The recent triumph of Force India in the Belgian Grand Prix and the subsequent war of words between Union sports minister MS Gill and Force India owner Vijay Mallya on the government’s refusal to acknowledge Formula One as a sport have all brought an event to limelight, hitherto not much talked about in India. And now with Bernie Ecclestone, CEO of Formula One Management declaring that the foundation stone of the race track in India would be laid in October-end in Greater Noida, despite government’s opposition, proves how serious the organizers are to promote and expand the sport in India.

Glitches and controversies apart, Formula One cannot be labelled as a popular sport in India. Agreed it has a growing fan base, particularly among youngsters, but it hasn’t yet caught the fancy of the masses like cricket, hockey and football have. It won’t be an exaggeration to say that there is a virtual ignorance among the masses about the sport — its rule, regulations, composition and the spirit. Besides, India has so far produced only one Formula One driver — Narain Karthikeyan. Another Indian driver Karun Chandhok has earned a name in the international racing scene. But they are not very known names among the masses. For majority of Indian middle class, motor racing is still a fantasy sport associated only with Hindi and English films and satellite sports channels.

Formula One, also known as Formula 1 or F1, and officially referred to as the FIA Formula One World Championship, is the highest class of auto racing sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The ‘formula’ in the name refers to a set of rules to which all participants and cars must comply.

The F1 season consists of a series of races, known as Grands Prix, held on purpose-built circuits, and to a lesser extent, former public roads and closed city streets. The results of each race are combined to determine two annual World Championships — one for the drivers and one for the constructors, with racing drivers, constructor teams, track officials, organizers and circuits required to be holders of valid Super Licences, the highest class racing licence issued by the FIA.

The starting order for the race is the qualifying session that determines the grid positions (a pattern of lines marking the starting positions) of the competing cars. This session is split into three-phase races of twenty, fifteen and ten minutes each in which according to their fastest recorded time grid positions are alloted. The race begins with a warm-up lap, after which the cars assemble on the starting grid in the order they qualified. Once all the cars have formed the grid, a light system above the track indicates the start of the race. The winner of the race is the first driver to cross the finish line having completed a set number of laps, which added together should give a distance of approximately 305 kilometres.

At the end of the race, the drivers are alloted points. In a series of 18 to 19 races in various circuits, the drivers compete for points based on their place at the finish of each race. At the end of every March-to-November season, the circuits highest points earners are crowned in two ways: by team (the Constructors’ Championship) and by driver (the Drivers’ Championship).

One of the most important constituents of F1 racing are the circuits or the race tracks. In total, over 68 different circuits have hosted world championship races. Various forms of race tracks have been used throughout the history of Formula One: purpose-built race track such as Suzuka, road tracks such as Spa and city street tracks such as Monaco.

A typical circuit usually features a stretch of straight road on which the starting grid is situated. The pit lane, where the drivers stop for fuel and tyres during the race, and where the teams work on the cars before the race, is normally located next to the starting grid. The layout of the rest of the circuit varies widely, although in most cases the circuit runs in a clockwise direction. Most of the circuits currently in use are specially constructed for competition. The current street circuits are Monaco, Melbourne, Valencia, and Singapore, although races in other urban locations come and go (Las Vegas and Detroit, for example) and proposals for such races are often discussed —most recently London and Paris. Several other circuits are also completely or partially laid out on public roads, such as Spa-Francorchamps. The glamour and history of the Monaco race are the primary reasons why the circuit is still in use, since it is thought not to meet the strict safety requirements imposed on other tracks.

Circuit design to protect the safety of drivers is becoming increasingly sophisticated, as exemplified by the new Bahrain International Circuit, added in 2004 and designed like most of F1's new circuits. The most recent additions to the F1 calendar are Valencia and Singapore. Also Abu Dhabi will host the last race of the 2009 season and a Formula 1 Grand Prix will be held in India for the first time in 2011.

While the drivers with multimillion dollar contracts command the attention and acclaim, the real competitiors in Formula One are the cars themselves. Ultralight, mid-engine, open cockpit — they are marvels of precision engineering, power and speed. The difference between the fastest and slowest car is perhaps three or four seconds per lap. So the fastest driver in the slowest car would still be nowhere, whereas the slowest driver in fastest car would be quite successful.

