New Delhi, Oct 23, (PTI): McLaren star Lewis Hamiton is a big fan of India and its people and has also likened the Buddh International Circuit to the “great” Spa circuit in Belgium.

“I love India - the people, the colour, the noise, the spectacle, the chaos: it’s an intense and vibrant country, with some of the most enthusiastic and friendliest people we meet all year,” Hamilton, who will leave McLaren for Mercedes for the 2013 season, said. 

The British driver said BIC was different from many tracks in the world.

“The circuit, too, is something of a revelation. Most modern tracks have a very similar feel; you find that the same driving style and rhythm suits them all. But the Buddh International Circuit is different: it has more in common with a great track like Spa than it does with any number of the more modern places we visit,” he said.

Hamilton said the outlay of the circuit is such that it allows the driver to push the car to the limit.

“It’s got an incredible flow - basically, from Turn Four, a wide-apex right-hander that sweeps downhill, the track is just a series of fast, rolling curves which really allow you to put the car absolutely on the limit,’’ he added.  “I didn’t have a particularly tidy weekend there last year: but I feel I’ve been driving better.”