Buddh International Circuit

Buddh International Circuit^[1]

Indian Grand Prix
Buddh International Circuit – 2011 Onwards
Location	Greater Noida, Uttar Pradesh, India
Time zone	GMT +5:30 (Indian Standard Time)
Coordinates	28°21′2″N 77°32′6″E / 28.35056°N 77.535°E / 28.35056; 77.535Coordinates: 28°21′2″N 77°32′6″E / 28.35056°N 77.535°E / 28.35056; 77.535
Capacity	100,000+
Owner	Jaypee Group
Operator	Jaypee Sports International Limited
Opened	October 2011
Construction cost	US$400 million
Architect	Herman Tilke
Major events	FIA Formula One Indian Grand Prix
Grand Prix Circuit
Surface	Graywacke
Length	5.137 km (3.192 mi)
Turns	16
Lap record	1:27.249 (Sebastian Vettel, Red Bull Racing, 2011, Formula One)

The Circuit's official logo.

The Buddh International Circuit is an Indian motor racing circuit in Greater Noida, Uttar Pradesh, India, near Delhi. The circuit is best known as the venue for the annual Formula One Indian Grand Prix, which was first hosted in 2011.^[2] The track was officially inaugurated on 18 October 2011.^[3][4]

Design

Formula One racing's governing body, the FIA, had announced the inclusion of the Indian Grand Prix for the 30th of October 2011.^[5] Estimated to cost about 10 billion^[6] ($215 million) to build, the circuit has an approximate length of 5.14 km and is spread over an area of 874 acres (354ha)^[7] and is another creation of Hermann Tilke. The circuit was officially inaugurated on 18 October, 2011^[8], just about two weeks before the first race. The seating capacity is initially expected to be 110,000^[6] with provisions to increase it to 200,000^[9] later on. The design is somewhat similar to Kyalami's design, though no real inspiration can be ascertained.

Circuit

The circuit will be part of the 2,500 acres (10 km²) Jaypee Greens Sports City,^[7] Greens Sports City home which also includes a 100,000 seat cricket stadium, 18-hole golf course, 25,000 seat hockey stadium and a sports academy have been planned. The sports complex is expected to cost 40 billion^[6] ($820 million) and generate $170m of revenue annually, and employ 10,000 people.^[9] The design was forwarded to the teams to gather feedback on how the circuit could be altered to improve overtaking and this has resulted in some minor changes as became clear from April 2010. The planned hairpin at turn seven will be removed, and the track at turn three will be widened to allow drivers to take different lines throughout the corner. More information was released in August 2010, revealing that there were plans to make the circuit one of the most challenging for drivers, with the circuit rising fourteen metres within the first three corners alone and a banked double-apex bend on the far side of the circuit.^[10]

One of the most notable sections of the circuit is the multi-apex turn 10–11–12 sequence. It has been likened to the long, fast Turn 8 at Turkey’s Istanbul Park circuit and is expected to generate high tyre loadings. Unlike Turkey’s Turn 8, it tightens on exit and is a clockwise right-hander. It is anticipated to be one of the main overtaking points, and circuit’s main straight, at 1060m, is among the longest in F1. The pitlane is also one of the longest in F1, at more than 600 metres. Time spent in the pitlane will be an important factor in determining race strategies..^[11]

Before the opening weekend, the expected lap time for a Formula One car around the 5,137m long track, was 1 minute, 27.02 seconds, at an average speed of 210.03 km/h (131 mph). At the end of the long straight between corners 3 and 4, Formula One cars were expected to reach a top speed of about 318 km/h (198 mph).^[12] In the inaugural qualifying session, Sebastian Vettel turned in a lap time of 1 minute, 24.178 seconds, beating the predicted lap times from tyre manufacturer Pirelli. Scuderia Toro Rosso driver Jaime Alguersuari posted the top speed through the speed trap, reaching 324.2 km/h.

The sprawling circuit, which is a part of the Jaypee Green Sports city, will also be used for hosting one or more rounds of Moto GP championships in the year 2012.

Reception

The reception among drivers was overwhelmingly positive,^[13] with praise directed towards the high-speed layout and challenging corner combinations that Jenson Button described as difficult to drive in a consistently quick fashion.

