Hamilton finally set Bangalore on fire on September 27th as promised before as part of a promotional event through Vodafone. A lot of race enthusiasts or people getting into Formula One witnessed the Mercedes McLaren driver showcasing his skills on the NICE (Nandi Infrastructure Corridor Enterprises) road in Bangalore. Even if Vodafone and Hamilton had got into an act of just displaying the car, there would be no doubts casted among curious F1 fans, for just the sight of an F1 car’s evidence enough of superior technology let alone a skilled driver driving it.
It was a very hot afternoon in Bangalore that saw around 10,000 F1 or motorsports fans that were present to witness the event. It might be a once-in-a-life time event for some while some are lucky to head straight to F1 races and watch races live anywhere in the world. The Brit driver, Lewis Hamilton drove the same MP4-23 McLaren Mercedes car that gave him his title in 2008.
The sound an F1 car makes tickles any race enthusiast and such was the case in Bangalore where some broke the high barricades in order to have a glimpse of both the car and Lewis Hamilton.
Lewis Hamilton, 26 years, is at 5th in the overall drivers’ standings of the current Formula One season with still 5 races left. Lewis’ presence here marks as an event to promote the Indian GP that’s scheduled for October in Delhi. Lewis displayed his F1 skills to sheer awesomeness well received by the crowd when he unleashed the power of the McLaren car on the NICE track.
Luck has its way as some could get close enough to visit the pits and also have a look at the technology incorporated to build an F1 car.
On the event, Lewis says he’d been to India many times before in 2 years, and it’s always been exciting to come here. He tells the inaugural GP of India was not far, and he could sense the excitement and growing passion among people here. He told Vodafone’s supported their team and F1 for quite some time now and that Vodafone had shown GP racing to people. He felt the experience to drive his Mercedes Formula One car on Bangalore roads was incredible and hopes whatever he did does spread the feel among the people about F1 racing being a spectacular event.
Lewis Hamilton also spoke to ‘Vodafone Race to Fame’ finalists, a contest that gives them an opportunity to join the McLaren Vodafone Mercedes team at the time of Indian GP that’s scheduled to be held on October 30, 2011 in Delhi.
Hamilton says the best way to understand F1 is to watch it up-close, so going by the way how things turned in Bangalore, he feels the event was a big success. He feels the Indian GP in October would be a spectacular event for F1 and also India for their passion for sports. He feels the event through Vodafone would be a lifetime experience.
The atmosphere was electrifying in Bangalore. The track chosen for the event was the NICE (Nandi Infrastructure Corridor Enterprises) road situated on the outskirts of Bangalore. The event gave a sense of feeling as to Formula One making its presence felt in Bangalore. The NICE road looked like an F1 track with a grandstand and a pit garage supporting the event.
It was tough for security personnel to control the mob (race fans) gathered to witness the F1 ace. Lewis had done events like this in Chennai, New Delhi and Mumbai. This was his first-time visit to Bangalore.
Vodafone has been partnering with McLaren Mercedes since 2007. McLaren has been a very successful team in F1. They have won 4 constructors’ and drivers’ title consecutively from 1988 through 1991 and have 8 constructors’ title to their name.
The ‘Vodafone Race to Fame’ contest was to uplift Vodafone’s association with India globally.