Future One

Story: Nikhil Raghavan

The qualifying line-up looks very impressive indeed. For the first time in ten years, the grid will boast of 24 cars. Special invitee Lewis Hamilton will be at the start button to ‘flag off’ the Special Tenth Anniversary Indian Formula One Grand Prix of the Asia Pacific and Middle/Far East region.

It is year 2022. Fifteen years since I said that I will write this article if things work out the way I had envisaged. Work out it did, and how! India has long shed its colonial hang-ups and become more Westernised. A little bit American, I must say, because, America itself has adopted a pro-European stance. Globalisation has had its toll even on America, once considered a super power. India is close to becoming one, China willing!

Our Ministers are now known as Senators and the President is numero uno in the political scheme of things. The Prime Minister has…well…who? Prime Minister?

From an agrarian economy, the nation has transformed into an industrial super power with a majority leaning towards the automotive business. The Asia-Pacific and Middle East/Far East are now the automotive jurisdiction of India-based automobile manufacturers.

Amongst the world’s leading brands now being made in India, the old warhorse Ambassador still ploughs on as private taxis, call taxis, tourist taxis and such public transport needs.

Cricket, hockey and football have almost vanished from the Indian sports horizon giving way to motorsports, baseball and golf. These are the new national favourite sports with motorsports clearly leading the way.

The architect of motorsports in India, Vijay Mallya, having made his fortunes from selling Indian made Scotch Whisky to the Scottish and letting his favourite bird Kingfisher fly over his vast kingdom, oversees the fortunes of five F1 tracks in the country – Bombay, Delhi, Calcutta, Madras and Bangalore (please note that these original names have been restored to the cities by more progressive thinking Senators and Presidents).

Vijay’s son, Siddarth owns all five tracks. His father’s liquor business was not his cup of tea. He gets his kicks from racing cars and the lucrative business of motorsports. He is aiming to be the next generation Bernie Ecclestone. The long-retired Narain Karthikeyan who for many years retained the tag of being the fastest and the first Indian in F1 and his immediate followers Karun Chandok and Armaan Ebrahim are now team owners.

NK Racing’s Mahindra-powered Team NK-Mahindra was the 2021 Champion. Karun’s Chandok-Tata Team is close behind and Armaan’s Team Meco Mercedes is a close third. In the constructor’s Championship, Chandok-Tata pipped the NK-Mahindra to the winning post with just one point. With extensive globalisation, engine manufacturers like Mahindra and Tata have surpassed the quality standards of even Ferrari and Mercedes. Racing teams from the rest of the world make up the remaining line-up! Would you have believed this fifteen years ago?

India and Asia in general, Far East and Middle East make up an independent racing region, in close competition with the European F1 Championships. With five tracks in India, two in China, two in the Middle East and two in Singapore and Malaysia, the annual jamboree now boasts of 22 races (two in each circuit) spread over the year.

The Driver’s Championship is named after Bernie Ecclestone who is considered as the father of F1 racing movement. The Constructor’s Championship is named after Max Mosley, formerly chief of FIA.

The new line-up for the three Indian teams has just been announced for the 2022 season. The country having a history of dynastic rule in every sphere of activity – politics, films, industry, business, etc., the racing teams have also adopted a similar strategy.

The NK-Mahindra team has Narain’s son Vikram (named so because he is perceived as a winner) and Aditya Patel’s younger brother, Akshay. The Chandok-Tata team has Karun Jr (yes, Karun’s son!) and Roy Banajee, yesteryear champ Rayomand’s son. Meco Mercedes has Akbar (Armaan’s son, named in memory of his illustrious dad, Akbar ‘Akku’ Ebrahim, the first Indian to have driven in F3, some decades ago) and Mika Akkineni (Aditya Akkineni infuses racing tradition into his filmi family, by naming his son after Mika Hakkinen). The genes of India’s founding fathers in racing, Vicky Chandok, Akbar Ebrahim and Karthikeyan lives on in the third generation of drivers.

The kick-off inaugural race is at the by-now-famous street circuit in Delhi, the India Gate Speedway. Indian President Rahul Gandhi along with Noel Tata (who, now heads the Tata organisation) are the Chief Guests. Among the super veterans who are special invitees are Michael and Ralf Schumacher, Kimi Raikkonen, Mika Hakkinen and others from yesteryear F1 races.

The adjoining private airfield owned by Richard ‘Virgin’ Branson is choc-a-block with private jets. Old-timer actor-aviator John Travolta, a friend of both Branson and Mallya, has already parked his A300 in its reserved spot. Vijay Mallya preferred his custom-built Lear. Michael and brother Ralf flew in together from their favourite nesting islands off Goa. Their yachts along with that of Vijay’s are moored at Goa’s private harbour; so they flew in on their super-powered chopper. The entire celebrity crowd at F1 will fly back to Vijay’s private island Kingfisher’s Nest, after the Sunday’s races, for a night of wild partying. It has been often reported that ‘wild’ is an understatement.

Being a private island, it is not governed by any country’s laws. Everything goes, here. India has indeed changed, for the island is declared as a tax haven. For the last ten years of the existence of the region’s F1 circuit, after every inaugural race in Delhi, the who’s who of motorsports converge at the island and let their hair down. Till date, not one has spoken about what goes on there. Every invitee is sworn to secrecy and every employee on the island is under oath of confidentiality. Understandably, the press is not invited.

With such restrictions on the Press, what else can one write about the glamour side of India’s F1 races? Nothing! I will keep you abreast of happening and developments on the tracks after each race. That will include details about umbrella-girls and cheer leaders. Suffice it to say, there will be plenty of action on and off the track, T-boning included. A tradition has to be kept up, you see. Bye for now; qualifying has just started and I am off to trackside.