How Formula One worked in India

Inroads by drivers and sponsors

F1 road show at India Gate in 2011

Drivers have been the biggest ambassadors of the sport in India, with many of them making the trip to gently push the agenda of their sponsor, and eventually the sport.

Back in 2008, Renault came down for a demonstration of their machine and toured all the locations that were in the shortlist for the eventual track, excluding Mumbai. They followed it up by a demonstration at Rajpath, New Delhi, with Nelson Piquet Junior at the wheel. Again, the Public Relations machinery was in full swing with pictures flooding the media of the Renault with the effectual India Gate in the background.

Sponsors Vodafone then took a McLaren machine to Lucknow. Double world champion Mika Hakkinen had expresses his interest in an Indian edition, sparking conversations in the media.

This was followed up by with a Red Bull stunt, and David Coulthard drove his Toro Rosso STR1 on Mumbai streets. His drive across the majestic Bandra Worli sea-link made the papers for all the wrong reasons, after he blew the speed limit of 100 kmph out the water, reaching speeds almost double the allowed range.

Lewis Hamilton made the trip for Vodafone too, showing off his MP4-27 McLaren Mercedes at the Bandra Kurla complex in Mumbai. An interesting point to note here was that how sponsors concentrated on Mumbai, the same city which had shrugged its shoulders earlier.