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.”

Karun Chandhok has advised F1′s travelling circus to take care this week in India.
Some team bosses recently played down fears about ‘Delhi belly’, but Team Lotus reserve driver Chandhok – a brand ambassador and also a consultant of the new Buddh circuit – has admitted some caution will be necessary.

He told the Swiss newspaper Blick: “The Indian culture will be a shock to many.

“It is organised chaos, maybe like a mixture of Brazil and Malaysia. It affects everything — the traffic, the food, our way of life. We are very loud, chaotic.

“From the moment you arrive you will experience this madness, which will surprise everyone but it also means India is a country with soul.

“Nothing is structured — if someone says 12.30, he means 1 or 2 o’clock. So then you could think of Italy,” he laughed.

Veteran Blick correspondent Roger Benoit asked Chandhok how F1′s travellers should prepare for their forthcoming adventure.

“Many will get vaccinated, yes, but you definitely need to be careful with food,” he answered.

“Only drink bottled water, don’t use ice, don’t eat salad. Only eat cooked food. This should mean you won’t have problems.”

After a cold and damp week at the Nurburgring, some of F1′s travelling circus are already reporting rain in Hungary.
British commentator and former driver Martin Brundle travelled straight from Sunday’s German grand prix to the Hungarian capital, scene of the eleventh round of the world championship at the Hungaroring this weekend.

“Pouring with rain,” he wrote on his Twitter channel. “Looks set to stay that way until mid week.”

International weather reports say the outlook for the weekend is indeed better, but with a continuing risk of rain and the absence of Hungary’s usually scorching conditions.

“It is raining a lot here and it’s not so warm!” Team Lotus’ Brazilian test driver Luiz Razia said.

F1′s travelling circus is arriving in South Korea, and the first reports are mixed.

BBC television anchor Jake Humphrey summed up the Yeongam venue as satisfactory but “far from finished”.

“Things look pretty ready to go,” said Virgin driver Lucas di Grassi, “with some beauty work still to be finished but the main structure is ready.”

Others talked about their long journeys from the huge Seoul airport to Mokpo, the closest city to Yeongam, in the impressive high-speed KTX train with free wi-fi.

Photographer Darren Heath was less impressed with the journey, tackled by many in buses.  “F1 in Seoul?  Nah, let’s have it in the middle of nowhere 100s of miles from anywhere,” he wrote on Twitter.

Veteran Swiss correspondent Roger Benoit, writing in Blick newspaper, said the F1 track itself is an “enormous construction site”, and his hotel room one of the ones usually rented by the hour.

“No joke,” he said.

Reportedly so unimpressed was Williams with the local accommodation on offer that the British team has committed to a 3 hour round trip every day in order to stay in a nicer hotel.

“Dominating the venue are the excavators, debris and waste,” wrote Benoit, who said a bridge over the front straight is still littered with scaffolding and hard-hatted workers.

Sauber’s team manager Beat Zehnder complained about the cost of the team buildings, with the rent costing $40,000.

“Whoever wants to use the upper floor must pay another 20,000,” he said, “but everyone has decided to just use the ground floor!”

Said Benoit: “I’m already looking forward to the final races in Sao Paulo and Abu Dhabi!”

Germany’s Auto Motor und Sport said rolling machines are still working on the recently-laid top surface of asphalt, with the paint for the starting grid yet to be sprayed.

“Only on Friday will we know whether the surface will withstand the stresses of formula one cars,” read the report.

“Everything on the sandy site is under construction.  Next to the pitlane is a large pile of sand.  Whoever didn’t know that F1 is running here in a few days would think it’s not happening until next year,” it added.

German Sky television pundit Marc Surer reports in Speed Week that the seating in some grandstands is not complete.

“Much remains to be done, but as for the track itself, I am surprised that it is ready,” he said.

“Whether it can withstand hours of practice and racing, however, is another question.”

Organisers of this weekend’s inaugural Korean grand prix have scattered cement dust in places around the new Yeongam layout, as the newly-laid asphalt surface continues to seep oil as it cures.

But Karun Chandhok – the only man to have completed a lap of the 5.62km layout in a formula one car – insists the circuit will be safe enough to host the race.

“I don’t think for one second that it will be disastrous,” the Indian driver told the Telegraph.  “A lot of the rumours have been inaccurate.”

In its official event preview, the Italian team Toro Rosso also urged the F1 world not to “panic” as it makes the long trek from Europe to the Jeollanam-do province.

There are concerns about the incomplete track facilities, food, hotels, access roads, organised crime in the local area and the proximity to the rogue North Korea.

