THE SINGAPORE Grand Prix, Formula1’s only race under the lights, never ceases to amaze. The 2012 edition had it all, car failures, crashes leading to Safety Car periods and post-race penalties. However, it was Sebastian Vettel who won the race and scored 25 points that catapulted him to second place in the Drivers’ Championship table. Alonso, finished 3rd and still is the Championship leader by 29 points. Hamilton, the fastest driver on Saturday, had to retire from the lead due to a suspected gearbox issue.
Six races remain of the 2012 Formula1 season and both Championships are still anyone’s to win. However, going by latest form, Mclaren and Red Bull Racing have faster but more fragile cars than the Ferrari. And I am not putting my money on anyone just yet!
Singapore also saw one of Karthikeyan’s best qualifying performance against his team-mate. His qualifying lap on Saturday was a full second clear of Pedro de la Rosa. This was the second time in successive races where Karthikeyan out-qualified his team-mate. However, Karthikeyan’s race ended in the barrier rather than at the chequered flag.
Leaving aside the on-track disappointment, the Singapore Grand Prix also saw TATA Tea announce a two-race association with HRT. The TATA Group which has backed Karthikeyan for over a decade now is one of the most diversified investors in Formula1. TCS, TATA Motors, TATA Communications and now TATA Tea are all invested in Formula1 via team partnerships or as Karthikeyan’s sponsors. The TATA Tea logo will appear on the HRT F112 in Singapore and in India.
While TATA’s commitment to Karthikeyan is most commendable, I would like to see if the company would take a step further and foray into the development of motorsport in India. There are plenty of opportunities to develop infrastructure and groom junior talent and hunt for India’s next ‘Narain Karthikeyan’. And keeping this opportunity aside, the other big opportunity for TATA Motors would be to manufacture their own F1 engines when the 2014 engine regulations come into force! Now wouldn’t that be a brilliant brand placement for their otherwise struggling TATA cars?
And still sticking to the Karthikeyan – TATA relationship, can the Indian driver take his sponsor and look for a driver seat with a better team for next year? Karthikeyan certainly doesn’t lack the pace, but needs a good and competent car to compliment it! Where HRT has failed in the last two years, maybe a Williams, Sauber or Caterham could deliver? Much food for thought!
India’s only Formula1 team, Sahara Force India, registered a good performance in Singapore. Paul Di Resta finished a career best 4th place, earning 12 valuable points for the team. Sahara Force India is now 21 points clear of Williams and chasing down 6th place Sauber who are 26 points ahead. The battle of the mid-field teams will only get more exciting as the season enters its rounds in Asia.
The team’s other driver, Nico Hulkenberg, failed to score any points after a mid-race incident leading to a puncture, however, he did score the team’s second ever fastest lap of the race!
I love the night race concept in Singapore and I was delighted to hear that the Singapore GP organisers extended their contract with the FOM to host the race till 2017. The Formula1 race has helped put Singapore on the global map and of course the tourism benefits are for all to see. As disclosed by the govt. during the announcement of the extension, Singapore collected S$140-150 million each year in incremental tourism spends. The race attracted over 150,000 to the island country in the last four years. The tourism benefits of Formula1 have been discussed and documented before. However, the Indian Grand Prix still enjoys no support from the Indian govt even though there will be direct tourism related benefits. While this might not surprise many, I hope the government is listening!
The countdown to the Indian Grand Prix is on and the organisers revealed last week that 30,000 tickets to the event have already been sold and if you’ve not already purchased yours, it’s a good time to check out the discounts on offer! And Formula1 fans in India should also look out for the various marketing initiatives that teams and their sponsors would execute in the weeks leading up to the race. Chances are you could win free tickets to the race!
Vodafone organized a ‘Speedfest’ in Mumbai last week and they brought down Lewis Hamilton to do a demo run in the Mclaren MP4-26. The festival was organized in Bandra Kurla Complex in Mumbai and while the demo run was executed well, I was let down by the support activities that the telecom brand had organized. I found the element of ‘speed’ lacking in the festival, except of course for the demo run! I think that the Indian Formula1 fan is evolving and forcing him to see circus acts was like committing a serious offence!
The world of rallying has some good news to offer too! The World Rally Championship, which struggled to attract a promoter, finally got Red Bull’s Media House interested. This means that in the WRC, Red Bull is present as a series promoter, driver and a team sponsor! That’s some commitment to rallying from the energy drinks house. Given Red Bull’s image to make everything appear as ‘adventurous’ and ‘glamorous’ at the same time, I do expect the WRC brand to be revitalized!
And talking about commitment, the FMSCI will be directly organizing the Indian National Rally Championship (INRC) this year, which is good news for Indian rallying fans as well. Rallying is one of the simplest forms of racing and one of the easiest to relate with. You have regular road cars, fitted with a roll cage being driven in a rough (not always) terrain! Now I hope with the Federation directly involved, Indian Rallying will see its heydays yet again! Will the Indian Formula1 fans come out in support and follow the INRC?
