Formula 1 in India: Delhi

[davewilson]

Fasten your seatbelts for a ride at 300 plus km/h. Vroom, and soon the F1 cars may be burning rubber on a track closer home, most likely in the National Capital Region. Yes, the world’s premier motor racing federation, Formula One, is touching down on saddi Dilli. A formal announcement is expected in March.

F1’s India plans-in a limbo for long-seem to have hit the fast track now with liquor baron Vijay Mallya at the steering wheel. Mallya's flagship Kingfisher brand is likely to be one of the main sponsors of the sport in India, and the man seen as a desi version of Richard Branson is negotiating matters with F1 boss Bernie Ecclestone.

After conducting its final reccee on four states-Karnataka, Maharashtra, Haryana and Punjab-the team from F1 seems to have settled on a location close to the Capital city. The newly modernised international airport in Delhi, good roads and a whole host of new hotels coming up in the region helped Delhi score over rival cities.

Mallya may be keen to bring F1 to the Capital but his own state Karnataka has not given up on its F1 dreams yet. Sources indicate the state is taking the lead in luring the F1 supremo. A leading real estate promoter in Bangalore, boasting of a land bank of over 2,000 acres in and around the city, has emerged the key player currently in talks with Mr Ecclestone. On one of his visits to the country last year, Mr Ecclestone had a breakfast meeting with this family and showed interest in the land parcels shown to him.

The coffee is still percolating

The Stig