The response for the third edition of the Indian Grand Prix which kick-started on Friday has been a bit subdued. The organisers had managed to sell about 45,000 tickets as of Thursday but said they expect last-minute buying of tickets for the final race day, just like the previous seasons. The company has also reduced prices and introduced single-day passes for the final day race for as low as Rs 1,500 with the Main Grandstand tickets priced at Rs 12,000.
Askari Zaidi, Vice-President, Jaypee Sports International (JPSI), said that the company expected about 60,000-65,000 sport buffs to watch the race on Sunday. He added that the Platinum enclosures (which are the corporate boxes) are mostly sold out. He said tickets have also been bought by F1 fanatics not only from Delhi, Noida and Gurgaon but also from Bangalore, Mumbai, Pune and Chandigarh.
Last year, the organisers had estimated to have sold over 65,000 tickets, while the inaugural edition race was watched by 95,000 people. The race track, which has the capacity to seat nearly 1 lakh people, includes the luxurious Paddock Club, tickets for which are sold directly by the F1’s global organisers.
festival season
“Though the economic outlook is cautious, the fact that the F1 race is in the festival season has helped us. We have seen a lot of bulk buying, especially by corporates,” he added. The organisers have also, since the second edition, been trying to roll out tickets much in advance to woo international audiences. This year too, the ticket sales were opened in August.
Tickets are being sold through Bookmyshow.com and Mercedes Benz dealerships, among other outlets. Junaid Sheikh, Operations-Head Bookmyshow.com, said the expected estimated occupancy for the track will be 68 per cent. Last year, the occupancy was about 78 per cent. “The response is not at par with the first year. But the popularity of the motor sport is still in the process of developing. In fact, there is more demand for single-day passes compared to season tickets,” he said, adding that the slashing of ticket rates has helped woo younger audiences.