Bulls, Stars and Horses: India in Formula One
India has provided icons to a lot of sports around the world — Vishwanathan Anand in Chess, Sachin Tendulkar in Cricket, Leander Paes and Sania Mirza in Tennis, Saina Nehwal and P V Sindhu in Badminton… the list goes on. Formula One is no less. While not having given the sport any icons (at least not yet, F1 fans in India are always hopeful!), India has had an impact on the sport nonetheless. So let’s get started!
Force India
When anyone thinks of India in Formula One, one of the first images they might have are the white, orange and green cars of Force India. Force India came to life when the Spykar F1 team was bought by the Indian businessman Dr Vijay Mallya. The team first appeared on the grid in the year 2008. In its first year, the team largely spent trying to get on its feet.
The first signs of the teams potential were seen in the Belgium Grand Prix at the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps in the year 2009. Giancarlo Fisichella, driving the Force India car, took pole at Spa. He went on to finish 2nd in the race from there on, being overtaken by Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen.
That was the first statement by Force India, that it was a ‘force’ to be reckoned with (I know… bad pun ;p). In the subsequent seasons, Force India went on to establish itself as the most efficient team on the grid — consistently performing exceptionally well, on a shoe-string budget compared to the bigger manufacturers.
But the fairy tale of Force India came to an end in 2018, when due to the trials that Vijay Mallya was going through, the team had to be sold. The value of the team to the sport came to the fore here, when one of the team’s drivers — Sergio Perez — put in his own money into the team to save it. Subsequently, Canadian Billionaire Lawrence Stroll (whose son Lance now races for the team alongside Sergio) acquired the team and renamed it to Racing Point. Next year, the team will change to Aston Martin. But the DNA of Force India, of financial efficiency, still remains!
Indian Grand Prix
In 2011, the F1 Circus made its debut in India. The Buddh International Circuit played host to the inaugural Indian Grand Prix. Turmoiled in political battles (Click here to know more), the race didn’t last long on the calendar, with the final race taking place in 2013. Though not iconic in any way, the Indian Grand Prix has a unique achievement. Only one driver has ever taken a win on the circuit — Sebastian Vettel winning all three races from 2011–2013.
I had the unique opportunity to attend the inaugural race in 2011, and it remains one of the most exhilarating experiences of my life!
I and all the fans of the sport hope to see the F1 circus in India again someday!
Drivers
Almost everyone, who is even slightly interested in F1 in India, knows about the first-ever Driver from India in the sport — Narain Karthikeyan. He made history in the sport when he made his debut with the legendary Jordan team in the year 2005. His first stint with the team didn’t last long, making a comeback in the sport with the Hispania Racing Team in 2011–12. His results were never great, and other than the fact that he is India’s first driver in the sport, he doesn’t have any other great achievements.
The second driver to represent India was Karun Chandok. Much like Karthikeyan, he did not make any waves in the championship, often competing on the back of the grid in 2010–11. He has since gone on to make a career in the media world, becoming a popular commentator of the sport!
The last driver, in F2 instead of F1, is Mahaveer Raghunathan. Mahaveer drove in the Formula 2 feeder series, the last step before Formula 1, for the year 2019. He had a nightmare of a time there, often being the slowest of anyone. (Click Here to know more)
The Future
India has a bright future in the sport, as the popularity in India increases. The one driver to watch out for is Jehan Daruvala. Racing in Formula 2 this year with Carlin Racing, and a Red Bull Driver Academy driver, Jehan is showing good potential as a driver. He initially came through an initiative by Force India to find a talented driver from India. He stood 3rd in the Formula 3 series last year (2019), being in contention for the championship till the final race. He also won the Formula 3 race in Catalunya last year.
Though India has had a very recent tryst with Formula 1, with the increasing size of the Sport’s Fan Base, the hope is that we will see India involved to a greater extent in the sport! In the next post, we’ll go in the past and talk about one of the sport’s greatest icons… stay tuned to find out who!
Fun Facts:
1) One of Sauber F1 Team’s (Now Alfa Romeo) principal in the past, was an Indian born woman, Monisha Kaltenborn.
2) Tata Communication Services, the India based software giant, laid the foundation for Formula One’s digital transformation, being the sport’s Digital Services partner up until last year
