Indian sports icon Sachin Tendulkar to be part of the inaugural Indian Grand Prix – Formula 1 news
India’s biggest sports icon Sachin Tendulkar might be donned with the chequered flag duties at the inaugural Indian Grand Prix.
Formula 1 boss Bernie Ecclestone has already invited cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar to attend the 2011 Indian Grand Prix at the newly unveiled Buddh International Circuit in the suburbs of Noida, India.
Now news of Tendulkar, who is also a keen fan of the sport, has come out that it has been suggested by the organisers that he may be the best candidate to wave the chequered flag, although a final decision will be taken by the Formula 1 Management on Thursday.
Formula 1 Management on Thursday spoke about nominating Tendulkar for flag duties and said, “Sachin's love for motorsport is well known, and he is also the biggest sporting icon of the country. It’s only logical that we nominate him.”
“I'm really excited about this event. I was invited by Bernie Ecclestone (Formula One boss) on the last tour of England,” Tendulkar told Mid-day.com at the Mumbai Cricket Association’s Bandra Kurla Complex ground.
Tendulkar mentioned that how excited and delighted he is to see his nation host the Grand Prix. He also said that he has been in love with the sport since 2000 and feels that witnessing the race live is much different than sitting at home.
The Indian cricketer further added that he still remembers how he saw his first race in 2002 when he was on the England tour and was lucky enough to meet with Formula 1 driver Michael Schumacher.
“It's a great feeling to be at a race, watch the speeding cars and the turns that the drivers take. Year before last, I had the pleasure of witnessing the British Grand Prix with (Formula One legends) Sir Jackie Stewart and Sir Frank Williams. Just the three
of us watched that race together,” said Tendulkar.
It seems like a straightforward decision to ask Tendulkar to wave the chequered flag, but sometimes reality is stranger than fiction. In 2002 at the Brazilian Grand Prix, Pele missed the race winner Michael Schumacher and waved the flag at bewildered Takuma
Sato who was quite a few laps behind the winner.
It will be also a historic spectacle in the sports history on October 30, 2011 at the Buddh International Circuit in India, and to the pleasure of passionate Indian fans Tendulkar might be a part of it more than he initially anticipated.
Tags: