Everybody is talking about the prospect of the 'Grand Prix of India' at New Delhi becoming a reality in 2009. People in motorsport circle are keeping their fingers crossed and fans are eagerly waiting and hoping they would be able to see a race.
Bangalore grappled with the idea sometime back with the international airport coming up and former Andhra Pradesh chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu went out of his way to get it to Hyderabad. Nothing worked. Now, Delhi is in the forefront.
While the whole thing is all very exciting, it is going to take a lot to get the F1 circus to India. Tremendous will power, like the Chinese have shown while building their track in Shanghai, from all authorities concerned -- from the government and the organisers alike -- will be required more than anything else. And we have just about two years for the whole thing to be completed. There are other keen people like UB Group Chairman Vijay Mallya whose company Kingfisher Airlines sponsors the Toyota F1 team.
There are various aspects which need to be looked into. The first would be to find sponsors who will be willing to shell out about Rs 500 crore if it is decided to build a separate track. Formula One supremo Bernie Ecclestone, in his preliminary offer last week, has said financial guarantees should be in place by September end this year. It is going to take a lot of effort to put together so much money.
The other idea of the Alonsos, Hamiltons and Raikkonen's zipping down Rajpath in a street circuit race perhaps seems a more feasible option. Having a race, Monaco or Melbourne style will cost less.

Basic requirements
However, it takes more than just a track and money to host a race. Some of the basic requirements are a modern highway from the airport to the track to transport massive cargo trucks, an airport which has the capacity to land massive cargo jets carrying cars and equipment, several thousand top-notch hotel rooms, hospitals which should have facilities specified by the International Automobile Federation (FIA) to name a few.
"I am not against the idea at all. In fact, I will be very happy to see the race become a reality in India," said Motorsports Association of India President Nazir Hoosein from Mumbai. "But the question is are we capable of pulling this off? If we have a street race, the roads will be blocked for Friday practice, Saturday's qualifying and Sunday's race. Will the people of Delhi put up with this inconvenience? The situation in Monaco and Melbourne is different," added Hoosein, a former vice-president of the FIA. He currently is the chief for the Asia Pacific region. He has been a chief steward for F1 and is a chief steward for the World Rally Championship.
"On the other hand, if we can build a circuit in two years, I will be delighted. But it is not simple in the Indian environment. It is certainly an ambitious project.”
It is a tough call indeed to put this together. But consider that a race in India becomes a reality. It will change the way the world looks at India. Whether this will help Indian motorsport to improve or not is to be seen but the economy will certainly benefit. The tourism-related industry will get a boost.
"It will help showcase India to the world. It should be done on a revenue model by a business house," feels Vicky Chandhok, former President of the Federation of Motor Sports Clubs of India and an informal advisor to Ecclestone.
"However, having just a race will not do. There need to be other non-motorsport entertainment activities also. The whole thing has to be a package. For the rest of the year also, there should be other motorsport activities organised. And of course, F1 teams will show more interest in Indian talent than before."
Profitable venture
This has to be a profitable venture at the end of the day. Even tracks like Sepang (Malaysia) incurred losses initially. It is only now that Sepang is making a profit. The question is, are we ready to bear the initial losses before we see good days?
In India, the MAI governs four-wheeler motorsport, while FMSCI takes care of the two-wheeler activities.
While the former is recognised by the FIA, the latter is recognised by the Indian government. It will need a lot of cooperation from the two bodies also.
It seems the Formula One Administration (FOA) is keen to come to India, which is an emerging market, at the cost of races like the US Grand Prix. New races have been finalised in Singapore, the United Arab Emirates and South Korea. It will be nice to see India in the select club of a F1 race hosts. All it needs is plenty of money and even more will power and planning.