The sight was surreal - Fernando Alonso, Kimi Raikonnen, Lewis Hamilton, Jenson Button, Sebastian Vettel about to start the race, right in front of my eyes. I was star-struck. I was witnessing the best of the world of F1, and as those mean machines whizzed past one another, I was taking everything in, dreamy-eyed - the cars, drivers, even the pit-engineers! It was the ultimate motor-sport fanatic’s Disneyland.It was the 16th round of the Formula One calendar year in 2013 with Sebastian Vettel leading the world championships for the fourth consecutive year with Red Bull Racing. If Seb was to win this race, he would be crowned the Formula One Champion for the fourth consecutive time with the Red Bull team; an elusive feat previously achieved by only Michael Schumacher, Juan Manuel Fangio and Alain Prost. History was in the making at the Buddh International Circuit in Noida.
However, things had been pretty intense off the circuit as well. This was the third year that BIC and India were hosting the exclusive World Motorsport Event and a lot of drama had already taken place between the Indian organizers Jaypee Group and the government before the race. In fact, there was a strong possibility that it would be the last year a Formula 1 race would be held at the circuit and in India.
With hotels and resorts in and around the venue completely booked, I found myself booking a private bungalow. It was not very far from the race track and had other race enthusiasts as boarders. On the breakfast table, I met eight kids from Bengaluru who had come to watch the race. We bonded over our love for the sport. The race day, October 27, 2013, saw a serpentine queue of vehicles crawling their way to the race track. We had the exclusive parking stickers and ticket to the Grand Stand, the mecca of spectators on the race track. It has the best view, is the place of the starting grid and the place where the chequered flag would be waved upon completion of the race. One could feel the sense of euphoria and festivity around as people of all ages crowded the venue, wearing the colours of their favourite teams.
The atmosphere was electric as the five red lights went out and the race began. Master Seb, the gentle German racing giant, started from pole position on the grid. Massa, from fifth, made a good start, moving from 5th to 2nd place by the end of the first lap. Maldonado made the best start in the field, moving from 17th to 13th. Going into the second corner, Alonso touched Webber, resulting in damage to his Ferrari’s front wing. At the end of the first lap, Vettel led from Massa, Rosberg, Hamilton, Hülkenberg and Räikkönen.
As the second lap started, Vettel began to immediately pull clear of Massa. Di Resta and Vergne became the first two drivers to pit by coming in on lap 2. Vettel pitted for a new set of medium compound tyres at the end of lap 2, allowing Massa to take the lead. After a series of great manoeuvres and desperate last-minute measures, Vettel comfortably zoomed past the finish line, his tenth race of the season in a time of 1:31:12.187, at an average speed of 125.598 miles per hour (202.130 km/h) to be crowned the winner of the 2013 Drivers’ Championship. He stopped the car right in front of the Grand Stand and we saw him do a donut and then kneel down and kiss his car. The entire crowd in the Grand Stand gave him a standing ovation – including the Ferrari Fans. That moment - the cheering fans and a champion and his machine sharing a special relationship in the middle of a dark circle of exclusivity - is etched in my heart and my mind forever.