“Our advice to you is don’t panic and make the most of the experience,” said the team.

But Swiss driver Sebastien Buemi is hoping the experience is not just enjoyed by F1.

“The key question will be if the people know enough about formula one to want to attend the race,” said the Swiss.

One piece of good news from the nearby port city Mokpo, about 400 kilometres south of the capital Seoul, is that three days of mostly dry weather is being forecast.

But the sport’s travelling circus is still bracing for a difficult event.  To start, Williams team manager Dickie Stanford has told his troops to be ready for a seven-hour bus ride from the capital to Yeongam.

“From a driver’s perspective the most important thing is that the tarmac lasts,” said Sauber’s Nick Heidfeld.

Nico Rosberg also said he hopes “the asphalt holds up”, and reigning world champion Jenson Button admitted he expects “a few unexpected issues” in Korea.

But 2010 points leader Mark Webber is sanguine.

“We all have to go there, see the track and get on with the job — it’s the same for everyone,” said the Australian.

Two prominent figureheads of F1′s travelling circus are conspicuously absent at Suzuka.

According to the Swiss newspaper Blick, the sport’s chief executive Bernie Ecclestone – who turns 80 in three weeks – did not want to travel the 9,000 kilometres from Europe to Japan.

And team founder and boss Peter Sauber is not at Suzuka this weekend because he has accepted an invitation to attend a wedding.

The lucky groom is Carlos Slim Domit, the chairman of Sauber’s new major sponsor Telmex and heir to his father Carlos Slim Helu’s many billions.

43-year-old Slim Jr’s wedding is taking place in his native Mexico City.

Despite rubbishing the paddock rumours only hours earlier, Bernie Ecclestone has now admitted he is concerned the inaugural Korean grand prix might not take place next month.

Earlier in Singapore, the F1 chief executive said he and the FIA were “happy” with the Yeongam circuit, despite it not yet passing its final inspection that was originally due to take place weeks ago.

“It’s not good. It should have been inspected maybe six weeks ago,” he told BBC pundit Eddie Jordan during an interview on Sunday.

“It was inspected but it wasn’t passed,” added the Briton.

Ecclestone admitted that delaying the inspection so late – with it now set to take place after the forthcoming Japanese grand prix – was unusual for a new circuit.

The post-Suzuka inspection means F1′s freight will already be en route to Korea, while the travelling circus will have needed to book air fares and hotels.

“It’s quite dangerous what we’ve done actually but it’s a case of ‘do we cancel the race or not?’ They say it’s all going to be OK, so we hope they are right,” Ecclestone said.

In another interview on Sunday, Ecclestone told the Associated Press F1 will be “lucky” to avoid turning into a three-race dash to the Abu Dhabi finale.

“Until it’s on there’s always concerns, obviously,” he said when asked about Korea.

“We have to get lucky and hope it will happen.”

Romain Grosjean has revealed he will also be seen in the paddock at next weekend’s Monaco grand prix.

In the wake of his partial rookie season with Renault in 2009, the 24-year-old Swiss-Frenchman is in Barcelona this weekend.

“I came to see a few people, make some contacts and show that I’m still around,” said Grosjean, who replaced the sacked Nelson Piquet at Renault last year.

“I am not hiding that my number one goal is to return to F1,” he added after being spotted in conversation with Peter Sauber.

“I am aware that it is a matter of luck and opportunity and that it is not easy.  I am open to the idea that other categories could be a solution for me,” added Grosjean, who revealed that he will contest Le Mans next month.

He said he will follow F1′s travelling circus to Monaco after Spain.

“I will be in Monaco and definitely at some other European grands prix to continue negotiations,” said Grosjean.

(GMM)

May 6 (GMM)  The famous and unpronounceable Icelandic volcano could be set to once again disturb the travel plans of the formula one world.

European airports ground to a halt due to the dangerous ash cloud nearly three weeks ago, stranding the sport’s travelling circus in China.

On Wednesday and early on Thursday, it emerged that the ash is threatening to once again drift over the north of Europe, and multiple British airports have already had flights cancelled.

When contacted, the European air traffic agency Eurocontrol admitted that hundreds of other flights across Europe could also be affected.

The Civil Aviation Authority said main airports serving London have not yet been disrupted, but the Icelandic Met Office warns that the volcanic eruptions “will continue at full force in the next days”.

However, the situation is now far less severe for F1, in the wake of the initial ‘flyaway’ segment of the 2010 calendar.

The bulk of the equipment is transported by the teams to European venues by road, even if many of the personnel travel by plane for convenience.