Formula1 and TATA

I was introduced to Formula1 while studying Engineering - it helped that back then to hang out with a bunch of sports crazed enthusiasts and F1 happened to be one of the sports the boys in my group followed to death. And so the Formula1 fever caught on. The first race I watched and I was hooked. Hakkinen and Michael Schumacher were at it and how! Oh and the expressionless, stone faced David Coulthard!

Those gorgeous shiny machines, sexy tires and that sound of rubber on the track, gear locks and driver camera angle views! My eyes would stay glued to the TV screen while lap after lap, I'd watch breathlessly to see who'd win. Even though I was always torn between Mika Hakkinen and Michael Schumacher, I would eventually cry myself hoarse for good ole Schumi. Till date, I remain a Ferrari fan.

A friend and I would mimic Alan and Chris (then commentators) in college and I'd be so proud of showing off my knowledge on F1 as well :-) It used to be great watching races with the guys. I continued following F1 till the season Schumacher raced his last race and retired from the sport gracefully. I spent 2 years in the US and missed the Indianapolis races both times. I still cherish the Ferrari mug a dear friend got for me from the race. I slowly stopped following Formula1 completely and it was only this year when the very first F1 race took place in India, did I get back to following it.

I'm no longer a die hard fan - yes the shiny cars and the screechy tires still make my heart race, though I've gotten over the F1 obsession. Today when the TCS in-house magazine was delivered, I read quite a few articles of the TATA association with Ferrari. Pages and pages of that scarlet red and the prancing horse and the TATA logo on those beautiful machines, made me feel proud that I worked for a company that associated itself with one of the top racing companies of the world!