F1 Unveiled: Hot wheels scorch Rajpath

NEW DELHI: Neeraj Saxena will probably buy a quicker camera before the Formula One Airtel India Grand Prixon October 30. On Saturday, the young telecom operative waited patiently beside Rajpath to capture the F1 car that was to race down in a sampler event. He locked focus carefully, panned the camera steadily, and shot. Only to find he had missed.
The car was doing almost 270 kmph — more than five times the legal limit in the area, and a good deal more than anything Saxena had witnessed before on even the Capital’s lawless roads. “Today has redefined the meaning of speed for me,” said Saxena, a view echoed by many others around him.
“When the car revved up, I almost fell down in shock. It’s a roar like nothing I have heard before. Watching the car speed down the road was an incredible experience, totally unreal. It was well worth the tan I have got after standing in the sun today,” said Dharmender Yadav, an engineer who had come to watch the event.
Even iconic Rajpath that’s accustomed to stately traffic seemed ruffled with the skid marks left by the accelerating car’s madly spinning wheels. However, when the real race is flagged off at Greater Noida’s Buddh International Circuit on October’s last Sunday, the speeds on the straights are likely to be much higher. At Italy’s Monza circuit, for instance, F1 cars are known to exceed 340 kmph.
Team Red Bull’s Australian driver Daniel Ricciardo became quite a crowd favorite even before he showed off his car’s capabilities. He arrived walking down Rajpath with a group of bhangra dancers and even shook a leg with them, at the audience’s bidding. At the end of his performance, Ricciardo held the Indian Tricolor high and waved to the crowd, drawing loud cheers.
But he wasn’t the only one thrilling the crowd at the event. Ghost Ryderz — a group of five bikers — had already warmed the stage for him with breathtaking freestyle stunts. Considered India’s top professional stunt-biking group, they performed ‘wheelies’ and ‘stoppies’ with amazing precision.
“We wanted to put on a good show for the crowd that had come here. It’s an incredible occasion for India, especially for those like us who earn their bread by driving,” said an exhilarated Nikhil Mohan, one of the riders in the group. Apart from the Ryderz, India’s best car rally drivers also performed stunts requiring precise control over acceleration and braking.
The afternoon, though, resounded with more than the sounds of screeching tyres and roaring engines. Delhi-based rock band, Indian Ocean, belted out their chartbuster Arey Ruk Ja Re Bandey while the crowd sang along delighted with the surprise free concert that had come its way.
Nagesh Kukunoor, director of films like Iqbal, Dor and Hyderabad Blues, also made a guest appearance alongside popular VJ Ranvijay Singh.
“This is an event that is going to put India onto the world map, and it’s a truly exciting event for all of us. We must make sure that the F1 drivers never want to leave India. Delhi is going to get a lesson in sheer speed and exhilaration; I hope the city enjoys it,” said Ranvijay.