The good and the bad of Buddh International Circuit

The Buddh international circuit designed by German Designer Herman Tilke is a state of art circuit with some amazing facilities but like any other circuit, it does have certain weaknesses. So, let’s discuss the good and bad points of BIC.

The Good:

The flowing nature of the track is the biggest strong point of the BIC, and last year, drivers enjoyed driving through the flowing part of the circuit through turns 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9.

As the cars enter into turn 5, the drivers encounter a sequence of lefts and rights which demands pin point precision. Also, the kerbs between turn 6 and 7 are made up of concrete instead of plastic, which makes these turns a daunting task for the drivers.

Last year, we saw Massa lose it through turn 6 and take the extra kerbing which damaged his suspension in both qualifying and the race.

The second and third sectors require good aerodynamic stability and as such are a real challenge for drivers and engineers. These challenges make the circuit quite interesting from engineer and driver point of view.

The circuit also has a brilliant Media center which is equipped with top-class technology. Also, the facilities for fans are top-class and the organisers have developed some innovative Grand stands (like the umbrella stand) to accommodate huge number of fans.

The Bad:

Though the circuit is one of the best on the F1 calendar, it does have some shortcomings. The biggest shortcoming is the lack of overtaking spots on the circuit. Most of the overtaking can only be done at the end of main start/finish straight or at the end of the long straight at turn 4. So this year, the FIA have increased the DRS zone on the long straight from turn 3 to turn 4.

Overtaking in the second part of the circuit is quite difficult because there aren’t corners where drivers reduce speed significantly, and as such it becomes quite difficult to make a overtaking maneuver stick through the flowing section of the track.

The lack of overtaking spots was the reason we didn’t see so much of on-track action last year, but with an increased DRS zone and new Pirelli tyres, this year’s race can turn out to be an exciting one. Also, the prospect of an Alonso vs Vettel battle for the championship makes it quite exciting.

All in all, we can give a thumbs up to the circuit and hope that this year we witness a more exciting race than last year.