Previously there were rumors amongst Nissan Fanboys around the world that Nissan may join Formula 1 in the future. Though we all would love that to happen so we could watch our favorite car manufacturer go up against Toyota and Honda in Godzilla-esque battles for the checkered flag, it would be even more interesting to see the Philippines fund its’ own F1 team. A little out of the blue?
India having released last month the cheapest car in the world, the Tata Nano, will be running their own team in this year’s Formula 1 season. The team, Force India, recently purchased control of the ex-Spkyer F1 team. Spyker will still remain as a constructor for the new team as Force India intend to build their own cars rather than purchase existing chassis’. India is really making an effort to develop their auto industry.
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With the infrastructure they have, they’re able to do what the Philippines was only dreaming about back in the 60’s - build home grown mass produced cars. And it’s still a dream to the present day! But lets pretend that we have the steel works, heavy industries and the R&D firms that are needed by a car manufacturer in the Philippines to develop our own cars. And let’s pretend that a local billionaire had enough money in his front shirt pocket to buy his own F1 team. What would the team and its’ cars look like and would we be proud having a Philippines’ backed Formula 1 team? You could imagine the drivers wearing barongs at every press conference after a race. Neatly combined Jose Rizal style hair, even after a grueling 70 lap race around the Nurburgring. And the car, adorned with the Philippines own version of the prancing horse - the Chariot, sponsored by Magnolia, Magic Sing and San Miguel Beer.
Jokes and spoofed F1 car imagery aside, if we were like India and had the chance to join F1 for real, would we take it seriously enough? Would we perform as a team instead of bickering amongst ourselves as separate individuals vying for our own spot in the limelight? Would we let real talent take the wheel, or force our relatives into the team? Would it all go to our heads and end up quietly fading away never to be remembered as having contributed anything significant to the sport?
India is running its’ first F1 team this year and already looked promising at the recent Barcelona track tests. That’s the result of many things that are all the result of team work. They don’t have the best, but by working together they can keep up with the rest. Can’t we also make do with what we have and get on with the job instead of complaining, thinking that we always deserve better. We’ll get there eventually but if everyone in the back stops pushing because it’s a hard job to do, then who’s going to propel us forward?
India is hopeful at this years F1 season. They have every right to be as they are working hard to bring some pride to their country. Let’s all hope that they do well, as their efforts are an inspiration for nations that have yet to find a common goal.