Force India F1 Team - The Inside Line, Episode 1

Here's episode 1 of our 'what's your Force India F1 Team story?' special episode. Soumil Arora hosts Ravikant Sabnavis and Kunal Shah, both former personnel of the team, to bring out some of their memories of working for one of the best-performing mid-field teams of recent times. 

In this episode, the duo explain what it's like to work in Marketing in a Formula 1 team + how similar or different the function is from regular marketing roles. They also explain how Force India focussed on building the category of Formula 1 in a new market, the challenges that came with it and some of the more fan favourite activities and campaigns over the years.

Tune in!

(Season 2022, Episode 17)

Follow our hosts on Twitter: Ravikant Sabnavis, Soumil Arora and Kunal Shah

Image courtesy: Google Images

**Introduction**

* Podcast: Driving Force on Disney Plus Hotstar
* Hosts: Soumil Arora, Kunal Shah, and Ravi Kanth Sabnavis
* Topic: The marketing operations of the Force India F1 team

**Marketing in Formula One**

* Formula One teams have three primary marketing roles:
* Engaging and growing the fan base
* Securing sponsorships
* Building value for sponsors
* Force India had a unique fourth role: building a category for Formula One in India

**Building the Category**

* Force India focused on building a category for Formula One in India because there was no existing base
* The team used various tactics to engage with the Indian audience, including:
* Show car experiences
* Pit stop challenges
* College festivals
* Fan clubs

**Challenges of Marketing in Formula One**

* Formula One teams are not often profit-making entities, which can make marketing challenging
* The product in Formula One is the on-track performance, which is different from traditional consumer products
* Formula One is a noisy sport, making it difficult for teams to stand out during races

**Satisfying Stakeholders**

* Force India had to satisfy the needs of various stakeholders, including:
* Sponsors
* Fans
* Owners
* The team managed conflicts of interest by working closely with sponsors to create mutually beneficial marketing campaigns

**One from a Billion Campaign**

* Force India ran a campaign called "One from a Billion" to find young racing drivers in India
* The campaign was successful in finding three talented drivers: Arjun Maini, Tarun Reddy, and Jehan Daruwala
* The campaign helped to build a base for Formula One in India and showcased the team's commitment to developing Indian talent

**Conclusion**

* Force India's marketing team played a vital role in the team's success
* The team's innovative and engaging marketing campaigns helped to build a fan base in India and attract sponsors
* Force India's story is an inspiring example of how marketing can be used to achieve great things

In this episode of the podcast, former Force India personnel Ravikant Sabnavis and Kunal Shah join host Soumil Arora to share their experiences working in the marketing department of the Formula One team. They delve into the challenges and strategies involved in promoting Formula One in a new market like India.

Sabnavis and Shah discuss the inception of the "One from a Billion" initiative, an academy program aimed at identifying and nurturing young Indian racing talent. They explain the rigorous selection process, which involved scouting thousands of children across the country and providing them with access to professional training and racing opportunities.

The podcast highlights the significance of making Formula One accessible to a wider audience in India. The team focused on grassroots programs, organizing events, and collaborating with local schools to introduce children to the sport. They also discuss the importance of creating a sense of community and lifelong fandom among Indian fans.

The episode features an intriguing story about how Jehan Daruwala, one of India's most promising young drivers, almost missed out on the "One from a Billion" program due to age restrictions. Sabnavis and Shah reveal the経緯 behind the decision to create a wild card entry, allowing Daruwala to participate and ultimately succeed in the program.

The podcast provides insights into the challenges of working with high-profile personalities like Vijay Mallya and Subrata Roy, who were known for their flamboyant lifestyles and controversial business practices. The speakers share anecdotes about their interactions with these individuals and the impact they had on the team's marketing efforts.

Overall, the episode offers a comprehensive overview of the marketing strategies and initiatives undertaken by Force India to promote Formula One in India. It highlights the team's commitment to developing local talent, engaging with fans, and building a strong brand presence in a new market.

