The subject matter of Patriotism

I have been a Ferrari loyalist for donkeys years – matter of fact, I don’t recall anything but Schumi and the red bandwagon ever since Senna crashed in Imola. What a black day for racing that was – in fact the race had better kept out of Italy that season.

Back to Ferrari and I can talk volumes about the teams & the machine. They are god’s gift to F1 – a true brand ambassador. A Ferrari 1-2 is a feast for my eyes - so much that I contributed in my little way by spending my money on a Fiat.

I have always treated Alonso with contempt and looked down upon Kimi as no more than a frozen fish. Lewis is any which ways an upstart and I wouldn’t entertain any debate on that. All that - till the last season - left you with literally no strong contender for the podium but Felipe Massa – and he’s one in red. That’s my F1.

Or so it was – until last Sunday.

On a late Saturday evening laced with modest measures of alcohol came the news of Vijay Mallya’s Force India grabbing pole at Spa Francorchamps. It appeared Fisi had managed to pull up the best in the last 5 mins of qualifiers and pushed the blue eyed boys in the 3rd row and beyond. I was surprised – more so because I hadn’t expected the rebranding to have done so much good to Force India. I mean we all had seen the racing of an octogenarian Spyker (maybe limping is an apt description of the effort) last year. If my memory serves, they were never in points and the best was a humble 14th – in a race fraught with crash outs and dry tyre bursts. From there to the top of the grid was indeed a lot of money spent in one season and Dr. Mallya seemed to have done exactly that.

So with a mind of a skeptic out to judge the world in his light, I pulled up the cane recliner and stretched in front of the TV on a bright Sunday afternoon – just in time for the Raceday. As the engineers walked off the track and the machines stood roaring for the five lights to kick them off, I tracked something familiar in the front row – a streak of White, Saffron & Green.

It grabbed me for a moment and then the lights went green and a brilliant Kimi maneuvered to his left - making his intentions known. He was here to make the most of a slightly inferior machine at the top and he wanted to hop-skip whatever came in between – 4 cars, precisely. But the thought came back and hit me like a wave. Is that real – a tricolor at the top of an F1 grid! Fisichella was leading and I wished the cane recliners could be pulled back.

Then Button spun and crashed pulling the Safety car out. They all lined up and drove like they were on Blackfriars on a busy Monday morning. I could see the distinct hue of Red creep up behind Fisi. For the first time in my life there was an apprehension seeing a Ferrari position itself for a kill as the somber face of the FIA steward in the safety car came up in the screen. The gap had narrowed to almost nothing and Giancarlo needed prayers to hold on to his lead. I wouldn’t let him down – I would rather let go my loyalties for once.

So is this the subject of patriotism? Is country above your club? Can I impress this upon an Oasis-number-chanting Man United fan? I don’t know. Force India is nothing Indian – but a name and a Principal. It’s built in UK under the guidance of a Brit and driven by an Italian & a German. But would all that not be forgotten when you see your colors in a car that is leading – the colors of your national flag?

We Indians are stuck up – guess that’s why the only car to carry a nations name is Force India!