"I'm very proud of Vijay Mallya for building the F-1 Indian team" - Shilpa Shetty

By Bollywood Hungama News Network

By Subhash K. Jha

Shilpa Shetty was at the Formula-1 in Singapore on Sunday evening with soul-mate Raj Kundra as a special guest of Bernie Ecclestone, the founder and owner of Formula-1, and also a special invitee of her dear friend Vijay Mallya.

And now she's hooked. A week after the experience she wants more of the racing-track action. Reliving the amazing experience hours after it was over Shilpa says, "It was awesome. There I was sitting in the grid enclave just a breath away from the racing cars. And though I was invited by Mr Ecclestone as a British celebrity, I went there representing the Indian team who were racing for the first time and I was cheering for them."

Back to the Formula-1 Grand Prix on Sunday evening, "History was made. Because the race happened for the first time during the night. I had never attended a Grand Prix before and I got to see all the racing legends like Lewis Hamilton and Michael Schumacher for the first time. Felipe Massa's car crashed when we thought he would win...it was quite crazy! I've always loved fast cars. But I've never been to a Grand Prix before. On Sunday in Singapore, I not only got to see the veterans, but also a new breed of racers."

Shilpa says the experience watching a Grand Prix live is unbeatable. "The televised version cannot make your blood pound and heart race. Also, the noise of revving cars...it's unparalleled. You can't feel the vibrations on TV."

Shilpa jumps to the Indian team's defence for its under-performance at the Grand Prix "They're new. This was their first year. Give them time. I wasn't the least embarrassed. I'm very proud of Vijay Mallya for putting together the first Formula -1 Indian team. He has put India on the Grand Prix map."

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