Greater Noida: For the inaugural Indian GP to leave a lasting impact, India needs racing icons who can inspire youngsters to take up the sport. Take the example of Germany, which has six drivers on the F1 grid out of 24. Obviously, many of them have been inspired by the record-breaking achievements of Michael Schumacher over the last 15 or so years.
Schumacher's Mercedes GP teammate Nico Rosberg admits that Michael has had a huge impact. "Germany always had a strong presence in the automobile industry. Michael's success had massive influence on the youngsters growing up and lots of drivers like me and Sebastian Vettel followed him into motorsport," Rosberg told TOI.
But where are India's own racing icons? Can Narain Karthikeyan and Karun Chandhok actually inspire with their performances? FIA president Jean Todt said: "Both the Indian drivers are very talented. You have to realise that there are only 24 of the best drivers here. While there are no Chinese drivers, you should be proud that there are two Indians on the grid."
Chandhok himself believes the inaugural Airtel Indian Grand Prix will go a long way in promoting motorsport. "The kind of interest that has been generated around the Indian GP is phenomenal. The corporates will now know that India can also become a hub for F1, which in turn will bring in more money. I'm sure the time is not far when Indian drivers will be moving farther up the grid," Chandhok, who is in talks with a couple of teams for a permanent race seat for 2012, said.
Mercedes GP team principal Norbert Haug also believes that with the infrastructure in place, the right base has been set up. "India should be proud of the Jaypee Group, who have put in place a great track. The motorsports federation should now be concentrating on developing the go-karting sector. I believe promising drivers can be sent to Europe to polish their skills."
McLaren-Mercedes boss Martin Whitmarsh said: "There are heroes in Karthikeyan and Chandhok already."
TOI
