Indian grand prix, F1: Information & Tips

                         For stories from the first ever Indian grand prix, read this blog  

Travelled in: October 2011

Accommodation:

• Stay at Delhi, near a metro station. I can’t emphasise this enough. Unless you don’t mind spending 3 hours or more on the road, use the metro to get to Noida.
• There are Hotels in Noida too, but, very few. I would prefer staying at Delhi in any case as it has far more entertainment / sightseeing / dining options if you have some time on your hands. 
• Book your hotel well in advance. Prices inflate as the race draws closer. 

 

Getting there & back:

• The Buddh International circuit is located in Greater Noida, 40 kms from the last metro station at Noida (called Noida City Center). The Delhi-Noida metro is a savior. Buy a pass to avoid standing in queues each time. 
• Noida City Center may be a terminus but it has absolutely no shops or facilities. You’d be better off alighting at Noida Sector 18 if you want to buy anything or eat. Re-board the metro to get to Noida City Center. 
• Book tickets on the organisers’ bus to the track, from Noida City Center; At INR 600 per person for all the 3 days, it’s hands down the cheapest way to get around. 
• Book these bus tickets along-with the race tickets. This year, they did not give you an option to purchase them separately, later. When they did, later, the website wasn’t functional most of the time. After that, they began selling bus tickets through stores in various cities, but the tickets were withdrawn immediately. We were finally asked to purchase them from a mall in Noida, where they then claimed that it was sold out. As a result, most people were stranded. Hopefully, these issues will be sorted by 2012. 
• The organizers do have a free shuttle to the track from ‘Knowledge Park’ which is half-way into the last 40 kms. But, getting there from the Noida City Center station is difficult. Also, there’s quite some rush to bag the seats. 
• In the end, many relied on taxis (which had to be pre-booked 24 hrs in advance) from Noida City Center station to the circuit. Damage: at INR 20 per km, it costs INR 800-1000 one way, depending on which zone of the track you are seated at. 
• When you book a taxi, ask if the taxi has permits to ply all the way to your gate. Many taxis don’t have the permit (they’re checked at a point) and will drop you at the ‘Knowledge Park’. Then, the ‘free shuttle’ is the only option from there. 
• Time taken by road from Noida City Center station: 45 minutes, on a day without traffic (essentially, on day 1 & the morning session of day 2). For qualifying on Day 2 & on race-day, budget for at least 1.5 to 2 hrs. 
• If you do go to the wrong zone, don’t fret. Hop on to the shuttle service which drives around the circuit, passing all gates at all zones. 

At the Budh International circuit:

• Despite being November, it’s quite hot. Wear comfortable clothes, a good cap & sunglasses. Carry ear-plugs. They’re also available for sale at the venue. 
• I was allowed to carry my Nikon DSLR with a 70-300mm lens. I saw a couple of people with a 400mm lens as well. But, the ticket strictly specifies that ‘professional lenses’ are not allowed. 
• Food & drinks are absolutely not allowed, so leave them behind. Luggage too isn’t allowed so just carry a small bag. 
• Food & drinks are available in each zone. You need to buy coupons first & then buy food with that. At meal-times, the queue for coupons gets longer than the queue to buy food. It’s simplest to buy a bunch of coupons as soon as you get there; that’s when there’s no queue. 
• Each zone has rest-room facilities near the food area. They’re not very clean but not bad either.