A lot has already been spoken about the future of Indian Grand Prix, which has been pulled off the Formula One calendar for the year 2014. India got a chance to host its first Formula One race in 2011 and to say the least, it excelled as an organiser. To organise such an event, which has a tremendous international reputation, is no easy task and to be fair, it was a great race. However, despite the show put up by everyone, this event has somehow been unable to pass through without any difficulties. On each occasion, some or the other problem has risen and things have started to look shaky. Even this time, the controversy meter has reach a high point as a petition has been filed, which demands the cancellation of race, about to be held on 27th of October. Notably, the apex court of India has decided to hear this petition.
Organisers of this event, reportedly, were ordered by Supreme Court to hold 25 per cent of ticket revenues until the tax dispute was settled. This announcement was made in lieu of the Public Interest Litigation, which was filed by Amit Kumar. According to reports, Kumar is also behind the current petition that is going to be heard on 25th October. In 2011, he was successful in his argument claiming that Formula One was not sport but entertainment and thereby, should not get the benefit of tax exemptions. Industry experts feel that these sort of problems are not good signs as the signal sent out is not good. Internal conflicts always have the ability to hamper an event and the country's reputation. A similar example that can be stated here is scam that shamed India during its preparation for the 2010 Commonwealth Games, which were held in New Delhi. Although nothing of that magnitude has happened in this case, controversies and issues have surely contributed in the omission of Indian Grand Prix from 2014 calendar.
Bernie Ecclestone, the face of Formula One in the world, gave a hint about the cancellation of the 2014 Indian Grand Prix at the race in Hungary. Sometime later, when the schedule for 2014 was submitted to authorities, this piece of news was officially confirmed, resulting in disappointment for fans and organisers. Initially, it was being said that the race was cancelled due to logistical issues, which seemed like a fair argument. However, soon after this, a new reasoning came up, suggesting that political reasons might be behind the cancellation of 2014 Indian Grand Prix. According to reports, Ecclestone wanted to keep the race in the first half of the year whereas organisers were persistent about the month being October.
After all this, it was said that India is likely to host a Grand Prix in early 2015. Formula One Chief Ecclestone, at an event, spoke about the reason being purely political. Commenting on the same, Indian racer, Karun Chandhok, said, "I think brand India is getting affected. People should not underestimate the power of F1 and power of sport. For the teams and drivers it is a big headache to reach here... you need to have an extra lawyer for the Indian GP. The bureaucratic process is so big and it should not be.”
