Force India sin is icing on cake for Indian sport, writes Michael Ferreira

The triumphant progress of sporting significance across a range of disciplines was started by Abhinav Bindra & Co. Force India's magnificent performance has been the icing on the cake

Force India sin is icing on cake for Indian sport, writes Michael Ferreira

The triumphant progress of sporting significance across a range of disciplines was started by Abhinav Bindra & Co. Force India's magnificent performance has been the icing on the cake

This Sunday morning, my first thought was to scour the papers for an update on two issues of personal interest: Somdev Devvarman's gallant run in the US Open qualifiers; and how far the comic opera of the BJP had reached in their precipitate dash down the hara-kiri route.

Up until Sunday, I guess I was one among many who tended to delicately mask a yawn when reading about Vijay Mallya's efforts to make a dent in the esoteric world of Formula One. Come on, we are talking about one of the toughest and most high profile events in international sport.

Not just money
Money, of which Vijay seems to have enough, is only a miniscule part of the operation. Creative engineering skills, high tech maintenance, delicate adjustments sometimes on a daily basis, surely these were areas in which we as an Indian outfit would be shown up, right? Wrong!

The bitter disappointments of the past and the consequential cynicism which greeted Force India's results, would have felled anyone who did not have the self-belief of the flamboyant boss of Force India. On Sunday evening when the news of Force India finishing second by only nine tenths of a second sinks into the consciousness of India, he can show the world his heavily jewelled finger.

Icing on the cake
The triumphant progress of India as a nation of sporting significance across a range of disciplines was started by Abhinav Bindra, Vijender Singh, Sushil Kumar, Saina Nehwal and M C Marykom. Force India's magnificent Sunday performance has been the icing on the cake. Yesterday, Indian football too hit the high notes with the Nehru Cup triumph over Syria, a team ranked 61 places above India in the FIFA ratings.

There are many vested interests out there that will harrumph that Formula One is not a sport, or that we as a "poor" country (what a laugh that is!) should not support gas-guzzling extravaganzas, and other predictable claptrap. These numbskulls have no idea of the huge benefits that can accrue to a country from supporting Formula One. My finger is not quite as heavily jewelled as Vijay's, but showing it to these morons is my particular pleasure.
Jai Hind!

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