Five-time world champion Lewis Hamilton has clarified comments he made about India being a “poor place”. Mercedes defended their driver, saying his intended juxtaposition between rich and poor had been taken “grossly out of context”. Briton Hamilton, 33, told BBC Sport this week that it was “strange” to race in India and he “felt very conflicted”. “I noticed some people are upset with my comment on India,” he tweeted on Thursday. “My reference was that a grand prix there felt strange to drive past homeless people, then arrive in a huge arena where money was not an issue. “They spent hundreds of millions on a track that was now never used and that money could have been spent on schools or homes. “When we did have the race nobody came because it was too expensive or there was no interest.”
The Indian GP lasted three seasons – from 2011 to 2013. F1 bosses have agreed a “multi-year” deal to stage a race on the streets of Vietnam’s capital Hanoi from April 2020. Since 2004, races in Bahrain, China, Turkey, Singapore, Abu Dhabi, South Korea, Russia and Azerbaijan have been added to the calendar.
With two long straights, both of which are DRS zones, and a wide range of corner types, including a quadruple-apex right-hander at Turn 10, Buddh poses a number of intriguing challenges. The 1.2km back straight, where a speed of 200mph can be achieved, provides the best chance for overtaking, though clever driving means opportunities could also open up into Turn Five and Turn 16. One issue with the circuit last year was that it was said to be dusty and organisers have looked to combat this by bringing in mechanised dusters to clean the track.
The venue
Located in Greater Noida, the Buddh International Circuit is around 40km away from the Indian capital city of New Delhi.
