20,000 tickets sold for F1 Indian GP, organisers bank on late buying

Greater Noida, Oct 15 (IANS) The ticket sales for the third Indian Grand Prix are sluggish. So far only 20,000 tickets have been bought for the Oct 25-27 Formula 1 event. The organisers, however, are confident that the turnout will be as much as it was last year when 65,000 spectators watched the race at the one lakh-capacity Buddh International Circuit (BIC) here.

"We are set to host the event again. The excitement surrounding the event is less compared to past editions but we are confident of having the turnout of 2012. Usually, ticket sales pick up in the last ten days. The latest number I have is that 20,000 tickets have been sold," Jaypee Sports International (JPSI) CEO Sameer Gaur told IANS at the BIC Tuesday. 

A total 68,000 tickets were put up for grabs in August when the organisers launched the three-day and race day tickets together for the first time. The cheapest Sunday ticket is priced at Rs.1,500 and the three-day ticket in the Picnic Stand costs Rs.2,000.

"Picnic Stand North is sold out and we are opening Picnic Stand South for the public," a JPSI official told IANS.

Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel is likely to win his fourth straight title at the Indian Grand Prix, a prospect which could spur ticket sales. Jaypee is expecting a sizeable gathering also because the event is off the F1 calendar in 2014.

"It is natural that more people would want to watch the race as it is not happening next year. It would be an icing on the cake if Vettel wins the championship in India," said Gaur.

A whopping 95,000 watched the inaugural race in 2011. 

The following is the list of the 2013 ticket prices:

Grandstand lower tier: Rs.21,000 (three-day ticket), Rs.12,000 (Sunday ticket)

Grandstand upper tier: Rs.15,000 (three-days), Rs.10,000 (Sunday)

Premium stand: Rs.10,000 (three-day), Rs.7,500 (Sunday)

Star stand: Rs.7,500 (three-days), Rs.5,000 (Sunday)

Picnic stand: Rs.2,000 (three-days), Rs.1,500 (Sunday).