The cornering speed of Formula One cars is largely determined by the aerodynamic downforce that they generate, which pushes the car down onto the track. This is provided by ‘wings' mounted at the front and rear of the vehicle, and by ground effect created by low pressure air under the flat bottom of the car. The other major factor controlling the cornering speed of the cars is the design of the tyres.

Carbon-carbon disc brakes are used for reduced weight and increased frictional performance. These provide a very high level of braking performance. The chassis is made largely of carbon fibre composites, rendering it light but extremely stiff and strong. The whole car, including engine, fluids and driver, weighs only 605 kg — the minimum weight set by the regulations.

Cars must be powered by a 2.4 litre normally-aspirated engine with V8 engine configuration that have more than four valves per cylinder. These engines develop between 700hp and 780hp. Nonetheless, a Formula One engine is over 20% more efficient at turning fuel into power than most small commuter cars. Engines run on unleaded fuel closely resembling publicly available petrol. The oil which lubricates and protects the engine from overheating is very similar in viscosity to water. A wide variety of technologies — including active suspension, ground effect, and turbochargers — are banned under the current regulations. Despite this the current generation of cars can reach speeds up to 350 km/h at some circuits. For the 2009 season, each team is allowed to use a maximum of eight engines over the season. Since 1984, Formula One teams have been required to build the chassis in which they compete, and consequently the terms ‘team’ and ‘constructor’ became more or less interchangeable.

Early manufacturer involvement came in the form of a ‘factory team’ or ‘works team’ (that is, one owned and staffed by a major car company), such as those of Alfa Romeo, Ferrari or Renault. After having virtually disappeared by the early 1980s, factory teams made a comeback in the 1990s and 2000s and now form half the grid with Ferrari, BMW, Renault, Toyota and Honda either setting up their own teams or buying out existing ones. Mercedes-Benz owns 40% of the McLaren team and manufactures the team’s engines. Factory teams currently make up the top competitive teams; in 2008 wholly owned factory teams took four of the top five positions in the Constructors' Championship, and McLaren took the other. Ferrari holds the record for having won the most Constructors' Championships (fifteen).

However, it is the drivers championship that attracts more attention than the constructors. Drivers from McLaren, Williams, Renault (formerly Benetton) and Ferrari, dubbed the ‘Big Four’, have won every World Championship from 1984 to the present day. It will be a mistake not to mention the dominance of Michael Schumacher in Formula One history. Schumacher is a seven time Formula One drivers’ champion. He and Ferrari won an unprecedented five consecutive drivers’ championships and six consecutive constructors’ championships between 1999 and 2004. Schumacher set many new records, including those for Grand Prix wins (91), wins in a season (13 of 18), and most drivers’ championships (7). Schumacher’s championship streak ended on September 25, 2005 when Renault driver Fernando Alonso became Formula One’s youngest champion at that time. In 2006, Renault and Alonso won both titles again. Schumacher retired at the end of 2006 after sixteen years in Formula One.

Then there were the racing legends Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost whose rivalry became F1’s central focus in 1988, and continued until Prost retired at the end of 1993. Senna died in 1994 at San Marino Grand Prix after crashing into a wall. The FIA worked to improve the sport’s safety standards since that weekend during which Roland Ratzenberger also lost his life in an accident during a qualifying session. No driver has died on the track at the wheel of a Formula One car since, though two track marshals have lost their lives — one at the 2000 Italian Grand Prix and the other at the 2001 Auatralian Grand Prix.

Formula One is one of the biggest sporting events in the world. It’s a multinational pastime in Europe, where lakhs of fans pay up to $1,000 a ticket to watch it. Events like these should be wholeheartedly welcomed. True, building a Grade 1 circuit is a very expensive proposition and is basically a commercial initiative, but profits also can be plenty for a nation. The trend of circuits which hinge on government’s support are not new in F1. The Sepang International Circuit, venue for the Malaysian Grand Prix or the Bahrain International Circuit in Saakhir are just two examples where the national governments pitched in and spin-off for the countries are plenty. If China, Malaysia, Korea, Bahrain can host a Grand Prix why not India?

Besides, the event will encourage motor racing among Indian youths who have a flair for it. Maybe, we see a youth from the North-east scoring a point at Monaco Grand Prix tomorrow. We shall be anxiously waiting for the Indian Grand Prix 2011. That might be another turning point in the history of Indian sports.

Santanava Hazarika