Formula one’s travelling circus has offered a mixed reaction after touching down ahead of the first ever Indian grand prix.
Tax, security and circuit construction issues made headlines many weeks ago, but a couple of drivers this week were still grumbling about the difficulty of obtaining a visa to the burgeoning south Asian country.

“I had a bit of a feeling that the Indians didn’t really want to see us,” Virgin driver Timo Glock is quoted as saying by Germany’s T-Online.

“I hope the fans take us closer to the heart than the local immigration authorities did,” he added.

It has emerged that fellow German Nico Rosberg, who arrived in Delhi on Tuesday, was initially denied entry to India.

Also grumbling is Finn Heikki Kovalainen: “I had to fill in about 70 pages of paperwork. It’s unreal how complicated it was.”

But Speed Week correspondent Mathias Brunner revealed that once his visa was in his hand, he was surprised that actually entering India was easy.

Then came the smog and his taxi journey to the hotel.

“If you’re thinking of yourself driving a car in India — don’t do it!” he jokingly warned.

“The typical Indian driver honks with one hand and talks on the phone and gestures with the other. There’s not much capacity left to steer,” said Brunner.

“And I have never in my life seen such a dirty city. The rubbish lying on the streets beggars description, as though the garbage men are on continuous strike.”

With Sebastian Vettel now among F1′s great back-to-back world champions, the ‘crash kid’ label of 2010 should be formally repealed. That is the view of Red Bull team boss Christian Horner, referring to the label coined last year by his McLaren counterpart Martin Whitmarsh after a spate of incidents for Vettel. A year on, it is 24-year-old Vettel’s consistency that is winning the praise of the F1 world, while McLaren’s Lewis Hamilton – who is two years older than his German rival – who might now be referred to as a ‘crash kid’. “I think he’ll have to eat his words, don’t you think?” AS newspaper quotes Horner as saying. Asked by British reporters if he will be eating his words about Vettel, Whitmarsh smiled according to the Mirror newspaper: “I’ll eat them. “Sebastian has driven fantastically this year.” But Whitmarsh also has high praise for Adrian Newey, the brilliant designer of Red Bull’s single seaters. He told Spain’s AS: “I think Sebastian has driven flawlessly a car that was designed very well by Adrian Newey. At all times it was evident that he was driving a car that should easily win the title.” And as for the unkind ‘crash kid’ label of 2010, he explained: “I think it was taken out a context. We were talking about a particular moment in which Jenson was wronged.”

If another driver had lurked beneath Michael Schumacher’s red helmet in 2010, boss Ross Brawn has admitted Mercedes GP might have ousted him.

British television pundit Eddie Jordan, Schumacher’s first ever F1 boss, said in Singapore after the German’s incident strewn run to 13th place that he “would sack him”.

“He’s clearly not good enough on this performance we’ve seen,” the Irishman charged.

Asked a similar question by F1′s official website, Mercedes GP chief Brawn admitted on Wednesday that – if Schumacher was not the famous seven time world champion and record-setting legend – the struggling occupant of this year’s car number 3 might have been shown the door.

“To be honest, probably not,” said the Briton when asked if he would have persevered with a different driver showing Schumacher’s current level of performance.

“But because we know Michael, we know that there is still a lot to come because Michael is in many fields more talented than others — in driving and in the cooperation with the team,” insisted Brawn.

“The team are very happy with the way Michael is contributing. If he were a rookie we surely would have asked ourselves if he has the capacity to advance. With Michael we know that he has,” he added.

Brawn rubbished suggestions Schumacher is on the verge of returning to retirement, and also that he might instead switch to a management role for 2011.

“I have never talked to him about such an option,” he answered.

“He is a very intelligent man with a balanced family life. I don’t know if he really wants to do that to himself.

“As team principal you don’t get the same adrenalin rush as when you are driving a car. What you get is a 10 to 12-hour working day and I am not sure if that would satisfy or motivate him,” said Brawn.

There have also been rumblings of discontent within Mercedes and particularly between Brawn and Norbert Haug, but Brawn insisted he is not about to give up.

“Of course I will retire one day, but I want to step down when I’m successful and not in a situation like I’m facing now,” he said.

“It’s sad that such rumours always get around. But let’s be clear — none of us are happy with the performance this year, and of course Mercedes want to know how and when we will improve.

“But nobody needs to tell me that it is important to win. And probably we can still improve the relationship between Brackley and the Mercedes engine factory, but Mercedes is very open to all suggestions,” continued Brawn.

“So at the moment there are no problems whatsoever. They will come if we are not able to improve in the future.”

He was asked if 2011 is the deadline for Brawn and Schumacher.

“Next year would probably be too early (to give up),” said Brawn. “I like this team. We have gone through many things together. I would never leave the team in an unclear situation.”