Sachin Tendulkar needs no introduction; however, you must know that he is the ‘brand ambassador’ for the i1 Super Series, a new racing league scheduled to run post the Indian Grand Prix. However, that is not what I am writing this post for.
The organizers of the Indian Grand Prix have requested Bernie Ecclestone if Sachin Tendulkar, India’s Cricketing God, can have the honour of waving the chequered flag at the end of their first-ever Formula1 race. This would mean that on the last lap of the race, Tendulkar will make his way to the little box just above the start-finish line and drop the chequered flag, signaling the end of the Indian Grand Prix.
Tendulkar waving the flag is a fantastic PR story for the Indian Grand Prix. My last memory of a famous personality waving the flag at the end of a race is of football legend Pele, who did so at the 2002 Brazilian Grand Prix. If you know of any other such instances, please leave them in the comments section below.
This news story is not confirmed as Bernie is yet to approve of this idea, however, this comes days after Tendulkar went on national television and claimed his support towards the Sahara Force India team at the Indian Grand Prix. (Read post: Shahrukh Khan To Raise The Flag For Sahara Force India)
Should JPSI’s request come through, I would expect most fans to probably miss out on which driver takes the chequered flag, after all, their eyes will be glued on the person who is waving it!