The Fastest Sport on Earth

Following the F1 San Marino Grand Prix last evening brought back memories of Symbiosis and B-school life.
The Sunday lunch at Fiddlers' Green, and then rushing back to follow the race. The divides were deep: the BMW Williams F1 team faithfuls, and the fans of the prancing horse.

And all we could get was:



Nothing but a bunch of numbers refreshing every 15 seconds on the small screen of a laptop.

My mind races to the screams when Montoya would clock the fastest speed on S2 or when Ferrari would take a tad longer in the pits.

There is immense thrill in statistically following F1 live at www.formula1.com; and that it was last night! Well, I didn't have much of a choice either! Japanese free-to-air channels don't show F1. Too bad, I am sure the car-crazy Japanese population would love to watch Takuma Sato race his BAR-Honda.

Delving deeper into Formula 1 as a sport, it's simply amazing to observe the harmony of man and machine. It is the ultimate culmination of science, skill, team work, courage, strategy, and a load of money - all in one sport.

There has been significant volatility on the circuit in the recent past. With drivers changing teams, constructors changing engines, and newer tracks being laid; if there is one change that I am truly proud of, it is Narayan Karthikeyan. The 2005 World Championship race began in Australia with Karthikeyan being the first Indian to race in a F1 GP.

As one website reviewing Karthikeyan's inclusion puts it so aptly, "Fashioning the stuff from which legends are made, Formula One is witnessing the birth of a pride of new lions. Poised to take on the mantle of World Champion, these young pilots are talented, well-paid and -- in the savage commercial world of today's F1 -- brave in an entirely new way" in the fastest sport on earth.