[00:00.000 -> 00:26.160] So, do you guys remember what the Aston Martin Cognizant Ramco Formula 1 team used to be called before?
[00:26.720 -> 00:31.680] No? Okay, it was used to be called Aston Martin Cognizant Formula 1 team, but what about before that?
[00:31.980 -> 00:35.040] BWT Racing Point S-Force India F1 team?
[00:35.360 -> 00:39.040] But before that there was the Force India F1 team, the team that I
[00:39.280 -> 00:42.080] grew up being a fan of, the team with the lovely white liveries and then
[00:42.320 -> 00:50.000] proceeded to the black and the silver ones, the team known for being the best on a budget, the pound for pound world champions and how awesome is
[00:50.000 -> 00:56.080] it that today we get to speak to two people who've headed the marketing operations of the very Force
[00:56.080 -> 01:01.760] India F1 team for years. My name is Somal Arora, I am the host of the Driving Force on Disney Plus
[01:01.760 -> 01:05.400] Hotstar and one of our two guests, I wouldn't call him guest,
[01:05.400 -> 01:07.480] but my co-host Kunal Shah, as you all know,
[01:07.480 -> 01:10.080] is the former marketing head of the Force India F1 team.
[01:10.080 -> 01:12.580] But Kunal, interestingly enough,
[01:12.580 -> 01:14.800] we've got a bit of a Force India affair going on today,
[01:14.800 -> 01:15.640] haven't we?
[01:15.640 -> 01:16.480] This is amazing.
[01:16.480 -> 01:17.300] It's amazing.
[01:17.300 -> 01:19.580] And yes, you introduced me as the former marketing head
[01:19.580 -> 01:20.920] of the Force India F1 team,
[01:20.920 -> 01:26.240] but that's also who our guest on this episode is.
[01:26.240 -> 01:27.880] His name is Ravi Kanth Sabnavis.
[01:27.880 -> 01:30.980] We're going to call him Ravi for the rest of the show.
[01:30.980 -> 01:34.920] And he was the guy who actually I took on the marketing duties from and several other
[01:34.920 -> 01:38.240] duties that he performed for the Force India F1 team.
[01:38.240 -> 01:42.640] So technically, you've got the former marketing head of the Force India F1 team and the former
[01:42.640 -> 01:47.000] former marketing head, among all the other hats that we sort of wore.
[01:47.000 -> 01:48.240] So welcome to the show, Ravi.
[01:48.240 -> 01:50.920] It's fantastic to have you on.
[01:51.100 -> 01:52.320] I know you've been a listener.
[01:52.320 -> 02:02.160] I know you've had, you know, lots of experiences of your own in the paddock within Formula One with Otmar, with Vijay Mallya, with Subrata Roy.
[02:02.160 -> 02:07.200] A lot of things, a lot of memories that I'm going to tell my grandkids, which will include you, of course.
[02:07.200 -> 02:11.680] So we said, why don't we just sit down and record and put it out there for our listeners.
[02:11.680 -> 02:15.600] So thank you so much for spending this Saturday afternoon with us.
[02:15.600 -> 02:18.480] Thank you Kunal and thank you so much for having me on the show.
[02:18.480 -> 02:20.480] And you're absolutely right.
[02:20.480 -> 02:24.800] You know, there's some amazing memories from the Force India days.
[02:24.800 -> 02:26.240] And sometimes one
[02:26.240 -> 02:30.960] wonders where can one start? So where are we starting, Samul?
[02:30.960 -> 02:35.600] Actually, good point. You know what, let's start at the start. Cliché, I know. We've kind of
[02:35.600 -> 02:39.200] ticked one of the cliché book, but hey, let's start at the start. Funnily enough, Ravi, Ravi
[02:39.200 -> 02:43.840] Kant, or okay, I'll call you Ravi in this case, because that's what Kunal has said. But the funny
[02:43.840 -> 02:45.320] thing is, normally when people say,
[02:45.320 -> 02:46.400] okay, you're working in F1,
[02:46.400 -> 02:48.280] there's some sort of route you come on,
[02:48.280 -> 02:50.720] maybe you apply for a Formula One team here and there,
[02:50.720 -> 02:53.000] but your route, as far as what I've heard,
[02:53.000 -> 02:55.880] is the most different of all the marketing routes
[02:55.880 -> 02:57.080] I've heard in Formula One.
[02:57.080 -> 02:59.120] You previously were heading the Kingfisher Airlines
[02:59.120 -> 03:00.680] in the marketing side of it.
[03:00.680 -> 03:02.740] Just how does someone heading Kingfisher
[03:02.740 -> 03:03.800] end up in Formula One
[03:03.800 -> 03:09.320] and heading the marketing side of a Formula One team? Oh yes, in fact, they're very, very diverse.
[03:09.320 -> 03:14.400] But you know, if I were to rewind to that time, you know, I used to be heading marketing
