Red Bull Racing’s Sebastian Vettel held on to his title in the second edition of the Indian Grand Prix, amid cheers from fans fast picking up a sport very new to the country.
Sunday’s win brings him closer to pulling a hat-trick of F1 World Driver’s Championship titles with just three more races left in the 2012 calendar. German Vettel, who had started from the pole position after leading Saturday’s qualifiers, was followed by Scuderia Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso and Red Bull team mate Mark Webber in the second and third positions, respectively.
The only Indian driver on the grid ? Hispania Racing’s Narain Karthikeyan ? finished second to last, followed by Spanish teammate Pedro de la Rosa. Mercedes GP driver and F1 legend, Michael Schumacher, for whom this is the last season, also retired early, following a punctured tyre after a small accident. Sahara Force India’s German driver Nico Hulkenberg finished eighth, while his British teammate Paul di Resta came 12th.
At the Buddh Circuit, nearly 60 km from New Delhi, stands were over 70% occupied. The top Grandstand, where a single day’s ticket cost R15,000, was packed, However, many of these seats were complimentary to organisers’ business partners or sold as bulk corporate bookings.
This year, the circuit bore a much more matured look compared with last year’s. Though overall ticket sales were less than last year’s almost sold-out inaugural edition, the event management was much better.