Indian GP makes grand debut

Pride, joy, excitement and expectation were in ample view at the inaugural Indian Grand Prix. In keeping with popular belief before the event, India’s first Formula One race was a grand success.

The stars and the most-watched were the drivers and cars. But on a bright Sunday afternoon, the spectators were the best part of the event at the Buddh International Circuit. In cricket-mad India, there were doubts whether the one lakh-plus spectator capacity circuit would get filled up. It did. The stands were all bright and colourful. Hundreds of banners and flags were being waved. But the flag that made us most proud was the Tricolour.

The attendance of about 50,000 on Saturday and 95,000 on Sunday said a lot. And when the five red lights went out on the starting grid, the roar of 24 Formula One engines and the crowd cheering was thunderous.

Formula One is a virtual fashion parade of big names. Celebrity power was certainly on show. Singers Daler Mehndi, Leslie Lewis, Kay Kay and Lucky Ali took a walk in the paddocks before singing the official song even as strains of bhangra music livened up the atmosphere.   

The other big ones were also there. Sachin Tendulkar and wife Anjali attended. The master batsman said: “This is a beautiful track. I think it is fantastic that they have built something as brilliant as this, and that too in such quick time.” Adding to the star power were film stars Deepika Padukone, Gulshan Grover and Sonam Kapoor.

Fans were equally excited. It was quite hot in the afternoon, but they chose to ignore the sun’s glare. “I love the sound of the Formula One cars. It was quite hot but I do not really care,” said young Vishal from Delhi in all excitement.

A minute’s silence was observed in remembrance of IndyCar driver Dan Wheldon and MotoGP rider Marco Simoncelli at 2.45pm, 15 minutes before the race. Pessimistic voices were raised and unfair comparisons made to the Commonwealth Games fiasco. But to any spectator, marshal, the media or teams and drivers, there was only one thing at the end of the 60 laps.

When Tendulkar waved the chequered flag as Sebastian Vettel crossed the finish line, India had shown that she is more than capable making a huge splash, of global proportions, with an Indian formula.