Tendulkar meets Schumacher and Ecclestone
October 30th, 2011 - 4:06 pm ICT by IANS
Greater Noida, Oct 30 (IANS) Batting maestro Sachin Tendulkar showed his passion for motorsports by being the first of the high-profile guests to arrive at the Buddh International Circuit for the inaugural Indian Grand Prix here Sunday.
“His love for motorsport is well known and I was not surprised to see him three hours before the race time. I went to the gate to welcome him,” Sameer Gaur, managing director of Jaypee Sports International, told IANS.
Tendulkar, who will do the honours of waving the chequered flag, spend a lot of time at the paddocks before going to the VIP lounge area.
His meeting with seven-time world champion Michael Schumacher was widely anticipated and that was one of the first things he did after arriving here.
Tendulkar went to the Mercedes GP team garage and chatted extensively with Schumacher and fellow driver Nico Rosberg. He also introduced his wife Anjali and daughter Sara to Schumacher.
It was Tendulkar’s second meeting with seven-time champion Schumacher after 2002 when the German gifted the Indian the keys of a Ferrari.
The Mumbaikar then went ahead to meet F1 boss Bernie Ecclestone in the Formula One Management team building where they were joined by Bollywood actor Gulshan Grover and legendary three-time former champion Jackie Stewart.
Indian spinner Harbhajan Singh was the second cricketer to reach the venue.
Besides Tendulkar and Harbhajan, Bollywood stars Shah Rukh Khan and Deepika Padukone were also spotted.
Jammu and Kasmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah was spotted in the paddock for the second consecutive day. Robert Vadra was also seen chatting with the organisers.
Earlier in the day, 24 drivers took part in a vintage car rallly and waved to the fans to kick off the celebrations.
- Schumacher keen to meet Tendulkar at Indian Grand Prix - Oct 27, 2011
- India to be motorsports hub in South Asia - Oct 31, 2011
- Buddh International Circuit comes in for huge praise - Oct 30, 2011
- Vettel takes pole, di Resta 10th in Bahrain - Apr 21, 2012
- Chinese GP: Rosberg takes maiden F1 pole, Force India out of top-10 - Apr 14, 2012
- F1 supremo Ecclestone backs Schumacher to win again - Apr 22, 2010
- Vettel wins a near perfect race, Sutil finishes ninth (Roundup) - Oct 30, 2011
- 'Baby Schumi' keeps alive German legacy in Formula One - Oct 30, 2011
- Rosberg wins maiden F1 race in China, Force India draw blank - Apr 15, 2012
- Schumacher top overtaker in 2011 F1 season - Dec 25, 2011
- Mercedes to unveil new Formula One car next month - Jan 14, 2011
- Rosberg sets pace in second practice at Bahrain GP - Apr 20, 2012
- Rosberg joins Mercedes, Brawn rules out Schumacher - Nov 23, 2009
- Schumacher prepares for emotional return to Germany - Jul 17, 2010
- Monaco GP: Webber on pole, Hulkenberg miss top-10 - May 26, 2012
Tags: bernie ecclestone, champion michael schumacher, daughter sara, deepika padukone, fellow driver, formula one management, gp team, greater noida, gulshan grover, harbhajan singh, jackie stewart, jaypee, kasmir, profile guests, rallly, robert vadra, sachin tendulkar, shah rukh khan, time champion, time world champion