[03:14.400 -> 03:19.840] for United Breweries, the makers of Kingfisher beer. And as you probably know, that was also
[03:19.840 -> 03:26.640] owned by Mr. Mallya. Yeah. And there was a certain point in time, he was looking for someone to head up marketing
[03:26.640 -> 03:28.560] for the Force India F1 team,
[03:28.560 -> 03:31.640] and also for Kingfisher Airlines.
[03:32.720 -> 03:34.120] That's two roles in one?
[03:34.120 -> 03:35.360] Two roles in one.
[03:35.360 -> 03:36.640] My goodness.
[03:36.640 -> 03:39.960] Absolutely, and that seemed very, very exciting
[03:39.960 -> 03:42.960] and challenging because they're two very diverse categories.
[03:42.960 -> 03:45.220] And if you look at my experience
[03:45.220 -> 03:49.640] in these categories, in aviation, it was restricted to,
[03:49.640 -> 03:51.760] you know, flying as a passenger.
[03:51.760 -> 03:54.480] And as far as F1 goes, it was restricted
[03:54.480 -> 03:56.600] to attending two races, one in Shanghai
[03:56.600 -> 03:57.780] and one in Istanbul.
[03:59.040 -> 04:01.480] But, you know, he was looking for someone
[04:01.480 -> 04:04.080] with a lot of passion, passion for work.
[04:04.080 -> 04:06.160] And well, I'd like to believe that he
[04:06.160 -> 04:16.640] saw that in me. And then here I was back from Bangalore to Mumbai in a dual role to head
[04:16.640 -> 04:22.720] marketing for both the Force India team as well as for the airline. Well, we know that Vijay
[04:22.720 -> 04:27.760] Mallya, well, he's a character, right? And we are going to do an episode on him, but just what was the interview like?
[04:27.760 -> 04:31.600] What is he like to just be around with in terms of getting a job?
[04:31.600 -> 04:38.640] Oh, you know, a lot of people would say that he's very intimidating.
[04:38.640 -> 04:44.220] And that's bound to happen, I think, with people of his stature.
[04:44.220 -> 04:47.560] But in my working for, I think, four odd years,
[04:47.560 -> 04:49.240] actually five years with him,
[04:49.240 -> 04:51.640] I found he was actually a very passionate guy
[04:51.640 -> 04:53.900] with childlike curiosity,
[04:54.800 -> 04:57.440] and he was also a very good listener.
[04:58.440 -> 05:00.720] Aha, interesting.
[05:00.720 -> 05:01.880] Absolutely.
[05:01.880 -> 05:04.040] So he was very good.
[05:04.040 -> 05:07.640] He was kind of person who loved listening
[05:07.640 -> 05:12.800] to new ideas, extremely passionate and therefore I think he liked to surround himself with
[05:12.800 -> 05:17.520] passionate people. So that's just a glimpse of what kind of a man Mr. Mallya was.
[05:17.520 -> 05:21.040] Interesting. And what about you Kunal? Because I suppose your way of getting into Force India
[05:21.040 -> 05:24.880] was a little more conventional, let's put it that way, no? What was the whole hiring
[05:24.880 -> 05:26.080] process like over there?
[05:26.080 -> 05:29.200] So I will add another adjective to conventional.
[05:29.200 -> 05:31.080] I think it was very dramatic, right?
[05:31.080 -> 05:33.800] So when Force India was announced,
[05:33.800 -> 05:36.640] it was like 2008 and nine when the whole,
[05:37.640 -> 05:39.600] when news was a buzz and then he finally said,
[05:39.600 -> 05:40.880] I'm buying a Formula One team,
[05:40.880 -> 05:42.000] we're gonna call it Force India.
[05:42.000 -> 05:44.680] I know you were at the launch party
[05:44.680 -> 05:49.360] at the Gateway of India in Mumbai. And I remember so my mom was like, you know what you
[05:49.360 -> 05:54.480] should write to VJM. And that's like such a mom thing to do. Yeah, it's like a very mom thing to
[05:54.480 -> 05:57.920] do. She said, you should write to him, you definitely he'll definitely meet people with
[05:57.920 -> 06:03.600] your kind of passion and expertise and understanding of the Formula One business. So,
[06:03.600 -> 06:06.280] you know, in a very my kind of thing, I told my mom,
[06:06.280 -> 06:08.440] I said, you know, when the time is right,
[06:08.440 -> 06:09.720] he's gonna reach out to me.
[06:09.720 -> 06:12.400] Okay, it was like one of those very,
[06:12.400 -> 06:13.800] and this actually happened.
[06:13.800 -> 06:15.360] So when I said he's gonna reach out to me,
[06:15.360 -> 06:19.360] and I still remember, I was at Matunga in Mumbai,
[06:19.360 -> 06:23.320] I was driving with a friend and I got a call saying,
[06:23.320 -> 06:30.480] and it was a plus four four number. So it was, you know, from the UK. And I got a call saying, is this Kunal, we'd like to talk to you.
