Hyderabad Street Circuit was a 2.835 km (1.762 mi) street circuit laid out on the streets of Hyderabad, Telangana, India.[2][3] The track was set up in and around the Secretariat Complex and went through Lumbini Park, situated on the banks of Hussain Sagar Lake.[4] The Hyderabad ePrix was staged on the circuit in 2023. It was held as part of the 2022–23 Formula E World Championship season and was the first Formula E race held in the country.[5]
 Formula E Circuit (2023)  Original Circuit (2022) | |
| Location | Hyderabad, Telangana, India |
|---|---|
| Time zone | UTC+05:30 (Indian Standard Time) |
| Coordinates | 17°24′35″N 78°28′18″E / 17.40972°N 78.47167°E |
| Capacity | 35,000[1] |
| FIA Grade | 2 |
| Owner | Hyderabad Motor Racing Pvt Ltd |
| Opened | 19 November 2022 |
| Construction cost | ₹140 crore (US$17 million) |
| Architect | Driven International |
| Major events | Former: Formula E Hyderabad ePrix (2023) Indian Racing League (2022) |
| Formula E Circuit (2023) | |
| Length | 2.835 km (1.762 miles) |
| Turns | 18 |
| Race lap record | 1:14.698 ( Norman Nato, Nissan e-4ORCE 04, 2023, F-E) |
| Original Circuit (2022) | |
| Length | 2.830 km (1.758 miles) |
| Turns | 17 |
| Race lap record | 1:16.364 ( Jon Lancaster, Wolf GB08 Thunder, 2022, CN) |
History
editHyderabad was one of a number of Indian cities bidding to host a round of the FIA Formula E World Championship, although it was only seriously considered after the COVID-19 pandemic had halted the discussions between the FIA and proposed hosts in Delhi and Mumbai. [6] On 17 January 2022, the Government of Telangana signed a "letter of intent" with Formula E to stage the Hyderabad ePrix, with a planned debut as a round of the 2022/23 season, towards the start of the season.[6] The Hyderabad ePrix was subsequently listed on the first provisional calendar for 2022–23 as the fourth round of the season, with an initial date of 11 February 2023.[7]
Besides Formula E, it was also planned for Hyderabad Street Circuit to host races for the Formula Regional Indian Championship and the F4 Indian Championship,[8] however both championships were cancelled in 2022.[9] After the cancellation of those championships, the circuit was scheduled to host two rounds of the new Indian Racing League in 2022 as a test before Formula E's debut.[10] The first of these events was cancelled following the opening practice session after a driver broke their leg in a crash, but this was not communicated to patrons or the outside world until after the event was scheduled to conclude.[11] The Indian Racing League returned for its season finale three weeks later, with Alister Yoong and Nikhil Bohra winning all three races for the Godspeed Kochi franchise.[12]
Ahead of the 2023 Hyderabad ePrix, a chicane was added at the Hussein Sagar corner to reduce speeds as the run-off area could not be extended.[13] Jean-Éric Vergne emerged victorious for DS Penske, holding off a fast-finishing Nick Cassidy as both Jaguar Racing drivers collided at the hairpin.[14] The Indian Racing League was scheduled to return to the circuit as the 2023 season-opener, but was moved to the Madras International Circuit due to local elections.[15]
Circuit
editHyderabad Motor Racing Pvt Ltd constructed the first ever street race circuit certified by the FIA in India. The racetrack's starting position was across from the NTR Garden, from where it would pass via NTR Marg and IMAX road before returning to the starting point in a loop. The track is 11 m (36 ft) wide on average. For the competing teams, a total of 12 FIA pit garages are being constructed close to the IMAX turning.[1] Two designs of the circuit exist: one by PPE Racing (Design A) and the other by Driven International (Design B). Drivers criticised Design A due to its somewhat phallic shape, with Norman Nato even saying that "[the track] looks like a dildo".[citation needed] Design A was later scrapped and replaced by Design B. Driven International, the creators of Design B, notably redesigned the Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi in 2021.
Design B changed numerous aspects of the track, such as making the Turn One hairpin less tight, and adding a chicane between Turn Six and Turn Seven. Design B also moved the pit lane to before the newly added chicane.
Lap records
editThe fastest official race lap records at the Hyderabad Street Circuit are listed as:
| Category | Time | Driver | Vehicle | Event |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Formula E Circuit: 2.835 km (2023)[3] | ||||
| Formula E | 1:14.698 | Norman Nato | Nissan e-4ORCE 04 | 2023 Hyderabad ePrix |
| Original Circuit: 2.830 km (2022)[3] | ||||
| CN | 1:16.364[16] | Jon Lancaster | Wolf GB08 Thunder[17] | 2022 2nd Hyderabad Indian Racing League round |
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b Swathi, V. (5 November 2022). "HMDA racing to meet Formula E Championship deadlines". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 6 November 2022.
- ^ "Here it is, India's first ever street circuit #Hyderabad". Twitter. 17 November 2022. Retrieved 17 November 2022.
- ^ a b c "Hyderabad Street Circuit - Racingcircuits". Racingcircuits.info. 12 December 2022. Retrieved 13 December 2022.
- ^ Today, Telangana (8 July 2022). "All about Formula-E race that will be held in Hyderabad next year". Retrieved 6 November 2022.
- ^ "Hyderabad to host Formula E race in 2023". Sportstar. 1 July 2022. Retrieved 1 July 2022.
- ^ a b Chokhani, Darshan (17 January 2022). "Formula E signs a letter of intent with Hyderabad for Indian EPrix".
- ^ "Hyderabad E-Prix confirmed: Formula E to race in India". Autocar India. 29 June 2022. Retrieved 6 November 2022.
- ^ "Formula Regional Indian Championship to feature Hyderabad street race". Autocar India. Retrieved 9 November 2022.
- ^ Series, F1 Feeder (28 October 2022). "Exclusive: Indian feeder series FRIC & Indian F4 cancelled". F1 Feeder Series. Retrieved 9 November 2022.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ "2022 Formula Regional India updated calendar revealed". Autocar India. Retrieved 9 November 2022.
- ^ "Indian Racing League Hyderabad round cancelled after crash: What happened?". Autocar India. 21 November 2022.
- ^ "Akhil Rabindra emerged Drivers Champion, while GodSpeed Kochi are team champions". AutoTrack India. 14 December 2022.
- ^ "2023 Hyderabad E-Prix Preview: All you need to know". Evo India. 8 February 2023.
- ^ "Hyderabad E-Prix: Vergne holds off Cassidy siege to win wild race, Jaguars self-destruct". Autosport. 11 February 2023.
- ^ "Indian Racing League cancelled, moved to Chennai". Deccan Chronicle. 2 November 2023.
- ^ "And it's a clean sweep for Godspeed Kochi! Alister Yoong and Nikhil Bohra snatch victory for the Kochi team with an elite display of racing at the last Feature Race of the season! Congratulations to all the winners and a big thank you to all participants and viewers!". Twitter. 11 December 2022. Retrieved 11 December 2022.
- ^ "Indian Racing League: All you need to know ahead of race weekend". Evo India. 19 November 2022. Retrieved 11 December 2022.
External links
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