F1- The race from the past to the future!

Hunger drives us humans, hunger for food, hunger for safety, hunger for pleasure and one such hunger for excitement and thrill led us to this great sport called F1!

You have to go all the way back to 1894 to explore what led to the flag-off of this great sport. The event which sparked off this everlasting fire, was the organised automobile road racing in France. Very soon you could see (or miss) the drivers zooming past at 100mph or more. Innovation from the teams made sure that newer dimensions were added every now and then. Existing ones were explored further and improvements were made. The speeds increased, the prize money increased, and the quintessential factor glamour was added.

The drivers served as a constant source of excitement & entertainment and in the process became legends of the sport. Manuel Fangio is the first name that comes to our mind when we think about the early years of F1. A late starter, success eluded him for a while before he got the formula right. He started his F1 career with Alfa Romeo and won a championship with them before moving to other teams including Maserati and Ferrari. He managed to win a championship with both these teams saving his best for the last when he won in one of the most exciting season, 1957! Stirling Moss was one of the very few guys who could be considered as his challengers.

Juan Manuel Fangio

Next came Jim Clark, a driver of immense potential, but this champion had a real sad death, he died in a formula-2 race crash. At the time of his death, he had won more Grand Prix races (25) and achieved more Grand Prix pole positions (33) than any other driver. Soon came Jackie Stewart who was known for his dominating style of driving. He not only won races, but also fan’s hearts! He won 3 championships, and more importantly, became an advocate for safety in auto racing – this happened after he met with a near-fatal accident and the ambulance took a long time to arrive.

Austria born Niki Lauda, the next superstar, won 3 championships in a career which spanned across 14 years. Nicknamed ‘SuperRat’, he had another passion, writing, and had written five books during his racing career. Nelson Piquet, a Brazilian champion whose 3 titles came with different cars was known to have a delicate temper and his rivalry with drivers like Nigel Mansell often provided the fireworks during the races.The 80’s saw one more champion, nicknamed ‘The Professor’, Alain Prost, who would go on to win 4 titles, including one in his last season. Prost’s rivalry with Aryton Senna shall be remembered forever.

Aryton Senna..A champion par excellence

Aryton Senna, is still considered by many as the best driver to ever wield the wheel! His skill and dominance left everyone in awe of him. But as luck would have it, the great man had to face an untimely death, when he crashed during the San Marino Grand Prix. This season would also mark the emergence of a champion who would go on to break records and reach new statistical peaks, peaks which seem impossible to be reached ever again. Micheal Schumacher, a driver par excellence, not best known for his fair driving, re-defined the term dominance and had several ‘not-so-long lasting rivalries with quite a few drivers. He won 5 seasons in a row with Ferrari and retired soon after. A couple of years ago he had decided to come back but was unable to find his previous form..

Several other drivers impressed during the 90’s and thereafter, including Damon Hill, Mika Hakinenn, David Coulthard, Jenson button, KimiRaikkonen, Fernando Alonso, Lewis Hamilton, and more recently, Sebastian Vettel. All these drivers have their own unique style and this is what makes them championship material.

One person who deserves a mention each time someone speaks about F1 is the billion dollar man – Bernie Ecclestone, the man who made F1 what it is today and even at the ripe age of 80 continues to head the most expensive and exciting sport in the world.

Buddh International Circuit

Adjustable rear wings, engine mappings, F-ducts, double diffusers, KERS, gearboxes, engine power, tyres, aerodynamics, 107% rule in qualifying etc. Such complex terminology and the constant rule changes make it hard for fans to keep up. The rules and the details would confuse those that are not technically savvy. However, since F1, unlike other sports, is so linked to technology, and since technology is constantly advancing, rules are of utmost importance. Also, its important to see to it that the game is about both cars and drivers. The rules are changed to balance the excitement and safety factor, and the points system has evolved to a competitive format, but the present champion has made even the new points system seem not so challenging. I am sure the future will call for more innovation, and the drivers will be geared up, raring to go at any new challenge.

F1 continues to grow in popularity and has been spreading its wings slowly but steadily across the globe. Its time for us Indians to experience the excitement and magic first hand!

See you on the 30th october in the Buddh International Circuit..