[06:30.480 -> 06:35.520] This is with regards to, you know, an opening with the force India Formula One team. And of
[06:35.520 -> 06:41.520] course, I stopped the car and I said, Okay, what is it about? And he was explaining the role,
[06:41.520 -> 06:44.560] he was a person who was hiring for the team and stuff like that. And he said,
[06:44.000 -> 06:45.000] And he was explaining the role, he was a person who was hiring for the team and stuff like that.
[06:45.000 -> 06:48.600] And he said, you know, would you be available for an interview?
[06:48.600 -> 06:53.560] And all the while, while he was explaining the role to me, I said, I am dead sure this
[06:53.560 -> 06:55.600] is a prank from one of my friends.
[06:55.600 -> 07:00.480] They have spoofed a plus four four number, they have gotten somebody to speak to me in
[07:00.480 -> 07:02.400] the British accent.
[07:02.400 -> 07:05.360] And I was very convinced till it actually happened that I
[07:05.360 -> 07:09.920] got an email. And I was like, okay, shit's got real. Like, what do I do? How do I get this role?
[07:09.920 -> 07:14.800] And of course, I applied. And then I've, you know, had my interview with Ravi and several people from
[07:14.800 -> 07:20.320] HR and the likes. And it was still unreal. You know, I was like, you're going to work for a
[07:20.320 -> 07:26.400] Formula One team, which you always told your mom that, hey, they'll reach out to me if, you know, if they need me, I got hired.
[07:26.400 -> 07:32.520] And before I knew it, I actually flew to the 2010 Turkish Grand Prix, before I even got
[07:32.520 -> 07:34.640] hired technically.
[07:34.640 -> 07:38.760] Because that was when I, VJM had time and I was told I need to go see him and speak
[07:38.760 -> 07:39.920] to him and stuff like that.
[07:39.920 -> 07:41.960] And that's how the whole hiring happened.
[07:41.960 -> 07:47.960] And of course, before that, I worked within the sports marketing industry on sponsorships,
[07:47.960 -> 07:52.880] on operations and, you know, various things that sort of helped build my CV.
[07:52.880 -> 07:58.040] So that if and when a force in their fun team came calling I was, you know, I had the requisite
[07:58.040 -> 08:01.840] experience with me to at least make myself eligible.
[08:01.840 -> 08:05.280] So that's the slightly more, slightly less dramatic story.
[08:05.280 -> 08:07.080] I remember it being far more drama
[08:07.080 -> 08:09.040] because it was stretched over several weeks.
[08:09.040 -> 08:09.560] Yeah.
[08:09.640 -> 08:11.360] Now, Ravi, I want to ask this question to you
[08:11.360 -> 08:12.720] in terms of marketing talents.
[08:12.720 -> 08:13.920] Now, I know personally,
[08:13.920 -> 08:15.640] I'm also looking for something quite like that,
[08:15.640 -> 08:16.840] but there must be so many people
[08:17.080 -> 08:19.000] wanting to work in this particular sphere
[08:19.000 -> 08:20.440] in the marketing, sponsorships,
[08:20.440 -> 08:22.160] PR kind of space in Formula One.
[08:22.440 -> 08:24.280] Now, Kunal said he built up a CV that way,
[08:24.280 -> 08:27.040] but how do teams go hiring for talents like
[08:27.040 -> 08:29.360] this because there's such a broad pool.
[08:29.360 -> 08:32.120] You don't need to be a Formula 1 fan to work in Formula 1.
[08:32.120 -> 08:34.120] So how do you go about finding people in that role?
[08:34.120 -> 08:36.040] You know, Soumil, you're absolutely right.
[08:36.040 -> 08:42.480] You don't need to be an F1 fan, you know, to be hired by an F1 team.
[08:42.480 -> 08:45.760] I certainly think you need to have a passion for that sport.
[08:46.720 -> 08:51.680] You need to have passion for sports in general, that's my view. And very specifically, I think
[08:51.680 -> 08:57.040] you need a certain level of passion for F1 because everything else follows, you can be taught.
[08:57.040 -> 08:57.760] Yeah.
[08:57.760 -> 09:02.080] Right? Unless of course, it's engineering and you're not skilled in that sense. So,
[09:02.640 -> 09:06.100] passion alone won't help. But for a lot of other things in F1,
[09:06.100 -> 09:09.100] if you're passionate about it, if you love it,
[09:09.100 -> 09:12.800] and I personally think Kunal had
[09:12.800 -> 09:15.080] and continues to have that passion, right?
[09:15.080 -> 09:16.500] So you need people like him.
[09:17.500 -> 09:18.680] Thank you.
[09:18.680 -> 09:20.240] And it really played out well that way
[09:20.240 -> 09:23.180] because there's a lot of stuff and a lot of campaigns