Name

Originally known as the Jaypee Group Circuit or the Jaypee International Circuit after the circuit's owners, the circuit was officially named the Buddh International Circuit in April 2011. According to Sameer Gaur, the Managing Director and Chief Executive of Jaypee Sports International, the name is derived from the word Buddha, and represents peace and calm.^[1] The name is also a reference to the Gautam Budh Nagar district in which the circuit is located, itself named after the Gautam Buddha.^[14] The Buddh International circuit logo consists of a ‘B’ which also resembles a heart.^[15]

Controversy

In order to construct the circuit, the lands of some three hundred farmers were purchased by the state government. However, in August 2011 – three months before the inaugural race – the farmers in question expressed dissatisfaction with the project and threatened to dismantle the circuit "with force if necessary", demanding more money and stating that they felt the land should have been zoned for industrial estates to generate more employment in the area.^[16]

Awards and Recognition

Buddh International Circuit, which played host to India's first Formula One Grand Prix on October 30, has been awarded the '2011 Motorsport Facility of the Year' award.

See also

• Indian Grand Prix
• List of Formula One circuits
• Greater Noida Cricket Stadium
• Formula One

References

1. ^ ^{a b} "F1 Indian GP venue named 'Buddh International Circuit'". India Times. 9 April 2011. http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/news-by-industry/et-cetera/f1-indian-gp-venue-named-buddh-international-circuit/articleshow/7925228.cms. Retrieved 10 April 2011. 
2. ^ "India company says on track for 2011 F1 race". Reuters. April 15, 2009. http://in.reuters.com/article/topNews/idINIndia-39048520090415?pageNumber=1&virtualBrandChannel=0&sp=true. Retrieved 2009-10-21. 
3. ^ http://zeenews.india.com/sports/motorsports/buddh-international-circuit-unveiled-amidst-cheers_731009.html
4. ^ http://www.oncars.in/Car-News-Detail/Indian-F1-venue-Buddh-International-Circuit-to-open-today/1195
5. ^ http://en.espnf1.com/f1/motorsport/story/51774.html
6. ^ ^{a b c} "A whole new ballgame". http://business.outlookindia.com/article.aspx?265300. Retrieved 2011-02-07. 
7. ^ ^{a b} "Jaypee". http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/News-/Lake-District-Inspired-by-Venice-and-Amsterdam/articleshow/5298601.cms. 
8. ^ http://www.timesnow.tv/Buddh-International-Circuit-inaugurated-for-Indias-F1-date/articleshow/4386781.cms
9. ^ ^{a b} Deepa Jainani (January 16, 2009). "India on course for 2011 F1 Grand Prix". The Financial Express. http://www.financialexpress.com/news/india-on-course-for-2011-f1-grand-prix/411160. Retrieved 2009-10-21. 
10. ^ "Team input "invaluable" to Indian circuit". http://www.f1fanatic.co.uk/2010/08/24/team-input-%e2%80%9cinvaluable%e2%80%9d-to-new-indian-circuit/. Retrieved 2011-02-07. 
11. ^ "World Motor Sport Council: 27/10/2011". fia.com (Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile). 27 October 2011. http://www.fia.com/en-GB/mediacentre/pressreleases/f1releases/2011/Pages/f1-preview-ind.aspx. Retrieved 27 October 2011. 
12. ^ http://www.inautonews.com/india-names-f1-track-buddh-international-circuit
13. ^ "India: Friday practice – selected team and driver quotes". Formula1.com (Formula One Administration). 28 October 2011. http://www.formula1.com/news/headlines/2011/10/12704.html. Retrieved 28 October 2011. 
14. ^ "Indian track titled Buddh International". Autosport. 25 April 2011. http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/90944. Retrieved 26 April 2011. 
15. ^ "Indian GP unveils logo and rename circuit as Buddh International Circuit". F1Adda. http://f1adda.com/2011/04/indian-gp-unveils-logo-and-rename-circuit-as-buddh-international-circuit/. Retrieved 30 June 2011. 
16. ^ "NOIDA farmers vow to dismantle F1 track". DNA – Daily News and Analysis. 11 August 2011. http://www.dnaindia.com/mumbai/report_noida-farmers-vow-to-dismantle-f1-track_1574738. Retrieved 16 September 2011. 

External links

• Buddh International Circuit
• Formula One circuits at the Open Directory Project