Buddh International Circuit is back on the international racing calendar, this time with MotoGP. The IndianOil Grand Prix of India, renamed the Bharat GP, became a center for controversy on Friday. As fans of MotoGP tuned in for the Practice session, they were shocked to see a distorted map of India. MotoGP hurriedly fixed this ‘mistake’ and apologized to all of its Indian viewers. Meanwhile, on track, Francesco Bagnaia and Ducati will look to continue their dominance.
Where is India’s Crown?
There is a lot of controversy surrounding Jammu, Kashmir, and the Ladakh region. However, no one expected MotoGP to use a map that just ignores it altogether. Doing it while racing at the Buddh International Circuit for the Bharat GP is even more egregious.
After a lot of uproar from Indian MotoGP fans, they quickly fixed the error and issued a public apology. During later broadcasts of the Bharat GP, they showed the correct map of India. This is what they showed in the broadcasts during the Practice Session at the Bharat GP after fixing it.
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Public Apology
This is MotoGP’s apology for their mistake at the Bharat GP.
“We’d like to apologise to our fans in India for the map shown earlier as part of the MotoGP broadcast. It is never our intent to make any statement other than that of support and appreciation for our host country. We’re excited to be able to enjoy the IndianOil Grand Prix of India with you and we’re loving our first taste of Buddh International Circuit”.
A Simple Mistake?
A lot of racing enthusiasts noticed a similarity in the maps used by MotoGP at the Bharat GP and Formula 1. In one of their Grill the Grid videos, Formula 1 used the wrong map of India as well. In that map, the entire conflicted portion was shown to be a part of China. However, they managed to escape any outrage.
Will Francesco Bagnaia and Ducati pick up another win at the Buddh International Circuit? Or will someone else prevail at the Bharat GP? Tune in to find out.
Editors pick
