JOIN USIt seems Delhi may soon get its own Narain Karthikeyan! Sidhant Panda, a 21 year old South Delhi boy, is all set to participate in the F4 French championship – the stepping stone to thrilling motor sports Formula 1.
This contest is tough to get into and Sidhant is the only Indian to have qualified for it this year.
India has so far produced only two formula 1 racing drivers Narain Karthikeyan and Karun Chandhok – both from Coimbatore. There are several racing levels involved before one is given the license for F1 - the F4 French championship being one of them.
No wonder Sidhant is excited and raring to display his skills in France. The Odiya lad says, “When I started go-karting, a precursor to F1, only two years back, I had no idea that I’ll be participating in an F1 event so soon. But it’s been a thrilling journey
so far.”
“Since childhood, I was deeply interested in cars. In high school, I took up science for the same reason and after XII, told my parents that I want to become an F1 racing driver. They were scared out of their wits about the future and dangers of this work. But then, I managed to convince them.”
The same year - 2010, Sidhant went to a go-karting contest in Kolhapur. However, he could not participate due to lack of funds. He says, “Racing sports need a lot of money. That summer, I came back and joined a Toyota service station to learn more about cars and earn a stipend. With that, I bought my first go-kart – an Indian make, the cheapest option available.”
However, he soon learnt the dangers of ‘cheap’ equipment in sports when he met with a near-fatal accident. “It was my second event - the Rotax Rookie cup in Hyderabad. The kart’s brakes failed, it hit the side of the circuit and I flew out head-first. My neck, knees and ribs were injured. It was a horrifying experience, and yet I finished third.”
Soon, the National Go-karting Championship and then the Asia championship in Kuala Lampur, where he finished fourth, followed. And now, he has graduated to Formula 4 with the French championship. He says, “I wrote to them expressing my interest in the contest. They called me for evaluation to Le Mans in France and I qualified.”
“It is a most prestigious event and no Indian, including Karthikeyan, has won it before. More over,” he says, “F1 is originally a European sport. To establish myself in the European circles as an F1 champion, I will have to prove myself as good and even better than the Europeans. It isa major challenge.”
Ask him who is his inspiration in F1, and he quips, “The Canadian F1 champion Gilles Villeneuve. He started late but was hugely passionate about the game. Gilles even sold his house to finance his career but sadly, died in an accident on the track. But then, I feel, he lived his dream.”