Karthikeyan makes history by finishing his 1st F1 race. | |
| Formula One is a sport where gods are mortals. There are some very famous dead ones and equally famous living ones. |
| |
| This is the holy land where Ayrton Senna and Michael Schumacher belong. Or belonged. Now from the land of these gods comes an F1 demi-god, Narain Karthikeyan. If he can be judged by what we saw in Australia, he comes wearing a halo. |
| |
| Narain was a rookie in all possible manner. This was his first F1 race, the first time he went around the Albert Park circuit and the first time he drove an F1 car in anger. |
| |
| A rain-marred first qualification helped, but he showed grit and pace "" despite a scary moment when his Jordan wagged its tail "" and posted a time of 1:32.735 to earn the twelfth position in the starting grid. |
| |
| Note, not the last position, but in the sixth row of the starting grid. Alongside him was a scarlet Ferrari driven by a lesser-known deity called Rubens Barrichello "" of course, from the religion called Tifosi (Ferrari followers). |
| |
| So what was like watching the start of this season's first F1 race? Twenty cars lined up after the warm-up lap... and then, nothing. One McLaren-Mercedes stalled and the bunch had to go through another formation lap. It was an excruciating two minutes for any Indian F1 fan. Will an Indian ever start an F1 Grand Prix? |
| |
| Karthikeyan did, not so much in style though. From ninth on the grid, he drove off in a very sedate manner. Maybe he misjudged the light, maybe he was fearing he would stall the engine... it was almost as if he was out to get a can of milk in the morning. And in the process he politely gave way to eight other drivers in the very first lap. |
| |
| Yes, Michael Schumacher was one of them, and Karthikeyan's team mate, Tiago Monteiro, who was slower than him throughout the weekend, passed him, too. What followed then was the best drive Karthikeyan has ever produced. |
| |
| In his own words, it was a very lonely drive. He was driving a car with left-foot braking, which he was not used to. And that meant a swollen left leg at the end of the race, deserving physiotherapy attention. |
| |
| But the clock never lies. He posted a 1.27 lap, which was barely two seconds slower than eventual winner, Giancarlo Fisichella's lap. Mind you, that in a more or less second-hand Jordan with the wrong tyres "" Karthikeyan was driving on Bridgestones, while the quicker drivers were using Michelins. |
| |
| By the 42nd lap, he was a whole lap behind. But he was still in the race. The Minardi driver, C Albers, was by then out of the reckoning. During a smartly done pit stop, Karthikeyan managed to pass Monteiro, too. |
| |
| Monteiro tried, but he would never catch Karthikeyan again. Apart from a few laps, Karthikeyan was always quicker than Monteiro, and in F1, your performance vis-à-vis your team mate matters. |
| |
| In short, Karthikeyan had a clean race, finishing overall 15th. Exactly what he set out to do when he came to Australia. And he finished the race to the applause of the international media and those who know F1. In case you are interested, Michael 'God' Schumacher couldn't manage that "" he retired after a collision on the 42nd lap with Williams' Nick Heidfeld. |
| |
| The enthusiasm from the Indian supporters here in Melbourne for Karthikeyan was amazing, the turnout and the excitement was almost as if an India-Pakistan cricket match was taking place. |
| |
| Trevor Carlin, the Jordan team manager, could not believe the response from the Indians here for Karthikeyan, they were eager to shake his hands and get his autograph. |
| |
| Later Carlin said, "Narain can improve a great deal, but he showed his true pace today. I am expecting him to do better in the coming races." |
| |
| Perhaps Karthikeyan had some support from other quarters, too. His mother visits 12 temples every Sunday when he is racing, and she did not miss it this time either. She and Karthikeyan's wife Pavarna, even managed to visit a multiple-deity temple in Melbourne to pray for him. |
| |
| 'I almost lost control' |
| |
| The writer caught up with Karthikeyan for a brief post-race interview. Excerpts: |
| |
| Which was the biggest incident for you in this race? |
| |
| The pitlane was extremely slippery, I almost lost control there. |
| |
| What do you remember best in this race? |
| |
| Michael Schumacher passing me even before the very first corner. He started from almost the last position in the grid. |
| |
| Why the poor start? |
| |
| It was simply lack of coordination with the lights. |
| |
| What message do you have for your Indian fans? |
| |
| I am grateful for their support, but I expect more for the next race in Malaysia. |
| |