[09:23.180 -> 09:28.320] that we are going to be discussing in this episode. But what I want to take this conversation forward into is just what does
[09:28.320 -> 09:33.040] the marketing team do? It's of course, very separate to what the technical side of the thing
[09:33.040 -> 09:37.280] is. And we can't focus much on the engineering side and how 4SENE did that because it's a
[09:37.280 -> 09:42.320] different department altogether. But in terms of marketing, just what goes on on a daily basis
[09:42.320 -> 09:50.880] in the team? Sure. So, you know, typically, I would imagine there are three roles for an F1 marketing team.
[09:50.880 -> 09:54.780] You know, one is you have a fan base and you need to engage with them and you need to grow
[09:54.780 -> 09:56.660] that fan base.
[09:56.660 -> 10:00.320] And we, on a daily basis, did a lot of things around that.
[10:00.320 -> 10:07.040] And this then leads to need needs to leave lead to a commercial objective, which is sponsorships. That's the second role.
[10:07.600 -> 10:12.320] And the third, of course, is you already have a bunch of sponsors and you need to build value
[10:12.320 -> 10:18.720] for them in terms of marketing. So, that's the third role. But for us, for Force India,
[10:18.720 -> 10:26.560] we had a fourth and a very unique role, which is that there was no base, so to speak, in India for Formula One.
[10:26.560 -> 10:27.040] That's right.
[10:27.040 -> 10:32.480] So we needed to really build a category. And that probably became the first role.
[10:34.000 -> 10:39.360] And I remember this very clearly at the Indian Grand Prix 2011, where there were cutouts for
[10:39.360 -> 10:43.520] normal people to just put themselves in a Force India suit to kind of make themselves feel like
[10:43.520 -> 10:47.680] a Force India driver. And Facebook was big at that time. So it offered an instant profile photo kind of
[10:47.680 -> 10:51.760] opportunity that those are the kind of things you did. We wanted to take it to the masses,
[10:51.760 -> 10:57.520] even though Bernie Eccleston at that time wanted it to be a very elitist sport, because we realized
[10:57.520 -> 11:04.080] that the only way to try and galvanize and build the whole audience base was by letting them feel
[11:04.080 -> 11:05.040] that yes, Formula
[11:05.040 -> 11:11.280] One is a global sport, but Force India is what you can experience as a team as an emotion.
[11:11.280 -> 11:16.680] And we were of course, very lucky that there was an upswing in performances as well within
[11:16.680 -> 11:18.200] the Force India spectrum of things.
[11:18.200 -> 11:22.160] Because you know, ever since he started till he was forced to sell or till he decided to
[11:22.160 -> 11:29.440] sell, the team was only getting better through every season. So when, you know, it's one thing to build a marketing idea for a product, but it's
[11:29.440 -> 11:33.680] another thing for the product to be as good as well. And we were very lucky that, you know,
[11:33.680 -> 11:39.280] the team was anyway doing really well. So whether it was having show cars everywhere, so that people
[11:39.280 -> 11:43.200] could touch and feel and you know, something we did really well, which I really liked was, you
[11:43.200 -> 11:46.880] know, we did Pit Stop experiences, because we said, what are the different ways
[11:46.880 -> 11:50.880] people try and connect with a Formula One team?
[11:50.880 -> 11:53.000] Not everybody wants to be a driver, of course.
[11:53.000 -> 11:54.960] Everybody thinks they're the next Michael Schumacher
[11:54.960 -> 11:57.380] or Lewis Hamilton or Max Verstappen.
[11:57.380 -> 11:59.440] But there was another aspect at pit stops.
[11:59.440 -> 12:03.160] Everybody's still in awe of all the two-second pit stops
[12:03.160 -> 12:04.080] that people would do.
[12:04.080 -> 12:10.320] So we said, can we make pit stops more mass? So we engineered cars in India where you could do pit stops with
[12:10.320 -> 12:17.280] teams and so on. So like Ravi said, it was building the category. There was an existing
[12:17.280 -> 12:26.400] base, but again, the base was so small that you could almost not monetize that base. And our objectives are very clear that in the end,
[12:26.400 -> 12:30.200] all of this that we do should be able to be monetized
[12:30.200 -> 12:31.360] because that's, I mean,
[12:31.360 -> 12:34.080] we all know how expensive Formula One is as a sport.
[12:34.080 -> 12:36.040] We now have a budget gap.
