Indian F1 GP looking more likely

Renowned Formula One circuit designer Hermann Tilke has revealed an Indian Grand Prix is close to becoming a reality.

A street track in Delhi is seemingly on the cards, potentially as early as 2009 following the latest in a number of visits made to the city by Tilke.

"We'd like to position Delhi as a street circuit," said Tilke, who has already created tracks in recent years in Malaysia, Bahrain, China and Turkey.

"We think it's a perfect track for F1 racing. We've already met the Delhi CM [Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit] once and we will be meeting her again to further discuss the matter."

Although Noida is another potential venue being explored, Delhi's history is understood to be part of the attraction.

A further draw is that the city is also hosting the Commonwealth Games in 2010.

One of the managing partners involved in the venture to bring F1 to India, Suhel Seth, believes the potential revenue stream could be vast for Delhi.

"At this moment, we're looking at investments ranging around £50-100m (€73.21m-€146.38m)," Seth told The Times of India.

"But we are hopeful that with the first race we will be able to generate around £90-100m (€131.74m-€146.38m)."