Formula One race that went off without a major glitch.
The new $400 million track in Greater Noida, outside New Delhi, was hailed by the drivers as one of the best on the calendar, including the traditional favorites in Europe.
The race itself was one of calmest, least interesting of the year, and as in 10 of the other races this season, Sebastian Vettel of the Red Bull team took the victory. He led from start to finish without a serious challenge.
“It was great to be here, a great circuit; it was fantastic to drive,” Vettel said, repeatedly adding that he was proud to win the inaugural race in India. “Having had debuts in different places in the last couple of years, this will be one of the races that settle in very quickly. and we will be happy to come back here.”
Jenson Button of McLaren Mercedes finished second, 8.4 seconds behind, and Fernando Alonso finished third in a Ferrari.
Many had predicted problems here. There was an ominous sign on Friday night when a Metallica concert, held in association with the race but not organized by Formula One, had to be canceled because of security fears — 30,000 fans showed up at an arena where too many tickets had been sold. In the resulting melee, equipment was broken and Formula One posters burned.
The three-day racing event at the Buddh International Circuit, for which 95,000 spectators showed up on Sunday, was not without its own problems.
Tens of thousands of spectators arrived for the practice on Friday expecting shuttle buses to take them to the circuit. They learned that they had had to buy bus tickets in advance online; there were none available at the bus stops.
The organizers said that only 20 buses carried the thousands of spectators to the circuit, in cramped and chaotic conditions, and many fans were forced to hire expensive auto rickshaws.
While public buses were overloaded, the two news media shuttles often carried only one or two journalists, with most deciding to stay at hotels close to the track, hiring private drivers or paying for taxis.
The circuit, which many Indians considered to be the pipe dream of the Jaypee Group construction company a little over three years ago, was built to specifications set by the International Automobile Federation.
But the surface of the track was very dirty and therefore slippery, and a couple of the corners were dangerous and twice caused a suspension break on one car. And the electricity cut out in the paddock once or twice, but not on race day.
On Thursday, rodents were seen in the television commentary boxes and a bat in the media center. During a practice session the next day, a dog ran onto the track, and the session was stopped while marshals chased it away.
These were minor problems, however, and Formula One team directors said the race would succeed because it was a privately organized event and not financed by the government, as the Commonwealth Games were.
The private financing led to its own problems. The Jaypee Group had bought the circuit land from farmers who later protested the price they had received and threatened to obstruct the race.
Over the weekend, however, the protesters announced that because the race was in India’s national interest, they would make no effort to cause problems. They carried out peaceful demonstrations – including playing a game of the traditional sport kabaddi, (a rugbylike game without a ball), near the circuit.
They also complained that they had not even been given tickets, which ranged from about $50 for access to a grassy slope to $700 for a seat in the main grandstand. Entrance to the elite Paddock Club cost much more.
There were also tensions between the government and the organizers regarding a tax on the race, which was designated as a business venture rather than a sporting event. A local newspaper reported that the sports minister would not attend the event. According to the ministry, he had not been properly invited – although the organizers said they had sent him a ticket.
“I didn’t expect an invite because as sports minister, I refused the demand of Formula One organizers for tax or customs exemption,” said Ajay Maken, the sports minister, according to an article in The Hindustan Times on Sunday. “Moreover, I am not a star, nor a celebrity, nor an item girl. So why should I be invited?”
Indeed, many people wondered about the morality of holding a race by the world’s richest sporting series in India. The contrast of downtown Delhi with the auto racing palace was so striking that even Indians said the two places did not seem like the same country.
Celebrities were there as usual, with India’s biggest Bollywood star, Shah Rukh Khan, attending and his latest film being advertised on the nose of the Force India car. Sachin Tendulkar, one of the world’s top cricket players, showed up as well. Lady Gaga, who was scheduled to perform at the after party was not at the track, but Rowan Atkinson, the actor best known for his role as Mr. Bean, was.
An estimated 60,000 cars clogged the roads to the race, and as with the inaugural Turkish Grand Prix in 2005, some spectators missed the start of the event because of the traffic.
Therein lies the biggest question about the event’s future: Will the subsequent races be as well attended, and will the Indian promoters be able to earn back their investment in the years to come?
For the moment, Formula One itself, at least, leaves with a savor of success – especially Vettel.
“It is a very impressive country, and different from Europe, but very inspiring,” he said.
