On any given day, the 16-mile ride from Milton Keynes to Towcester isn't supposed to take more than 24 minutes. Unlike in Mumbai, where traffic jams are the norm, vehicles ought to move nice and swift in this part of the world. Anything else is considered uncool.
So when our cosy little van traversed the oft-winding roads leading to the iconic Silverstone Circuit like an Olive Ridley, we knew we weren't the only ones dying to watch the British Grand Prix on Sunday, July 6. Fathom this: the last mile or so took us an hour. It wasn't uneventful, though. Every other brick-coloured house on either side of the road spelled out its owner's love for the sport. Posters of local hero Lewis Hamilton and four-time champion Sebastian Vettel adorned every second wall. Some windows were covered with Ferrari's 'Prancing Horse', not their drivers. Also, #KeepFightingMichael banners, in support of Michael Schumacher, occupied pride of place on houses and cars alike. One saw the odd Brazil flag too. Well, this was before Germany pumped seven past them.
Eventually, we did get there.
An integral part of the chemistry of Formula One is the noise. It's like a Sanjay Leela Bhansali movie: you like it or you dislike it. According to connoisseurs, the screeching noise of the engines is the one thing that attracts people to the racetrack. It goes straight through your sternum, not just your ears. To some, though, it's sweeter than Beethoven.
So you can imagine what greeted us. And mind you, it was not the real deal. Race day isn't just about Formula One. Fans are treated to a plethora of feeder races like Formula 2.
We went straight to the paddock of the Mercedes Formula One team, which is fuelled by Malaysian oil major Petronas Lubricants International. A hospitality area that can put any IPL 'VIP Box' to shame, the room was overflowing with champagne, pretty ladies and what not. Right below was their garage which was getting ready for the big day. Championship leader Nico Rosberg and his teammate, Britain's Hamilton, were busy chatting with their engineers.
With the race less than hours away, guess who walked into the hospitality area: Rosberg! The German, who had claimed pole position on Saturday (July 5), was calm as ever. "This is the one race I hope to win every year," he said, rather modestly. "Our team is based here in England. Winning this race is the biggest gift I can give to the team," he added.
Alas, Rosberg's car suffered a gear-box failure and his race was over early. That said, Mercedes did celebrate. And so did the whole of England. A race that was delayed by more than an hour following a crash involving Ferrari's Raikkonen was won by Hamilton. "England!" he yelled into the radio after taking the chequered flag. The 12,000-strong crowd joined the party. The journey back was less eventful. But the noise, nay music, lingered on.
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