Monisha questions lack of support to Indian GP

India-born Monisha Kaltenborn, the first woman team principal, says the F1 world can cope with the administrative red-tapism in India but she is flummoxed by the lack of support the race is getting in this country.
Customs, visa and bureaucratic problems have been some of the major issues. Recently the state government withdrew exemption on the entertainment tax and yesterday a PIL was filed in the Supreme Court, seeking a stay on the race.
"Of course in India, we have to do a lot of administrative work. If we look at how much paper work we do together with drivers here we don't do anywhere else but that's something you can easily live with. That's part of it. I don't think it's that big an issue," Monisha, Sauber Team principal, said.

"There are so many countries where you have withholding taxes, so it's not unusual, so that's not something which prevents us from coming here. What is not good is that why these kinds of obstacles are put up. What's the agenda behind it? We see ourselves just as a sport," the Dehradun-born 42-year-old added.
The Switzerland-based Monisha said both F1 and India need each other.
"If you objectively look at it, India is a very important market for the partners we have in Formula One and there are Indian companies, which could use the F1 platform to present their brands and create awareness at global level. If that's no longer possible due to this uncertainty, I don't think thats good for either side because both sides benefit in it and both sides lose, if it does not happen," she said.

Monisha also said that India needs to have race regularly in the country or some association with F1 in form of driver and team.
"I wish soon we have a clear situation, if it (race) is happening. We are yet to establish here. Three years is not enough. If you compare it to the European countries, there we have certain heritage, where even if you don't go for three, four five years, you can always go and connect over there, which will be difficult here," she said.