Greater Noida, Oct 28: Formula One supremo Bernie Ecclestone today described the Buddh International Circuit as one of the best tracks in the world and said that it has lots of interesting elevations that the F1 drivers are going to love.
“I think it is one of the best tracks of the world,” Ecclestone, who turned 81 today, told PTI in an exclusive interview.
“The track is simply superb. I would compare the track to Turkey but even more interesting with lots of elevation. This in terms of driving is what F1 drivers love. And I heard none of them complaining about anything.
“In F1 we do everything possible to secure the safety of the drivers and the spectators. I'm also very happy the new circuit in India has been built to conform to our safety requirements,” Ecclestone, who was kept busy with a series of meetings on his birthday, said.
Admitting that he had concerns as recently as a fortnight ago about whether India would be ready to stage its inaugural Grand Prix, Ecclestone, however, said that he never actually thought that would it would not be ready.
“I have never doubted that everything would not be ready. The Jaypee group is a fantastic machine. It is very significant that an event like this will showcase India and a great opportunity of showcasing India to 570 million viewers worldwide,” he said.
“The Jaypee group did a great job. They worked for a long time on the project and it has come out really well. They have done a wonderful job over the last two years that they prepared the project,” said Ecclestone.
India's inaugural F1 race is all set to be held on Sunday at the Buddh International Circuit, which is built at a cost of around Rs 2000 crores and Ecclestone said he is not at all surprised to see that the track has come up so nicely.
“I was kept informed week after week about the planning. I also gave a lot of inputs. The Jaypee group did a lovely job and they are nice people who invested so much in the project. Not only money but also desire to have perfection.
“I have always felt that they would be the right type of players capable of hosting the most technologically-advanced sport in the world.”
The F1 boss said that despite being a fantastic track, there would be some minute details that needed to be fixed as this is the first year.
“This is our first year and there are bound to be small details to be finalised, but despite that this place is fantastic. It is absolutely stunning and I hope that we will be back each of the ten years of our contract.
“I think F1 should come back on a regular basis. I can get inspiration in Ing Enzo Ferrari who was 80 years old when he signed the Concorde Agreement that guaranteed stability to F1 for 20 years. At the time this was visionary. I am ready to go on the same trail. Stability is a key factor for F1.”
Stating that it is important for a country to have historical racing roots, Ecclestone said, “It is very important for the fans and to grow young racing drivers. Most of the countries have a racing history. Here the history goes back a long way and it makes it easier for everyone.”
