In what comes as an embarrassment to the country, which will be hosting its third ever Indian Grand Prix, the McLaren F1 team that has been staying at the Hilton hotel in Delhi seems to be troubled by the infesting mosquitoes in the hotel room.
In what comes as an embarrassment to the country, which will be hosting its third ever Indian Grand Prix, the McLaren F1 team that has been staying at the Hilton hotel in Delhi seems to be troubled by the infesting mosquitoes in the hotel room.
English newspaper Daily Mail reports that Martin Whitmarsh, CEO of McLaren Racing team, moved out of the hotel infested by mosquitoes, which also troubled their stay last year. Surprisingly, some of their staff is still in the same hotel. Whitmarsh, drivers Jenson Button and Sergio Perez have been staying at the luxurious Jaypee Greens, which is nearer to the Buddh International circuit, while the engineers, mechanics and catering staff will be at the New Delhi Hilton.
The newspaper reported that during their stay last year, F1 champion Jenson Button had squashed several mosquitoes with his hands while tennis-racket-shaped zappers were used to fight the infestation in the lobby. The Hilton lies fewer than 100 yards from an open sewer, which is the perfect breeding ground for the insects. Since Hilton is one of the sponsors of F1, the McLaren team is helpless in this issue.
Despite the problems around the team hotel, McLaren’s Director of Communications, Matt Bishop quoted, “Hilton has taken a series of extra precautions. All McLaren staff will be issued with powerful mosquito repellent spray.’’
The news of Indian Grand Prix missing next year’s F1 calendar was a major blip for the Indian organisers; the news of Indian hotels infested with mosquitoes will add more humiliation to the country, which is trying to popularize other sports apart from Cricket.