[12:36.040 -> 12:37.280] We now have various things
[12:37.280 -> 12:39.760] which have financial controls in place.
[12:39.760 -> 12:41.360] Well, we were in a free era
[12:41.360 -> 12:43.680] where you could spend as much money as you wanted,
[12:43.680 -> 12:46.440] whether it was on the car or off it.
[12:46.440 -> 12:50.880] Actually, a bit of a question that's just popped up in my mind, right?
[12:50.880 -> 12:53.580] Formula One teams are not often profit-making entities.
[12:53.580 -> 12:57.080] It's usually, let's say, a vanity exercise for the owners in that case.
[12:57.080 -> 13:02.280] And so brand building for the team is there, but it still largely exists to satisfy, let's
[13:02.280 -> 13:05.000] say, the personal wants and needs of the owners.
[13:05.000 -> 13:09.720] So in that sense, does that change anything from a conventional business, say like Kingfisher?
[13:09.720 -> 13:13.160] How different is marketing for a Formula One team in that sense?
[13:13.160 -> 13:18.200] Let's say Wednesday morning, randomly on a June afternoon, not morning or an afternoon,
[13:18.200 -> 13:22.360] but hey, a Wednesday on a June, what do you sit and work on in that case, when you compare
[13:22.360 -> 13:25.760] a Kingfisher airline, of course, to a Formula One team in that sense?
[13:25.760 -> 13:29.280] That's a very interesting question. And I think several years back, Kunal and I had
[13:29.280 -> 13:34.680] this debate. And but we'll talk more about that later when he was insisting that how
[13:34.680 -> 13:39.920] this marketing is very, very different from any other kind of marketing. And at that point
[13:39.920 -> 13:44.000] in time, I didn't necessarily agree. But like I said, that's a story for another day. But
[13:44.000 -> 13:49.000] I think perhaps I can answer your question by adding more color to what Kunal said a
[13:49.000 -> 13:54.160] couple of minutes back. You know, he spoke about the pit stop challenges. Now, for us,
[13:54.160 -> 14:00.200] it was a very interesting process of evolution. When we started, when Mallya acquired the
[14:00.200 -> 14:05.200] team, we used to have pit stop challenges with cardboard cutouts of the side of a car
[14:06.720 -> 14:08.880] and these tires. I remember that. Right. It was road tires with four wheels,
[14:08.880 -> 14:10.320] I remember that. Correct.
[14:10.320 -> 14:13.120] Right. If it was a cutout, it had to be a road tire.
[14:13.120 -> 14:16.160] Yeah, correct. And then we evolved into a, you know,
[14:17.920 -> 14:22.000] static car, which we pulled out from somewhere. And finally, we said, no, we will make these show
[14:22.000 -> 14:26.240] cars. We spent a lot of money, we got them made in India,
[14:26.240 -> 14:28.400] Kunal found those guys.
[14:28.400 -> 14:30.080] So we evolved that way.
[14:30.080 -> 14:31.840] And a part of this was actually
[14:31.840 -> 14:34.640] when we went to colleges in season one,
[14:34.640 -> 14:38.280] we had to request them to sort of keep that car there.
[14:38.280 -> 14:40.280] But in season two,
[14:40.280 -> 14:42.280] it became a part of the college festival.
[14:42.280 -> 14:48.960] So the stakes were higher for the kids to participate because if they won, it added up to their points for their college to win or lose.
[14:50.000 -> 14:54.960] So now that's something that, you know, I don't think an airline or, you know,
[14:54.960 -> 14:58.960] a company that makes fast moving consumer products would be doing.
[14:59.760 -> 15:02.480] Exactly, because the whole approach is different right here.
[15:03.600 -> 15:06.320] Over there, you're kind of building a brand to sell something, but
[15:06.320 -> 15:08.800] the product in this case is so completely different.
[15:08.800 -> 15:10.200] The product is what happens on track.
[15:10.200 -> 15:11.200] And so it's true.
[15:11.200 -> 15:14.920] At the end of the day, Formula One is a big marketing wagon, isn't it?
[15:14.920 -> 15:18.040] And that just completely changes your approach of how to market in a way.
[15:18.040 -> 15:19.100] I mean, what was it?
[15:19.100 -> 15:23.040] What was the change like for you, Kunal, moving from, let's say, okay, normal sports market
[15:23.040 -> 15:24.300] into Formula One?
[15:24.300 -> 15:25.760] What was the change in perception like?
[15:26.400 -> 15:30.760] So I'm glad Ravi said that his views have diverged from what it was,
[15:30.760 -> 15:33.880] because my views have diverged and become very close to his views.
