Vettel wins first Indian GP, Sutil finishes 9th

Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel won the inaugural Indian Formula One Grand Prix at the spanking new Buddh International Circuit here today.
The world champion (1:30'35.002) made it 11 victories in 2011 after once again appearing completely in control.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati presented the winning trophy to the 24-year-old German.
McLaren's Jenson Button (1:30'43.435) was 8.4sec behind in second, while Fernando Alonso (1:30'59.303) took third for Ferrari.
Leading every lap in the contest, Vettel waited until the 59th and final lap to set the fastest lap time of 1'27.249, winning in emphatic style.
The German also set a record for the most laps led in a single season by any driver, leapfrogging Britain's 1992 champion Nigel Mansell in the statisticians' lists.   
"Yes boys, we did it," shouted Vettel after cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar brought down the chequered flag. "New track, new challenge."
He now has 374 points with two races remaining, Button 240, Alonso 227 and Red Bull's Australian Mark Webber (1:31'00.531)-- who finished fourth after starting on the front row -- 221.   
The German has 11 wins this season, and victories in the final two races in Brazil and Abu Dhabi would equal Schumacher's record of 13 wins.
Vettel and his team are not letting up despite already having clinched the drivers' and constructors' championships.
FORCE INDIA
Sahara Force India's Adrain Sutil, who started the race from eighth position, finished at 9th and his fellow driver Paul di Resta finished at 13th position.
"It was quite a good race and I think we can be happy with the two points today.
"In the early laps I struggled with the rear of the car, with a bit of oversteer, and could not hold off the Toro Rossos who were a bit quicker today," Sutil said.
"But in the second and third stint the car balance improved and I was able to keep the Sauber (Perez) behind me in the closing laps. We were also fortunate that Buemi retired, which gave me another position. I think ninth was probably the maximum today and I hope Vijay will have a smile on his face tonight."
Force India co-owner Vijay Mallya expressed his satisfaction with the team's performance.
"Today's Indian Grand Prix was a great event. We targeted points and that's exactly what we delivered with Adrian's excellent drive to ninth," said he.
"As for Paul, he performed well, but we went very aggressive with the strategy to cover the chance of a safety car.
"In the end it didn't work out, but we needed to cover our bases. These two points are important for our championship battle and I am delighted that Sahara Force India will go down in the record books for scoring points in the inaugural Indian Grand Prix."
India's Narain Karthikeyan, who drives for Hispania Racing, started at the 23rd position, finished at 17th position.
He was benefited by the collision of four cars at the rear end going into turn one. Karthikeyan gain another few places momentarily but fell back later to equal his performance at Monaco and Canada.
COLLISION
The race saw yet another collision between McLaren's 2008 champion Lewis Hamilton and Ferrari's Felipe Massa, their sixth on-track clash of the season.
Massa was given a pit drive-through penalty before later breaking his front suspension and retiring from the race.
British comedy actor Rowan Atkinson, 'Mr Bean', was watching the race as a guest of the McLaren team and his anguished expression was there for all to see as the arch-rivals came together once again
on turn five of lap 23.
Over the radio Hamilton said: "He turned in on me. He didn't give me any space."
A total of five retirements took place in the race.
MINUTE'S SILENCE    
Before the race, all drivers and top team personnel plus Formula One chief Bernie Ecclestone observed a moment of silence on the grid to mark the deaths of IndyCar driver Dan Wheldon
and MotoGP rider Marco Simoncelli this month.
Vettel paid tribute to Wheldon and MotoGP Simoncelli, both killed in races over the past two weeks.
"To be honest with you, it is a little bit of a mixed emotion," said Vettel.
"On the one hand I am very happy, very proud to be the first winner, but on the other hand looking back at last weekend we lost two of our mates. I didn't know Dan but obviously he is a
big name in motorsport."
As promised the circuit delivered excellent overtaking opportunities and remained competitive throughout the required 60 laps.

FC Barcelona now on lookout to find next big thing from India

They have produced superstars like Lionel Messi, Xavi Hernandez, Carles Puyol, and Andres Iniesta. But now FC Barcelona are on the prowl to find the next big thing from India.
The European and Spanish champions today announced an ambitious talent scouting project in India scheduled in January next year.
The project will be kicked off with a week-long camp in the National Capital Region for youngsters in the 6-14 age group. The camp will be open to all interested children on a first-come-first-served basis.
The youngsters will be guided by a team of four to five coaches from FC Barcelona who will also train Indian coaches so that the method of training and style of play of the famous club is imparted to kids in India.
Xevi Marce, Director of FCBEscola, the feeder school to the club’s world famous youth academy La Masia, admitted that he was impressed by the Indian kids who had traveled to Spain for a training stint.
However, he asserted that the Catalunian club cannot promise to produce the next Lionel Messi from India, but would rather focus on giving talented Indian kids the opportunity to develop into world class players.
“We are very impressed by what we have seen so far, but we have not come to search for talent over here. We want to train children and develop them to the highest level they can go,” Xevi told reporters here.
“We are offering world-class training under the same successful methodology that has produced leading football stars like Pique and Victor Valdes. But we cannot promise to deliver the next Messi.
First, we will study and understand your country. We will promote social projects and values. We will see how the project happens. We don’t promise anything since we don’t know from where any player will come up.” “For all the programmes we will do, we will bring coaches from Barcelona and share our knowledge with your Indian kids and coaches so that they can continue the camps. The training camp will serve as a major stepping stone for the participants to move to higher training. It will provide youth access to highest level of football training and development,” he added.
The representative of the Heritage School Gurgaon, a partner in the project, Manit Jain, said in the first year they would aim to train 10,000 students in the NCR and then think of expanding in other regions of the country.
“We are going step by step. Our aim is to train 10,000 students in the first year in Gurgaon and NCR. Next year, we are aiming to expand in all the other metros and the third year we will spread to all A-class cities,” Jain said.
“We are going to ensure that every child with talent in this country will get the right opportunity. It is a serious challenge and we are working out the best possible strategy right now.”

