2 November 2009
It is a magnificent obsession. It isn’t just the groupies and the fans and smell of gasoline and exhaust spiralling into the air, the brilliance of the pit teams as they pamper these metal monsters and the mighty roar of all that rampant horsepower that creates the ambience. It is the speed and the thrill, the sense of ‘being there’ at what is truly an international event that generates the pulsating excitement.
The blurs that are the cars zip past you with almost comical swiftness and the afterblast coalesces into the next car until the best have lapped the others and you don’t know who is really winning.
And it doesn’t matter because by now you are so engrossed in the whole F1 philosophy of having high octane fun.
So rather than inhale the fumes you inhale the atmosphere. The splashes of colour as the women put their best fashion foot forward, the celebrities mingling with the crowd, the great food spread for the folks who have jetted in from all round the world, it is all integral to the F1 circuit and makes it what it is…the most exclusive sport in the world. And a great party.
Such was the excitement when the last-leg of the Formula One Championship got underway in the capital on November 1 that it didn’t matter whether the race for the title had already been decided. The most important element for the residents of UAE was witnessing an event of such unusual stature and magnitude and sharing in the first ever day-night race on the circuit.
The Formula One event is very highly rated and is the most widely watched on television, beaten for sheer numbers by the FIFA World Cup Soccer and the Summer Olympics, which is saying a lot.
Although Bahrain holds the distinction of being the first among the Gulf countries to host such an event, the UAE, and Abu Dhabi in particular, have set a new benchmark and turned the race into a night rider.
UAE is known to host events on a world platform. Dubai has, over the years hosted the world’s best tennis players (Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal to name a few) during the Dubai Tennis Championships. Not forgetting the Dubai Desert Classic Championship which boasts the who’s who from the golfing fraternity. Names like Tiger Woods and Ernie Els have not only lent weight to the tournament but their sheer presence has put the tournament on par with the best.
Abu Dhabi is not far behind. After Brazil had won the 2002 World Cup, they were invited for an exhibition match against the UAE side. That the team was bereft of some top players was a different matter, just watching the Samba lads display the artistry they are so good at, was enough to whet one’s appetite.
While the drivers deserve all the credit for their mastery on the track, there are the organisers who deserve to be lauded for their efforts in getting this show literally on track.
It took a lot of money, manpower and manhours to make it work the magic that is F1.
And as the chequered flag came down to signal the end of the race, it also marked the beginning of a new era. And Abu Dhabi can surely do its lap of honour…it has earned it.