[15:33.880 -> 15:34.800] Ouch!
[15:34.800 -> 15:35.560] Role reversal, huh?
[15:35.560 -> 15:36.400] Yeah, it's...
[15:36.400 -> 15:39.040] Of course, you know, I was much younger when I met Ravi,
[15:39.040 -> 15:41.960] and this was like in 2009, so several years ago.
[15:42.360 -> 15:44.040] And, you know, at the end of the day,
[15:44.040 -> 15:47.080] you need to know what the pulse of the fan is, right?
[15:47.080 -> 15:50.680] Whether it's selling cars or candies or condoms,
[15:50.680 -> 15:52.620] depending on what your category is.
[15:52.620 -> 15:55.520] And eventually that's what we tried to keep doing.
[15:55.520 -> 15:58.640] We had the largest base online called Clubforce.
[15:58.640 -> 16:01.280] We had a million fans signed up.
[16:01.280 -> 16:04.600] So managing that fan base and a lot of marketing
[16:04.600 -> 16:06.320] that any Efon team does even now.
[16:06.320 -> 16:12.080] Some of the fundamentals that they operate on are very simple. And anyone listening in,
[16:12.080 -> 16:16.240] I'm sure you're all Formula 1 fans. When there are races that are happening,
[16:17.120 -> 16:21.680] team doesn't necessarily need to market itself because performance is what sort of happened
[16:21.680 -> 16:26.800] during qualifying, during the races and the likes. But what happens between races?
[16:26.800 -> 16:31.200] How do you keep the conversation ongoing between races
[16:31.200 -> 16:33.280] is where the biggest objective comes in.
[16:33.280 -> 16:36.720] Because, you know, during races, it's a very noisy time.
[16:36.720 -> 16:39.680] Every team, especially if you're up against the likes of Ferrari
[16:39.680 -> 16:41.840] and, you know, Mercedes and McLaren,
[16:41.840 -> 16:44.720] they come with so much more history
[16:44.720 -> 16:47.400] that you can almost, you'll be lost in that, you know, Mercedes and McLaren, they come with so much more history that you can almost, you'll be lost in that,
[16:47.400 -> 16:49.240] you know, in that space.
[16:49.240 -> 16:51.560] But what is it that you do between races, for example,
[16:51.560 -> 16:55.480] and we spent so much time devising campaigns,
[16:55.480 -> 16:59.160] devising activities, and then making that valuable
[16:59.160 -> 17:02.720] for sponsors to sort of hop onto as a marketing,
[17:02.720 -> 17:03.920] you know, wagon.
[17:03.920 -> 17:06.360] Interesting stuff. Now, speaking of sponsors,
[17:06.360 -> 17:08.080] I want to touch upon this point of view, right?
[17:08.080 -> 17:10.820] The stakeholders of a Formula One team.
[17:10.820 -> 17:12.700] The sponsors are there, of course, as you mentioned,
[17:12.700 -> 17:14.800] like building and developing relations with sponsors
[17:14.800 -> 17:16.160] and then finding new ones.
[17:16.160 -> 17:17.960] But as you guys have also touched upon,
[17:17.960 -> 17:19.960] the fans, building a bigger fan base,
[17:19.960 -> 17:21.720] keeping the conversation engaged,
[17:21.720 -> 17:23.280] but the owners as well.
[17:23.280 -> 17:26.160] Just how do you go about satisfying everyone in that?
[17:26.160 -> 17:27.640] Of course, you can't satisfy everyone,
[17:27.640 -> 17:30.120] but just what are the conflicts like to manage
[17:30.120 -> 17:32.640] in a particular marketing campaign as such?
[17:32.640 -> 17:36.600] So I think the conflicts that one needed to manage
[17:36.600 -> 17:40.080] at that time was with the sponsors, right?
[17:40.080 -> 17:43.240] Not so much with the owner, in this case,
[17:43.240 -> 17:44.320] at least in the beginning.
[17:44.320 -> 17:46.640] We'll get to that. We will get to in the beginning. We'll get to that.
[17:46.640 -> 17:47.480] We will get to that.
[17:47.480 -> 17:48.640] Yes, we'll get to that.
[17:48.640 -> 17:50.920] I think every sponsor,
[17:50.920 -> 17:52.680] and I have been in a position
[17:52.680 -> 17:55.160] of being with two different sponsors.
[17:55.160 -> 17:57.200] Before I came to Force India,
[17:57.200 -> 17:58.400] I was with United Breweries,
[17:58.400 -> 17:59.560] which was one sponsor.
[17:59.560 -> 18:00.960] He was paying for the team at that time.
[18:00.960 -> 18:02.280] I was paying for the team.
[18:02.280 -> 18:04.360] And whilst at Force India,
[18:04.360 -> 18:05.280] I was also heading
[18:05.280 -> 18:10.000] marketing for Kingfisher Airlines, which was another sponsor. So I was double hatting and in
[18:10.000 -> 18:16.480] a sense, there was conflict of interest, right, where I was demanding, you know, from one chair,
