'Fantastic that F1 is coming to India'

The 43-year-old Englishman, who has been enthralling the fans for well over 20 years and has numerous world records in his name, said India should be proud of what they have achieved. “It’s absolutely fantastic that Formula One’s coming to India. India should be proud of the fact that they have as great a facility (Buddh International Circuit) as the one in Noida,” said Grant, after performing a series of tricks at the Irrungatukotai track here on Sunday.

“Everyone should use Formula One’s arrival to their advantage. I mean, they need to have more tracks around India because there is so much talent. It would be a shame to see all that going to waste. See, tracks like this (Madras Motor Sports Club) are very good for helping groom talent. That (talent grooming) is the biggest issue in India at this point in time,” said Grant. “I am, however, certain that the arrival of Formula One will change things and change them for good.”

F1 has had the bigger share of the pie when compared to all other forms of motor sports and when asked why it holds such priority, Grant said: “The technology involved is just so high. Not just that, it’s also the way it is being promoted. Everyone in Formula One knows how to sell it right and that’s where the other forms lag. Also there is so much glitz and glamour involved, I don’t quite know if that’s a good thing or not.”

Grant, who was in India in 2009 along with Renault for a road show in New Delhi, pulled off some neat tricks during the stunt show but it was a far cry from his usual performances.

“It’s much easier to do these things in a manual car than an automatic. I was given an automatic and all those controls really stop it from doing what I want it to do. It kicks in when it sees danger and that’s quite deterring. When I want to go sideways and things like that, it just stops me. But the crowd still enjoyed it,” said Grant.