27/10/2011
NEWS STORY
Bob Constanduros writes:
I started this piece before I even left UK. It sort of covers my thoughts about how I'm going to find the whole weekend, an entirely new country embracing a new sport. We had friends round to dinner the other night, and the wife has been to India twice, in her role as travel agent. The first time she thought it was OK, the second time she loved it.
I think there's massive expectancy surrounding this race. It's probably the most exciting new race that there has ever been when it comes to the massive populace of one country learning a new sport and taking it to its heart. Indianapolis had excitement in that we were going to a motor racing shrine; the specialists were excited about that, but we were never expecting a huge crowd of curious spectators.
The Indian Grand Prix engenders massive excitement because the whole country seems so excited about it. And it's a country which has a lot of people in it, many of whom seem totally out of control! I find myself thinking back to that Mexican Grand Prix when the spectators sat on the kerbs at the edge of the track to get a proper look at the cars. I think I'm going to need a proper briefing to prevent any scenes like those sad and unfortunate crowd reactions seen at Sepang last weekend. If something goes wrong, we desperately need to avoid anything similar.
In terms of readiness, I can tell that things are pretty touch-and-go. I was told in Korea that the diggers would move out as Formula One moves in. And the fact that I'm not being told too much about my own arrangements - hotel, transfers etc - suggests that these people are mega-busy and haven't got time to tell me what I'm doing and where I'm staying. It will be the last thing that they do, either on Monday evening or sometime on Tuesday. Yes, true, at this stage I have no idea where I'm staying.
The paddock is always a little piece of Formula One and not a lot to do with the rest of the world. Sometimes it's mad - and I prefer to escape the craziness by staying in the press room. Other times it's a haven of peace - I think it's going to be the latter in comparison to life outside the paddock.
But I already know that there are going to be some unhappy people in that paddock. We in the press room are already used to not having a view of the circuit; I think it's something that Bernie Ecclestone has instructed Hermann Tilke to leave out of his plans although that's not a hard and fast policy. Look at the new circuits and you have a brilliant view in China, nothing in Turkey or Korea. No view at Silverstone either.
There are a couple of races where I don't even get to see the track in spite of being track commentator: Australia and Singapore. But I think the world's TV commentators are going to be pretty upset when they realise that they have no view of the circuit from their commentary boxes. How much do they pay for the rights? And no view of the track? I don't think that's going to go down well.
Well, fast forward about two days, and I'm sitting in the press room on Thursday afternoon. We've had the press conference and in spite of being up this morning ready to leave at 9am - as arranged with my driver yesterday - I only got here at about 1.30am. I'll try to make it a short story.
I actually arrived on Wednesday, still with little idea of travel arrangements or hotel. The airport wasn't too crazy - I've certainly known worse - and after a phone call, I found my driver who simply had a sign saying 'Mr Bob'. I guess the rest would have been beyond him; I'm used to that! My other appreciation is that while there doesn't seem to be a lot of organisation, there is some - but limited. For instance, the car was there, but nobody had told me. Similarly, my hotel was booked, but nobody had told me. Things are organised, but you're not informed of the fact.
I thought the journey to the hotel pretty uneventful - but also pretty slow in our TATA. Drivers seem to wander all over the road, but then you have to in case someone is coming the other way. Or someone is walking in the road - in what we might call the fast lane. It's all an experience, and a pretty remarkable one, but not, perhaps, as chaotic as I thought it would be.
I'm staying in a Radisson hotel, both meals have been fantastic - you'd love the food Mr Editor, as I know you do - but last night was slightly disconcerting. There seemed to be quite a lot of banging going on outside, and I thought it was because of a nearby building sight, but it generated into a small gun battle. Sounded like I was in a war zone. Then I remembered someone had said something about Festival of Lights - or Diwali as it is called here. These were fireworks and they went on and on all over the city.
I was up and ready to leave for the circuit at 9am this morning so that I could walk the circuit. I thought I'd asked the driver to come and pick me up then but there was no sign of him and still no sign an hour later. My son Ben, who is doing the support race commentary, was due in this morning, and I thought maybe the driver was picking him up, but when he eventually arrived - having been taken to the wrong hotel - it was a different driver. We are meant to use this guy - and his rather tiny TATA - for the rest of the weekend. The fact that he doesn't speak English is only a small problem.
So we eventually got here at about 1.30! The circuit is pretty much a dustbowl what feels like 60kms outside the city. There are lots of lovely new roads and grassy bits which are almost ready, but not quite. So we're still using a maze of smaller roads. It's all very dusty, slightly chaotic but - we are reminded - very Indian! This is India. Thank heavens for drivers; you wouldn't want to drive here, and thankfully the roads aren't very busy - amazingly. People hang out of minibuses - very mini buses - laden with people. Skinny cows really are free to roam onto the roads. There just might be more to eat there. Motorcycles or mopeds transport whole families - with or without helmets.
We've had at least five power cuts today, one during the press conference. No one is even very sure how we get into the circuit although our driver has a certain instinct. Some people are staying within 15 minutes, but we're some 40 minutes in quite reasonable comfort. The temperature is certainly comfortable, the humidity is down in the twenties which makes it fine. Anyway, let's see what tomorrow brings. It can only be 'interesting'.