BW Communities

Slow Road To A Fast Race

BW Online Bureau Nov 08, 2014

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><root available-locales="en_US," default-locale="en_US"><static-content language-id="en_US"><![CDATA[Every car in Delhi and Noida, it seems, is headed towards the final F1 race. In a normal day, you can do 140 kilometers per hour effortlessly on the Noida-Greater Noida expressway which leads to the venue. Indeed, it has earned itself the reputation for being a road where everyone tries to test the limits of their cars. The official speed limit on the expressway is 100 kmph. Today, I am doing about 10 kmph on good stretches. All the lanes are choked. And vehicles of every description are trying to squeeze through impossible spaces. I have been invited by Shell, technical partners of Scuderia Ferrari, to join them at the Paddock Club, which overlooks the pitstops. If I reach on time, there is a guided Pitwalk. Unfortunately, it looks as if I might be late even for the race, even though I have started at 11.30 AM and the race is supposed to begin at 3 PM. <img src="/businessworld/system/files/Sebastian-Vettel-reu200x138.jpg" style="float: right; margin: 8px;" width="200" height="138">I doggedly crawl through the expressway until the roads forks. Cars with parking passes (luckily I have one) take the right fork which leads straight to the venue. People without parking passes will have to park at a different spot, and take a bus to the venue). I finally find the parking lot at around 2 PM. I have missed the pitwalk but there is time to go up and watch the race. Celebrities, Fast Cars and Beautiful Girls The F1 is as much a venue for rubbing shoulders with celebrities as it is about the race itself. As I walk up the stairs to the Ferrari lounge of the Paddock Club, I spot Naresh Goel and Subroto Roy (not together). By the time I reach the lounge, I have passed or nodded to half the industrialists I have talked to in the past 10 years. <img src="/businessworld/system/files/F1-Grid-girls-reu200x179.jpg" style="margin: 8px; float: left;" width="200" height="179">And then there are the filmstars and cricketers. I spot Sachin Tendulkar. And Saurav at another place. There is also Shahrukh Khan looking exceedingly fit. And then there are pretty girls everywhere one looks. They are dressed to the hilt. The notable thing is that almost every girl has ignored the advice which come with the tickets – wear a comfortable pair of shoes. The impression I get is that everyone has picked out their best stilettos for the occasion, not matter how uncomfortable they might be going up and down the stairs and the stands. The Ferrari Lounge At the Ferrari Lounge, people in Shell and Ferrari T-shirts are hastily fortifying themselves with food and drink before the race starts. The lounges (Ferrari, Force India, Mercedes etc) overlook the start (and the finish) of the race. From the narrow terrace outside the lounge, one can see the cars being prepared. The race is about to begin and everyone is waiting with bated breath. <img src="/businessworld/system/files/Sebastian-Vettel-reu200x163.jpg" style="margin: 8px; float: right;" width="200" height="163">The national anthem begins playing. As soon as it ends, the race will start. There is a reasonable silence, given the crowds. Then, suddenly the cars start revving up. Everyone has been issued ear plugs, which promptly start being used, but that is not enough to drown out the roars. And finally, as the clock strikes 3, the cars vroom off one at a time. They accelerate so fast that they become a blur in less than 5 seconds. The F1 race is not the most interesting of spectacles to watch live once the race starts. What you see is a blur of cars as each lap is completed. That and the deafening sounds make it a fairly taxing sport for spectators. One the other hand, it is extremely entertaining if you watch it on television. You see the close ups. More importantly, you see the entire track and the jostling for lead. From the lounge for example, there was no way to see the Hamilton-Massa incident which saw Massa retiring from the race. On the other hand, the television inside the lounge shows replays of it when I go in to replenish my orange juice. The race if for 60 laps. It gets over in just over an hour and a half. Predictably, Vettel takes pole position. Button comes second. After that, it is a struggle to reach the parking lot. Now that the race is over, everyone is in a hurry to get out quickly. The Indian F1 story is important because it shows that it is not necessary that we will bungle everything a la the Commonwealth Games. The Gaurs of the JP Group built a world class track, fabulous facilities and conducted the whole affair smoothly. It gives rise to one thought: Could the Commonwealth Games experience have been equally smooth if it were given over to the private sector lock, stock and barrel?  (The author attended the F1 race at the invitation of Shell)