Hamilton drive attracts 40,000 in India

Over 40,000 fans turned out to watch Lewis Hamilton demonstrate a McLaren on the streets of Bangalore on Tuesday.

Hamilton drove his 2008 world championship-winning MP4-23 along the NICE road as part of the build up to the inaugural Indian Grand Prix on October 30, before carrying out a Q&A for the fans. Hamilton said he was "overwhelmed" by the number of fans lining the streets after the run, and that he could feel the anticipation building ahead of the race.

"I've visited India many times over the last couple of years and it's never been more exciting to be here than now," Hamilton said. "The inaugural Indian Grand Prix is only weeks away and you can really feel the growing passion of the people and the excitement levels continuing to build.

"Vodafone has been supporting our team and Formula 1 for many years and they've always brought grand prix racing to the people: getting to drive my Vodafone McLaren Mercedes F1 car on India's public roads today was an incredible experience and I really hope it gave people a taste for the incredible spectacle of Formula 1.

"There's no better way to experience F1 than up close, so I think today's event was a huge success. Next month's Indian Grand Prix is going to be a fantastic event for our sport, but also for the whole Indian nation, who are incredibly passionate about sport. "