No Indian Grand Prix in 2014

[1]

Bernie Ecclestone

It’s official. Bernie Ecclestone has confirmed that there will be no Indian Grand Prix in 2014, but the Formula One boss said the race would return the following season on an earlier date.

In a bid to hand over the October slot to the inaugural Russian GP in Sochi, Ecclestone wants to move the Indian GP to the first half of the season followed by other Asian rounds in Australia, Malaysia and Bahrain.
The Jaypee Group, it was learnt, had the option of hosting two races in six months — October 2013 and March 2014, but both the parties agreed that it would be financially not feasible to do that in India though countries such as Malaysia have managed it in the past.
“When we signed the five-year deal with Jaypee, we were keen on going to India in the first half and Jaypee wanted it to be in October. We gave in at that time, but now it looks we will have the race early 2015,” Ecclestone said.
But Sameer Gaur, MD and CEO of Jaypee Sports International, says they still prefer October-November period. “It suits us better both weather-wise as well as it being festive season, but if Formula One Management wants us to hold our race in March, 2015, we don’t have any problem with that,” he said.
Narain Karthikeyan, the first Indian to compete in F1, said he was surprised by Ecclestone’s decision to cull the Indian GP from the 2014 calendar.
“It’s astonishing for the fact that teams and sponsors strongly believe India is an important market. Drivers enjoyed the circuit and soaked in the country’s diverse culture, while teams also managed to rope in some local sponsors,” said Narain.
Ecclestone has also asked the race promoters to sort out the bureaucratic obstacles such as customs duty and taxation in the country. Narain says the Indian government has been taking one of the biggest sporting events for granted.
“It’s a shame. While other countries are vying to join the F1 bandwagon, India hasn’t done enough justice to it. Of the 19 venues this season, only three races (India, British GP, and Japan GP) are organised by private bodies, while the remaining have a backing of respective governments.
“The Jaypee Group did an admirable job by brining F1 to the country, all we need from the government is a little cooperation,” added Narain.
The Coimbatore racer said the last two years’ successful running of the Indian GP did influence corporate to look at motorsport differently.
“But all this could change when Indian GP goes off the calendar. Manufacturers such as Volkswagen and Toyota entered domestic racing because of F1’s entry into India. MRF developed a world-class car to showcase it during the Indian GP weekend and JK Tyre too invested a lot in an international single-seater car,” Narain added.