Narain Karthikeyan Is Back!

An Indian F1 Racer and an Indian F1 race track in 2011 is brilliant for Formula 1 as a global motor sport.

Brazilians racers (like Senna Jr.) in F1 sure help to promote ticket sales at the GP too. But the Brazilian slums, abject poverty and squalor do not raise ignorant comments like the one below.

 

+1

Actually I have been bashing Interlagos ever since I went there for a race and found the conditions abismal and a disgrace for F1. I'm glad there is a Brazilian GP because there should be at least one South American race on the calendar, but Interlagos is a horrible place to have a race.

I had my private chaffeur taking me to the race for my own safety and pick me up at the gate as well because it is very dangerous to wander outside the track. That's why they have armed guards with machine guns guarding the entrance.

 

So take away the GP and the area surrounding Interlagos will dive further into poverty. Keep the GP going and a democratically elected government continues to try and empower the poor through education and redistribution of wealth.

The new track in Delhi has already created jobs. It will develop the surrounding areas and increase commerce. Our fallen hero, Michael Schumacher, was not born with a private race track of his own. Who knows, 10 or 15 years from now we get to see an f1 champion from India too who developed his talent on the new track.

Until then you will see Aishwarya Rai, Deepika Padukone and a 100 other beautiful Indian celebrities holding umbrellas and making more money for their one guest appearance at the GP than most of us on this forum make in a year.

 

We don't need either ...

 

"We"... "we" who?

 

F1 has already too many GPs in countries that have no motor racing tradition at the expense of countries where motor racing fan base is, and WE don't need an Indian GP, nor a Korean GP, a Chinese GP or a Singapore GP, etc...


Instead, they should make sure to keep GPs in Grance, Germany, UK, US, Brazil, Italy, etc...

 

My My.

Money does talk, doesn't it?

Should we expect to see Miley Cyrus in a F1 car soon? She's making tons of money and could buy a seat.

 

What's the matter with the seat she has now?

 

Dirty old man...

 

No. Dirty middle aged gent.

 

Nothing at all.

 

India has a much bigger motor racing fan base than the UK.

Same question... We... "we" who?

 

He did good in 2005, came in 4th at the USGP. this brings back some memories..
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2005_United_States_Grand_Prix#Race

 

Hmmm, the safety car finished in 7th that year...

 

Hmm, that's interesting. Can you pls elaborate and give us some stats?

 

Getting back on track (no pun intended), Narain I recall did a pretty good job with the Jordan that year, and was pretty respectable against his teammate Tiago Montero (sp?).

 

http://www.dnaindia.com/sport/report_the-race-to-f1_1369894

 

My point precisely. The 2005 Jordan wasn't an easy car to drive. Narain was much more faster driver than Tiago, however, Tiago finished more races than him that year.

IMO, given the proper car, Narain should be able to perform better than Bruno, and even Nelson PK Jr. Heck, probably even Badoer.

 

Since he has nothing to live up to you're probably right....

 

Nowhere in that article does it say that there are more F1 fans in India than in the UK.

 

Are you kidding?

In comparison to European countries like France, Germany, Italy and Britain, India has absolutely ZERO tradition in motor racing.

What racing car has India ever produced ?
What succesful racing driver ever came out of India?
What famous track has India to show us?

In now more than a century of motor racing existence, nobody has ever heard of India making its mark in the sport.

 

This is a good comment.......tradition cannot be created without someone starting it. Every country has the right to host an F1 race; (especially those with $$...)

It has been very clear recently: Bernice Ecclestone's agenda with F1 is to grow the business with new markets, and create new 'alliances' with new countries and investors. For the historic purists, the cancellation of the classic circuits is a slap in the face, but at the end of the day its Bernie's decision, not ours. Ticket revenues will determine the success of his decisions.

 

from that article:
Recent estimates put the television eyeballs for the sport in India at approximately 68 million viewers

Given the UK's population of 62 million people you can actually make the argument that F1 has more fans in India than in the UK.

 

What is more important to sponsors? Eyeballs or spending power?

 

Eyeballs do not constitute fan base, and the numbers are only projections. Get real.