The Formula One Race Comes to India --
The most expected and exciting sporting event for India , post the Commonwealth games and the Cricket World Cup of course, went off so well at the Budh International Circuit, India over the last week end. No dogged controversies ( there was one ), snakes in rooms , used bed sheets , leaking and stinky toilets ,over bridges falling down etc Etc. The media must have been disappointed on this count. The big difference was that this event was driven by Private sector and flawlessly executed . It was clear as to what went wrong with the Common wealth games. Politicians trying to arrange a event to suit their personal needs and overall as a fund raising event, could never make it a success. It showed up at various stages as the infrastructure crumbled due to deficiency of the base structures and we were glad and relieved when the Commonwealth games began and ended.
So , India is on the Formula one circuit and with the successful conduct of the inaugural event , it is going to stay that way for some time to come. India is the Destination after most of the European circuits have burned enough rubber and have a dwindling interest. F1 needs new circuits and new crowds and there can be no better place than India for this. This event was the talk of India ...
The event went off so well , no hitches , except for a stray dog that interrupted a practice session for twenty minutes ( so what ? We had fun with chasing the dog out of the circuit - it is mystery as to how the dog breached all security systems to gain entry ). The track was hailed by all drivers and the teams as one of the best . The medical facilities to handle a emergency was found to be on par or better than most of the other developed circuits. Nearly 95,000 watched the event live with millions glued to the Television. No one cried "foul' on any infrastructure deficiency. Well done to the Jaypee group that put up this circuit that cost nearly INR 2000 crores to build.
The actual race by itself was a not a exciting affair. Although the circuit gave opportunities for overtaking , we did not see great action. Vettel the young German world champion took pole and then marched his way to a easy victory. No one really challenged him. Vettel did something unique. He created a record of sorts by being the only driver to win the inaugural race at all new circuits that were introduced.
The excitement on the track was provided by Massa of Ferrari and Hamilton of McLaren as they collided for the sixth time this season. It has been a unusual tiff between these two on the track , as they have lined up against each other and collided six times and lost positions to gain points or podium finishes. Most times, it had been Hamilton who erred but this time for a change it was Massa. We want them to race on the track not create collisions !! Indian racing star Narain Karthikeyan did himself proud coming in 17th with a car that did its worth for the money that was spent on it . The other Indian driver in the fray Karun Chandok was not selected by his team to race and missed the chance to be part of the history.
There was lot of excitement on the side lines -- Cricketers , cine actors( actress . how can they not miss a event where cricketers are ?)
Key absentee was the Indian Minister for Sports who was not invited properly for not allowing duty exemption on equipment imported for the event. Did it hurt the event .. No not at all..
Indian Cricketing God waved the Chequered flag as Vettel took victory and the curtains came down on the first Indian GP.
Well done to the Organisers for such a wonderfully arranged first time event. Just goes to show, if things are planned well,with right intent and the key word is 'success" , there is no looking back. The event had to go well .
On my part , missed planning to be at the venue but as it turned out it was good that I was in Chennai over the weekend.
So , India is on the Formula one circuit and with the successful conduct of the inaugural event , it is going to stay that way for some time to come. India is the Destination after most of the European circuits have burned enough rubber and have a dwindling interest. F1 needs new circuits and new crowds and there can be no better place than India for this. This event was the talk of India ...
The event went off so well , no hitches , except for a stray dog that interrupted a practice session for twenty minutes ( so what ? We had fun with chasing the dog out of the circuit - it is mystery as to how the dog breached all security systems to gain entry ). The track was hailed by all drivers and the teams as one of the best . The medical facilities to handle a emergency was found to be on par or better than most of the other developed circuits. Nearly 95,000 watched the event live with millions glued to the Television. No one cried "foul' on any infrastructure deficiency. Well done to the Jaypee group that put up this circuit that cost nearly INR 2000 crores to build.
The actual race by itself was a not a exciting affair. Although the circuit gave opportunities for overtaking , we did not see great action. Vettel the young German world champion took pole and then marched his way to a easy victory. No one really challenged him. Vettel did something unique. He created a record of sorts by being the only driver to win the inaugural race at all new circuits that were introduced.
The excitement on the track was provided by Massa of Ferrari and Hamilton of McLaren as they collided for the sixth time this season. It has been a unusual tiff between these two on the track , as they have lined up against each other and collided six times and lost positions to gain points or podium finishes. Most times, it had been Hamilton who erred but this time for a change it was Massa. We want them to race on the track not create collisions !! Indian racing star Narain Karthikeyan did himself proud coming in 17th with a car that did its worth for the money that was spent on it . The other Indian driver in the fray Karun Chandok was not selected by his team to race and missed the chance to be part of the history.
There was lot of excitement on the side lines -- Cricketers , cine actors( actress . how can they not miss a event where cricketers are ?)
Key absentee was the Indian Minister for Sports who was not invited properly for not allowing duty exemption on equipment imported for the event. Did it hurt the event .. No not at all..
Indian Cricketing God waved the Chequered flag as Vettel took victory and the curtains came down on the first Indian GP.
Well done to the Organisers for such a wonderfully arranged first time event. Just goes to show, if things are planned well,with right intent and the key word is 'success" , there is no looking back. The event had to go well .
On my part , missed planning to be at the venue but as it turned out it was good that I was in Chennai over the weekend.
Comments
R.V.Rajan