US Grand Prix

This was one exciting race. I really enjoyed the battle between Alonso and Hamilton. Especially after the first round of pitstops when it did seem that Alonso was much faster. But in Formula One, position is everything and try what he did, he could not get past. Position is indeed everything, as Kimi found out. If he had not lost out the positions at the start, I think he could have easily been on Massa's tail, which is less than 2-3 seconds behind Alonso. As he had almost 3-4 extra laps on his first stint, it is quite likely that he would have jumped Massa and possibly Alonso on the first stop and potentially won the race. Unfortunately for him, he got stuck behind Kovy, Rosberg and Massa and eventually finished almost 15 seconds behind. The one positive for Kimi fans like myself is that he does not seem to have lost his natural speed and when things come together, he is really going to fly!!!

A few friends have also asked me about my thoughts on the Indian Grand Prix. Firstly, I think it is extremely unlikely that it will happen. Formula One is all business and only money speaks. I doubt that India can come up with the required investments or the guarantee money to be paid to Bernie. Secondly, the infrastructure. In a typical race, the teams bring planeloads (I think 7-8) of equipment on Wednesday and fly out on Sunday. Can you imagine Indian customs clearing all of that in this short time? I didn't think so. Also, as the playground of the rich and famous, it will require hundreds of hotel rooms, which are in short supply in India. And somehow, I don't see Indians paying the 10-20K to see a F1 race in large numbers. So, the audience will end up mainly being those with the right "connections" and influence who will pull off free passes. It will make for a huge financial disaster, which the Indian government can ill afford. My advise to Mr Kalmadi will be to concentrate on the 2010 Commonwealth Games at first and once we make a success of it, think about Formula One.