Why Formula One needs India and India needs Formula One

Sahara Force India driver Adrian Sutil and Scuderia Ferarri driver Felipe Massa in action

The very first Grand Prix in India was held against the back drop of the corruption scandals and cases of unprofessionalism that plagued the Common Wealth games. When we organized an amazingly successful Grand Prix only weeks after, it restored credibility in the nation’s ability to host big events. The challenges of organizing an F1 race are recognized around the world and every successful race will only improve our image and help our economy as a number of Indian companies try and make inroads into the infrastructure market in Africa and elsewhere. There are also of course the direct economic perks involved in organizing the race itself as it becomes more popular and larger number of sponsorships and ‘willing to spend’ fans come in.

It’s no secret that the tourism in the country has taken a hit with all the overly (and rightly so) publicized cases of sexual abuse and sporadic events of terrorist attacks. By being present in a sport that’s popular across Europe, Australia, much of South America and some of Asia and North America, it gives a tremendous opportunity to showcase the good side of the country. India is too big and too diverse a country to be stereotyped by individual events and a brilliantly organized F1 race is a perfect way to counter that. Then of course there is also the technological benefit of the sport. We have increasingly seen breakthroughs in Formula One trickle down to the automobile industry all the way from the use of carbon fiber to the Kinetic Energy Recovery System (KERS) in everyday cars. A strong F1 base in the country could work wonders for its automobile industry.

The gravest danger in this situation is indifference. Indifference of the sport towards the country or of the country towards the sport. Admittedly the latter has been the bigger of the two problems so far. And this is unsurprising considering the disconnect that exists between the nation’s population and its lawmakers. In a nations where the average age of the population is 25 and that of its lawmakers 65 (just about the life expectancy of the country), you have to wonder if the decision makers can at all feel the pulse of a young nation. The sports ministry refused to recognize Formula One as a sport and classified it as entertainment thereby effectively questioning the intelligence of millions of the sport’s fans around the world and of its own youth who have taken to the sport.

It further added that Formula One did not satisfy conditions which focus on human endeavor for excelling in competition, a statement which at once displayed the ministry’s blatant ignorance of the sport and insulted the legacy of all the past and current drivers. It’s a sport in which drivers have literally put their lives on the line in pursuit of excellence. As now made popular by the brilliant feature film Rush, there was a time in the sport where at least a driver, sometimes two, would be killed on the racing track every year. If anything the sport has to be blamed for its relentlessness in pursuing excellence, not for the lack of it.

When Shashi Tharoor, supposedly amongst India’s more forward looking politicians tweeted that he was ‘not enthused about cars going round in circles’, it was saddening. Not because he felt that way about the sport, but to see how little understanding there is of the sport amongst our policy makers. How is 22 cars going around in circles any different from 22 men chasing a ball? The core of every sport IS simplicity, but what makes it enjoyable is the awareness of the nuances of the sport, something that’s still clearly missing in the decision making sections of our society. With time this could change, but the key is to give it time.

Vijay Mallya, Vicky Chandhok and the Jaypee group have worked extremely hard to bring F1 to India, Force India has done admirable work in building a significant fan base and Karun Chandhok has spent endless hours in selling the Indian story around the world (he did over 50 one-one interviews in the week leading up to the inaugural Indian GP). It would be such a shame to watch this entire work amount to nothing. The people who stand to lose out the most in this situation are the youth. And like most times in life, they don’t have a say. We can only hope that the government recognizes its responsibility towards its young and ambitious population and the sport itself takes a patient approach in the country both for its own interests and for that of the nation. Here’s hoping for a long and exiting future for Formula One in India.