Is Greater Noida ready for F1 race? Not even close

Strewn construction waste, heaps of trash, minimal workforce, coarse sand, dug-up areas... concrete and huge pipes lying unattended.
   All like an echo from a haunted history -- self-explanatory a sorry tale of unpreparedness for an event which is supposed to bring international glory to the country, but whose shoddy and slothful
preparations now could turn out to be an embarrassment for the nation.
   Though the countdown to the start of Indian Grand Prix at Buddh International Circuit has already begun, work outside the circuit is still far from being over.
   Construction of roads leading to the venue is way behind schedule and the delays are causing anxiety among officials concerned and the locals, who do not want the image of the grand spectacle to take a beating.
   The inaugural Indian Formula 1 race will take place at the Buddh International Circuit being built by Jaypee Group at an estimated cost of approximately 215 million dollar.
   The mega sports spectacle will scripts a new chapter in the history of Indian motor Sports.
   The circuit is roughly 5.14 kilometres and was designed by F1 circuit designer Hermann Tilke. The track is spread in an area of 875 acres.
   It was a moment of whoops of delight for all the motor-sport enthusiasts in the country when it was announced in 2009 that India will host its Formula 1 race in 2011.
   Since then, everybody has been awaiting the day when these Formula 1 cars blast past them. But with just few days remaining for the gala event to begin, the air has been thick with apprehensions regarding the completion of the work in time.   
   The scene outside the circuit may relate a different picture, but the FIA, the governing body of world motor sport, recently expressed satisfaction with the most construction work at the
circuit.
   An FIA statement reads: "The WMSC received positive reports on the on-going situation in the preparation of the Indian Grand Prix from the Indian representative of the WMSC and the Formula One Commercial Rights Holder (Bernie Ecclestone)."
   The event is to witness the participation of big names of the sports as well as foreigners, who will come flocking to the National Capital Region before it starts.
   Three nearby hotels report almost 100 per cent occupancy at the time of the event and expecting to laugh all the way to the bank. India is expecting to rake in a huge amount of foreign exchange
during the extravaganza.
   Defending champion Sebastian Vettel, who in all probability, will be crowned double world champion by then, there will a bunch of former winners that include: Fernando Alonso (2005, 06 champion), Jenson Button (2009 champion), Lewis Hamilton (2008 champion) and of
course seven time world champion Michael Schumacher whose presence is sure to be felt even though he is not the force that he once was.
   Top all that up with the fact that there will be a couple of Indian drivers in Narain Karthikeyan (Hispania) and Karun Chandhok (Lotus) and an Indian Formula One outfit in Force India; one wonders whether there could have been a better setting for a maiden Grand Prix in a calendar year.
   There is still no confirmation about the fact that Chandhok will race for Team Lotus since he has raced for them just once this season when he replaced regular driver Jarno Trulli for the German
GP; Chandhok, however, has not raced for them since then even though team principal Tony Fernandes has said he would like the Indian to participate in his home race.
   Apart from anything else, the Indian GP will be more of an educational experience for racing enthusiasts in the country and if anything more comes out of it then it should be treated as nothing
more than a welcome bonus.

Rajpath turns FI race track

Red Bull Racing Formula One car today zipped down the capital's Rajpath ahead of the Indian Grand Prix at the Buddh International Circuit in Greater Noida from October 28.
   As many as 60,000 fans cheered on Red Bull Racing's driver Daniel Ricciardo as he powered his F1 car down the ceremonial boulevard for the Republic of India.
   With Rashtrapati Bhavan and India Gate serving as backdrops on either side, this historic moment signaled the last lap of Red Bull's activities in the lead up to the 2011 Indian Formula One GP.
   Red Bull Racing fans, Formula One enthusiasts and other onlookers thronged the streets to catch a glimpse of the Red Bull Racing Formula One car which fired down the stretch, clocking speeds of
over 300kph.
   Keeping up with the Formula One car were the Ghost Ryderz - India's top professional stunt bike group. Impressing crowds with a mix of jaw dropping wheelies and stoppies, the Ghost Ryderz set
Rajpath on fire, defining precision on two wheels.
   Not to be left out, some of the best drivers in India took to the tarmac in Renault Koleos' balancing acceleration and braking to the tee. That resulted in perfect synchronised formations with of
course, screeching tyres and the smell of burnt rubber.
   "It was a proud moment for me to be the first Formula 1 driver to race down the iconic Rajpath," said Daniel.
   "Today's drive was truly exhilarating especially with the legions of cheering fans who lined up the road. I’ve never seen anything like this before but I’m sure that Red Bull has set millions of
pulses racing as India waits for the lights to turn green at the Grand Prix later this month."
   With Red Bull Racing gearing up for the first ever India Grand Prix, the world champions thrilled fans who now wait to hear the sound of Sebastian Vettel's and Mark Webber's RB7s screaming down

the track.