Indian Grand Prix could be scrapped, says Formula One official

 One statement made by Bernie Ecclestone on Sunday at the Hungarian Grand Prix triggered a wave of chaos and confusion in India.

Ecclestone’s comment -- that the 2014 Indian Grand Prix might not find a place in the calendar —  is vague but the organisers of the 16th race on this year’s calendar --Jaypee Sports International -- said that talks are on to sort out the problem, suggesting that the issue is as real as it can get.

It will all, however, come down to the World Motorsport Council meeting in September when the 82-year-old British billionaire presents the 2014 calendar to FIA (International Automobile Federation).

“It actually doesn’t make sense to have a race in late 2014 because plans are on to have a race in March, 2015,” said FMSCI president Vicky Chandhok. “What I think they are trying to do is find a solution to run 2015 early in the year and then have one in 2016 instead of 2014.”

When asked if the race was off for certain, Chandhok said: “I don’t know. As of now I’m in no position to say ‘yes’ or ‘no’. All I know if both of them (Ecclestone and Jaypee Group) want Formula One to continue in India. It’s just a matter of logistics.”

JPSI, a month ago, issued a statement saying that ‘rumours of the Indian GP not being held in 2014 are baseless and malicious’. “Our agreement with Formula One is to have races till 2015 and we are committed to that,” they had said.

Those ‘rumours’ seem a lot more real now and JPSI is well aware of the repercussions should the race be scrapped for a year. “We are in talks with the FIA and I am sure we will get our answers after the Council meeting in September,” said a JPSI official on condition of anonymity.

It is believed that tough taxation laws, hurdles with custom officials and the bureaucratic pressures were the reasons behind Ecclestone’s statement. While Chandhok dismissed the theory, the official said: “They were very unhappy with how much they had to shell out. They were stopped at every step and they are not used to working like that. I’m sure it has a part to play but we will soon get some more details.”

Senior vice-president of the Jaypee Group, Askari Zaidi said: “We haven’t heard anything officially from the FIA yet. We are in no position to make a statement but I can assure you that we will meet them soon and come up with something viable. And as far as the stringent taxation laws are concerned, we are going to talk to the government about it and hope they understand.”

The Indian Grand Prix was the subject of much discussion in Hungary, with teams recognising it faced problems but hoping they could be resolved.  "It would be a pity if for these (tax) reasons we don't go there," Sauber's Indian-born principal Monisha Kaltenborn told Reuters.
"India is an important market for partners who are already in Formula One or who could get into Formula One because of that market so it really would be a pity if we would not manage to sort out these problems."