PARIS, SEPT 8
India will host its first ever Formula One Grand Prix on October 30 next year, the world governing body of the game FIA announced on Wednesday, ending the country’s long wait to become a part of the F1 calendar.
India will stage the 18th Grand Prix on the 20-race calendar, released by the FIA after a meeting of the World Motor Sport Council here.
However, the Indian GP is subject to FIA homologation.
India’s F1 race will be held at Jaypee Group Circuit, which is under construction now in Greater Noida, about 50 kilometres from New Delhi.
In October, 2007, the FIA signed a Rs 1600 crore contract with JPSK Sports Private Limited to organise an F1 race in India.
The estimated cost to develop the 5.15 km circuit is about USD 215 million with a seating capacity of 150,000. The construction work is expected to be complete by June 2011.
The 2011 season will begin with Bahrain Grand Prix on March 13 and conclude on November 27 in Brazil.
The FIA decided to continue the championship with 12 teams till the 2012 season, saying they could not find a team.
“A number of interested parties expressed their interest. It was considered that none of the candidates met the requirements to be granted an entry into the Championship. Consequently, the allocation of the 13th team will not be granted,” a statement on FIA website said.
Meanwhile, Villeneuve had hoped for a return to F1 next season Formula 1’s governing body has turned down all the entries from teams hoping to fill the vacant 13th slot in 2011.
The decision ends for ex-world champion Jacques Villeneuve’s hopes of returning to the grid as he had lodged one of the rejected entries.
The FIA said on Wednesday: “None of the candidates meet the requirements to be granted an entry.”
The 13th slot arose as a result of the collapse of the US F1 team before the start of the 2010 season.
Among the teams applying for the vacant slot were Villeneuve’s, and another bid from the Spanish outfit Epsilon Euskadi, which was one of the teams who were rejected in 2009 when the FIA approved the applications of Manor Motorsport (which became Virgin F1), Campos Meta (which became Hispania) and US F1.
Lotus, the third of the new teams on the grid this season, took the slot vacated by Toyota when the Japanese car giant pulled out at the end of the 2009 season.
None of the three new teams this season have scored points, and they remain some way from the pace of even the slowest of the established teams.
The decisions came at Wednesday’s meeting of the FIA World Council, the organisation’s legislative and disciplinary body.
