Buddh International Circuit

Buddh International Circuit at a glance

Location

Greater Noida, Uttar Pradesh

Type

road course

Length

5.125 km (3.185 mi)

Turns

16

Direction

clockwise

Banking

banked multi-apex turn sequence at Turns 10-11-12, nicknamed "Currybolica"

Surface

asphalt concrete with graywacke aggregate

Opened

2011

Owner

Jaypee Group (Jaypee Sports International Limited)

Capacity

110,000

Address

Jaypee Sports City, Yamuna Expressway

Website

buddhinternationalcircuit.in

Track map and layout

Designed by Hermann Tilke, the full Grand Prix configuration of Buddh International Circuit runs clockwise for 5.125 km (3.185 mi) over 16 corners, dropping 14 metres through the first three corners alone and mixing steep uphill and downhill sections along the Yamuna Expressway corridor south of Delhi. Its signature feature is the banked, multi-apex Turns 10-11-12 sequence, nicknamed "Currybolica" after Germany's Eurospeedway Lausitz banking, which leads onto a long back straight. A shorter motorcycle-spec configuration of 5.010 km (13 turns) and a 3.100 km short circuit are also used for other categories and club events. The circuit was built for Formula 1 and remains one of the most technically demanding permanent tracks in Asia, though it has run well below its original capacity since losing its F1 race.

Named corners and sections

• Currybolica (Turns 10-11-12). A banked, multi-apex sequence inspired by the banking at Germany's Eurospeedway Lausitz, one of the circuit's most distinctive features leading onto the back straight.

Configurations

Events and race weekends

Buddh hosted the Formula 1 Indian Grand Prix for three seasons, from 2011 to 2013, before a tax and financing dispute between organisers and the Uttar Pradesh state government ended F1's presence at the venue. MotoGP returned the circuit to global attention with the inaugural Indian Grand Prix in 2023, but the 2024 race was cancelled and the event has since been dropped from the 2025 and 2026 calendars amid promoter and scheduling issues, leaving its return uncertain. Today the circuit's regular calendar consists of domestic series, chiefly the JK Tyre National Racing Championship, along with club and open-wheel racing.

Getting there and parking

Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi, roughly 60 km northwest of the circuit, is the main international gateway; the drive out along the Yamuna Expressway typically takes 60-90 minutes depending on traffic. There is no dedicated metro link to the circuit itself, so most visitors travel by taxi, ride-hailing or organised event transport from Delhi or Greater Noida.

• Indira Gandhi International Airport (DEL) · about 75 min drive

Book road transport in advance for event days, as the circuit sits along the Yamuna Expressway outside Greater Noida with no rail link directly to the venue.

Hotels and camping near Buddh International Circuit

Greater Noida has a growing but still limited hotel base close to the circuit, while Delhi and its satellite city Noida, both under two hours away by road, offer far more choice and are the more common base for international visitors, particularly outside major event weekends.

Where to look

Greater Noida, closest to the circuit but with fewer hotels; Noida, a larger satellite city with more accommodation options; Delhi, roughly 60 km away, for the widest range of hotels and onward travel connections.

Track days, driving experiences and lap records

The circuit is not primarily set up as a public pay-per-lap tourist attraction, but it remains an active national racing venue hosting the JK Tyre National Racing Championship and other domestic car and motorcycle series, and it has periodically hosted corporate and manufacturer track-day style events. Availability for individual track days varies and is best confirmed directly with the circuit operator.

Lap records

Spectator guide

Buddh was built with a large grandstand capacity of 110,000, expandable to around 200,000 for peak events, reflecting its original design for Formula 1-scale crowds, though modern domestic race meetings draw far smaller attendances. Grandstands run along the main straight and around the circuit's faster corners.

Seating

Grandstands are concentrated along the pit straight and at key corners around the lap; capacity was built for major international events and is rarely filled at current domestic meetings.

Weather

• October-November: warm, dry post-monsoon conditions, daytime highs typically around 28-33°C

History of Buddh International Circuit

Built for Formula 1

Buddh International Circuit opened in October 2011 as India's first purpose-built Formula 1 venue, designed by Hermann Tilke and constructed by the Jaypee Group in Greater Noida, on the outskirts of Delhi, at a cost of roughly ₹2,000 crore. The inaugural Indian Grand Prix that October was won by Sebastian Vettel, whose 1:27.249 lap remains the circuit's outright Grand Prix record.

A short-lived F1 tenure

The circuit hosted the Indian Grand Prix for three consecutive seasons, 2011 to 2013, but a dispute over taxation and entertainment levies between the organisers and the Uttar Pradesh state government made the event commercially unviable, and F1 has not returned since. The circuit continued to operate for domestic racing, including the JK Tyre National Racing Championship, but ran well below the scale it was built for.

MotoGP's brief return and an uncertain future

MotoGP brought international racing back to Buddh with the inaugural Indian Grand Prix in 2023, using a shortened 13-turn configuration, but the event was cancelled in 2024 over promoter and financing issues and has since been dropped from both the 2025 and 2026 calendars, leaving its future in doubt. As of early 2026, reports pointed to renewed interest from Indian industrial groups in reviving international racing at the venue, alongside a state government agreement aimed at restoring motorcycle racing, but no confirmed date for F1 or MotoGP's return had been set.

Frequently asked questions