F1 stars happy with first impressions of Indian GP venue
Last Updated: October 28, 2011 2:11pm
Buddh International Circuit: Home of the Indian GP
F1 drivers have given the Buddh International Circuit, home of the Indian Grand Prix, the thumbs-up.
The sport's stars tackled the Hermann Tilke-designed track for the first time on Friday as they practised ahead of Sunday's inaugural race.
Mercedes' Nico Rosberg led the plaudits as he said: "The new track here in India is awesome.
"It has some very interesting corners, and that's why it takes a bit longer to get used to the layout than at some of the other new circuits."
Team-mate and seven-times champion Michael Schumacher described the 5.137km course as "very interesting with a challenging layout".
Lewis Hamilton, despite incurring a three-place grid penalty for ignoring double-waved yellow flags at the end of first practice, gave his seal of approval.
"The track is fantastic - the organisers here in India have done a great job," said Hamilton.
Fast and flowing
"It's very fast and flowing, the grip-level is fantastic, the run-off areas seem to be good, and the kerbs are probably the best of any circuit we visit."
McLaren team-mate Jenson Button was similarly impressed as he said: "I really like this circuit. It's great fun to drive.
"There are some tough corners, but there's also a lot of high-speed stuff and it feels a lot faster than we initially thought it would.
"We'll have a lot of fun this weekend, and we're hopefully going to be fighting for the win on Sunday."
Double world champion Sebastian Vettel and Red Bull team-mate Mark Webber both claimed the circuit was "good" and "a challenge", and
the sentiments were the same further down the grid.
The only gripe was its particularly dusty nature, which could pose problems during the race when it comes to overtaking.
Ferrari's Fernando Alonso said: "First impressions are positive.
"I like the track, even if it is very dirty and if you go just the slightest bit off line it's like driving on ice."
Credit: Sky Sports (www.skysports.com)
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