All eyes on India as F1 takes a pit stop in the country

Noida, Oct 27: India's image as a growing sports superpower will be put to test when it hosts the first ever Formula One Grand Prix beginning with the free practice session on Friday, Oct 28 where racing afficanados will get the first feel of the high-speed action set for Sunday.

Amid the Sebastian Vettels and Lewis Hamiltons, the racers of home team, Sahara Force India, would look to score points to make the country's entry into the glamorous world of F1 a memorable one. The action begins with the free practice session on Friday, followed by the qualifying on Saturday before the race.

Son of the soil Narain Karthikeyan will realise the dream of his life when he will run the Hispania car on the track of brand new Buddh International Circuit but Karun Chandhok is not that lucky as Team Lotus has not given him a racing seat.

Chandhok has no choice but to be content with driving during the practice session tomorrow. Like any shrewd business group, Team Lotus put business over emotions and decided to stick with regular drivers Heikki Kovalainen and Jarno Trulli as they aim to finish 10th ahead of fellow newcomers Hispania and Virgin.

A 10th place finish would mean receiving close to USD 30 million as revenue from FIA, so Team Principal Tony Fernandes did not hesitate in making an unpopular decision. "Driving in front of the home crowd cheering on is going to be a surreal experience. A once in a lifetime experience and I feel extremely fortunate. There is a huge buzz around the Grand Prix already and I'm sure that it'll be a resounding success that will motivate more youngsters towards the sport and give us the future F1 drivers," Karthikeyan said.

Sahara Group buys stake in Force India F1 team

Formula One team Force India will be renamed as Sahara Force India after the team's chairman Vijay Mallya sold part of the stake in his team to the chairman of Sahara Group Subrata Roy on Wednesday.A deal between the two business tycoons was inked in the evening, after which Mallya addressed the media on Wednesday. The Force India F1 team will now be co-owned by Mallya's UB Sports and the Sahara Group, with both owning 42.5% equity each.

Reports earlier in the day had suggested that Mallya was in talks with the Sahara Group to sell team Force India, but he had repeatedly declined the reports, saying, "I was shocked to read a media report that I am selling the Force India Formula One team. This is completely untrue and without any basis whatsoever. As Team Principal, I will continue to run the team and I have no plans whatsoever to exit."Formula One team Force India will now be renamed as Sahara Force India.