You're Narain Karthikeyan, the fastest Indian in the world. It's 1459hrs IST, Sunday, the 30th of October, seconds before the start of the first Indian Formula 1 Grand Prix. Sweat drips down through your balaclava onto your forehead as the heat from the Cosworth V8 racing engine sitting behind you radiates through the chassis. Your mind should be a jumble of thoughts and flashbacks, with a million possibilities coursing through. It really should. You are, after all, sitting in a lightweight single-seat racing machine that can send 760bhp to the rear wheels, just like that. And does it help that there are 24 similarly unhinged nuts in close proximity, revving the hell out their engines, eyes firmly fixed on the red lights ahead? You should be worried about getting the launch right, fretting about finding a gap in the pack at the start, or paying attention to dropping tyre temperatures. You should be cursing that your own HRT isn't much faster than a hopped-up bullock cart and frustrated by the totally unrealistic expectations of some of your less well-informed home crowd.
But no, none of these thoughts enter your head. Inside your new helmet you're calm, wearing the biggest smile you've worn since beating Jenson Button and gang in an F3 race at Brands Hatch. It's been a long journey, but you are here, on the grid of the first Indian Grand Prix. This is your day, and you are going to enjoy it.
Sergius Barretto
Rishaad Mody
