“He’s right” – Fans side with FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem as he rules out Indian Grand Prix due to unjustifiable costs
Mohammed Ben Sulayem believes India must first solidify the junior racing categories before bidding for an F1 race again.
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Mohammed Ben Sulayem and an Indian GP start
India is a country with a population of over 1.3 Billion. Yet, Formula 1 failed to make its mark in the country. The Indian Grand Prix was part of the F1 calendar for three seasons before being dropped off after 2013. However, there has been a resurgence of motorsport in India. As both MotoGP and Formula E added the country to their championships for this year. Although, FIA President, Mohammed Ben Sulayem thinks India is not ready for F1’s return just yet.
Mohammed Ben Sulayem visited the city of Hyderabad during the inaugural Hyderabad E-Prix of Formula E. Ben Sulayem spoke to the media and Indian automotive journalists including Hormazd Sorabjee. Sorabjee tweeted about the conversation with the FIA President. Hormazd wrote, “FIA President believes developing motorsports at grassroots in India key for it to grow.”
Certainly, India has grown junior categories recently with preparation for new Indian F4 and Formula Regional championships. Mohammed Ben Sulayem further mentioned India is better off without F1 because of the exorbitant costs of hosting a Grand Prix. The tweet said, “[Ben Sulayem] Doesn’t think we need F1 in India and says whoever has to pay for it will question the costs.”
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Fans agree with Mohammed Ben Sulayem’s remarks
After this surfaced on Reddit, some fans agreed with Mohammed Ben Sulayem. One user wrote, “As much as I want to say “Common FIA President L”, what he is saying is true.” While another fan mentioned, “He’s right. I’d focus on getting MotoGP, FE, FRIC & F4IC running sustainably first. No point jumping to F1 just to get outbid by someone else.” Certainly, the country needs to continue its efforts in junior categories in a bid to provide more drivers like Karun Chandhok.
On the other hand, one fan stated how Mohammed Ben Sulayem indirectly hinted at the expensive hosting fees for circuits. The fan replied, “Here we go implying FOM are charging tracks too much over others.” The Indian GP was loved by many drivers such as Sebastian Vettel. While one user mentioned how FIA is only interested in racing in the Middle East. The user wrote, “they go racing in shady countries with limited democracy.”
Thus, it seems that Formula 1 will not return to the Buddh International Circuit in the foreseeable future. Mohammed Ben Sulayem has expanded F1 to new markets but those regions have the capability to afford the high costs. Subsequently, the Indian motorsport scene must continue its strives to gain mass appeal in order to make a financial case for the Indian Grand Prix.
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Armaan Agarwal
(2310 Articles Published)