30/10/2011
At the end of a long, tiring day in the Formula 1 paddock, one might be inclined to think that the journey back with one’s own driver at the wheel would be an opportunity to catch up on a bit of shuteye, stretch the legs and unwind. We are in India, however, so…think again.
The drive back from the circuit (south-east of Delhi) to the hotel (just south of the centre of Delhi) is nothing other than raw adventure. Take your eyes away from the road for a minute and you will miss something quite remarkable. Peel your eyes away from the road at your own peril, because what takes place on the road is nothing short of mindboggling.
As part and parcel of our weekend in India, we have been dealt a driver who goes by the name of Mr Singh. Mr Singh is a fine, upstanding gentleman who, with each passing day, seems to rule the roads even more. By Saturday evening, his confidence had proliferated and his driving got even wilder as he misread our deeply embedded fear for sheer excitement. On one hand, yes, we had rather enjoyed the thrill of never knowing what would come next but, deep down, the conservatives (some with a small ‘c’) amongst us knew that we wanted to reach our hotel in one piece.
Throughout these return journeys to the hotel, we have been wowed by the tenacious efforts of Mr Singh who - whilst being well and truly part of the Indian custom of squeezing through impossibly narrow gaps and brushing cyclists and pedestrians on the way - is still apparently one of the more conservative drivers here.
Nothing is out of bounds here – amongst the more far-flung things I’ve seen here are locals imitating a Melbourne ‘hook turn’ by moving into the far left to make a right turn, cars reversing down the road, cars even trying to do a U-turn and drive at the oncoming traffic (which did at one stage cross the mind of our own driver as he mulled over the opportunities) and cattle weaving their way in between cars, pedestrians and cyclists and even monkeys. A regular use of horn to proclaim one’s existence is an absolute must.
Interestingly, it is the horn itself which is said to feature in a typical Indian driving test.
You really couldn’t make it up.
Credit: Lotus Renault GP (www.lotusrenaultgp.com)
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