India is referred to as a one-sport nation, and rightly so. Cricket has ruled the hearts of the Indian sports fans for decades to come, and, to be fair, cricket is also one of the only sports where Indians have achieved a high level of success on the world stage. Leaving the Indian cricket teams performance aside, the success of the Indian Premier League too has catapulted cricket to an almost un-touchable level.

Barring cricket – golf, football and Formula 1, all have their own set of followers. Indians are doing extremely well in golf, and while I believe Indian football still has a long way to go, India’s scope and reach in Formula 1 has suddenly seen a drastic rise this season. What’s more is that Formula 1 is slated to visit India next year in the month of October (for those who still don’t know – the 2011 provisional F1 calendar reads, ‘Indian Grand Prix’).

The arrival of Formula 1 next year will be a victory of sorts. It’ll boost Indian motorsport, and, of course, give F1 (read: Bernie) a large share of Indian eyeballs. However, what will also go down in the annals of history is the work done by India, and various Indians, to get F1 to the country.



There have been various attempts to bring F1 to India. The late 90s had an attempt to bring F1 to Kolkata, followed by a valiant attempt to bring F1 to Hyderabad by Chandrababu Naidu, before the Jaypee Group finally bagged the rights to the Indian GP for 2011 and onwards.

While the sport is already planning its entry to India, there are talks about the viability of the sport, the ticket costs, the non-supportive government, etc., that are bogging down efforts to bring the worlds’ most technological sport to the country. However, like a lot of other F1 fans in the country, I’m extremely keen to have F1 visit our shores. What’s more, off-late, India has been doing surprisingly well in the sport.

Force India Formula 1, Dr. Vijay Mallya’s team, has been at the peak of its game since the start of the season. They’ve not only raised the bar for a mid-level team, and finished in the points at all races this season, barring one, they’ve also taken the fight to the other privateer teams (like Williams, Lotus, etc.) and beaten them outright. And best of all, Renault don’t seem too far ahead either.

The 2010 season has seen some interesting trends – Bahrain sent out the signals that Ferrari were back to strength, and Alonso would call the shots, but Red Bull’s outright pace advantage, especially with Vettel, indicated that their time had finally come. Then came the McLaren and Button swansong, which actually left one wondering if Jenson could indeed clinch back-to-back titles. But Mark Webber’s precise driving, and victories at Barcelona and Monaco, have got F1 tongues wagging again (with Jackie Stewart in particular), as many believe that the title could swing in the direction of the Australian. While we’re still only a third of the way this season, Red Bull have shown the pace, but have been fragile too, and I’m still putting my money on a Schumacher-Mercedes resurgence towards the end of this season.

While the top of the grid has seen a number of different race winners this year, there has been some measure of consistency in the middle of the pack – courtesy of the likes of Force India. It’s been a long journey for Force India F1 and VJM since their re-incarnation from Spyker F1 back in 2007. While 2008 was a season of learning, and bringing up the back of the grid, 2009 was when they registered their first points scoring finish and podium at the Belgian GP. What the Belgian podium also did was raise the bar of expectation from its Indian fans, and if the start to 2010 is anything to go by, this is certainly going to be their best season yet.



Drivers, Adrian Sutil and Vitantonio Luizzi, have done justice to the car that the team has given them. Some gutsy drives, followed by some good team-decisions have meant that the team has scored its highest ever Constructor’s championship points. While Adrian has shown better pace than Vito, he’s been a tad too unlucky in the races. However, their pace has been good and sometimes good enough to match the challenge of the Renault and the Mercedes GP, and when both drivers get lucky, you get what they got at the Monaco GP – a double points finish!

With the Indian GP slated for next year, the team would surely be keen on leveraging their Indian connect. I can only imagine the aura of an Indian team driving in the Indian GP next year – with the tri-colour waving.

The tri-colour should also be waving for Karun Chandhok next year, and yes, I’m hopeful that he should get an extension for next season. KC’s drive this season has been some kind of a revelation. Not many expected him to perform so well, and, in fact, beat Bruno Senna in the same machine. However, he’s not only out-paced Senna in most GPs, but also ended up finishing more races. While I don’t expect HRT to develop their car through the season, and offer KC and Senna a chance to compete with the big guys, what I do expect is for Karun to be absorbed by a mid-grid team for next year – again trying to lure potential Indian investors by using the Indian connect.

If Karun does secure a better drive next season, a points scoring position shouldn’t be out of reach. If F1 hits India next year with an Indian F1 team running in the points, and India’s only F1 driver also fighting in the mix, the battlefield will be all the more enticing for Indians fans to really sink their teeth into.

Yes, I could sound a little too optimistic, but if all goes as planned, we’ll not only have the Indian GP next year, but it’ll be thronged by fans from the world-over – eager to see Indians beat the world’s best in yet another technological race. Have you tuned in yet?