[18:17.520 -> 18:23.760] and then, you know, giving from the other chair. So each of these sponsors have their own brand
[18:23.760 -> 18:26.000] values, they have their own objectives.
[18:26.000 -> 18:28.680] And how do you satisfy those?
[18:28.680 -> 18:35.000] And then that's, you know, so for example, Kingfisher Airlines says that, look, we want
[18:35.000 -> 18:37.360] to build loyalty for our guests.
[18:37.360 -> 18:39.260] Can you do something for us there?
[18:39.260 -> 18:41.360] You know, can you get one of your drivers?
[18:41.360 -> 18:45.720] Hang on, but you're Kingfisher Airlines and you're for Sindh?
[18:45.720 -> 18:47.440] Oh, okay, okay, wait a minute.
[18:47.440 -> 18:49.000] How does that work then?
[18:49.000 -> 18:50.640] I used to actually walk into meetings
[18:50.640 -> 18:53.360] and ask him what hat are you wearing right now?
[18:53.360 -> 18:57.240] Because based on that, I used to change the conversation.
[18:57.240 -> 18:58.960] Wait, that must be a fun dynamic.
[18:58.960 -> 18:59.960] It was, indeed.
[18:59.960 -> 19:02.720] I just needed to go from one part of the room
[19:02.720 -> 19:03.920] to the other part of the room and say,
[19:03.920 -> 19:05.920] okay, now I've switched sides.
[19:05.920 -> 19:06.760] But how did that work then?
[19:06.760 -> 19:08.920] So you're mentioning, say, for Kingfisher,
[19:08.920 -> 19:10.760] building, let's say, more of a relationship
[19:10.760 -> 19:12.200] and loyalty with their customers,
[19:12.200 -> 19:14.000] and so working there into Force India,
[19:14.000 -> 19:15.400] how did that work in that case?
[19:15.400 -> 19:18.040] Actually, it worked quite well on a more serious note,
[19:18.040 -> 19:21.020] because given that I was on both sides,
[19:22.560 -> 19:29.000] if as a Kingfisher Airlines person, I had a marketing need from Force India, it
[19:29.000 -> 19:33.720] was easy for me to resolve that need because I was the same person resolving it from Force
[19:33.720 -> 19:36.840] India. So, you know both sides of the spectrum?
[19:36.840 -> 19:39.880] Yes. Interesting. I always looked at it that way
[19:39.880 -> 19:47.720] that say a Kingfisher or a UB sponsoring Force India, of course, in this sense, we mean companies owned by the owner of the Formula One team.
[19:47.800 -> 19:49.160] I always thought it was very bland.
[19:49.240 -> 19:50.960] Okay, let's just place a logo on...
[19:51.040 -> 19:53.440] It's our car, right? So, we can pay for it that way.
[19:53.520 -> 19:55.880] But how much deeper is it than that?
[19:56.520 -> 19:58.120] It's a very interesting answer I have,
[19:58.200 -> 20:01.480] which I actually learned at UB, at United Breweries,
[20:02.120 -> 20:06.980] when IPL just started and Kingfisher Beer was sponsored to five teams.
[20:06.980 -> 20:08.740] And I remember my boss then telling me that,
[20:08.740 -> 20:12.740] look, it's not just about spending a certain amount
[20:12.740 -> 20:15.940] of money to get your logo, right?
[20:15.940 -> 20:18.460] Any brand needs to spend probably 10 X
[20:18.460 -> 20:20.180] of that sponsorship value
[20:20.180 -> 20:22.660] to truly leverage the sponsorship, right?
[20:22.660 -> 20:24.820] Through creating experiences.
[20:24.820 -> 20:26.320] So, and then therefore,
[20:27.120 -> 20:33.120] for a sponsor like UB or the airline, once they've put money as a sponsorship,
[20:33.680 -> 20:40.480] let's say 100, just as an index, now, they would like to spend another, you know, 5x or 10x
[20:40.480 -> 20:46.540] leveraging that. And therefore, there's a marketing team there. And for us at Force India, the marketing team,
[20:46.540 -> 20:49.220] it's equally our responsibility to sit and brainstorm
[20:49.220 -> 20:50.940] with them and say, hey, these are
[20:50.940 -> 20:53.620] 10 ways in which you can leverage your sponsorship.
[20:53.620 -> 20:55.700] We'll build value for you.
[20:55.700 -> 20:57.380] And they may come up with five ideas.
[20:57.380 -> 20:58.420] We may come up with five.
[20:58.420 -> 21:00.860] And then we would go with the best of them.
[21:00.860 -> 21:03.140] That sounds like a joke, Kunal.
[21:03.140 -> 21:04.660] There's so much to do.
[21:04.660 -> 21:07.080] It is. And you said it's like it's like, it's our car,
[21:07.080 -> 21:09.160] it's all within the UB group.
[21:09.160 -> 21:10.840] Can we just put a logo anywhere?
[21:10.840 -> 21:13.920] The truth is, it was never just a logo anywhere,
[21:13.920 -> 21:17.640] because there was science behind the measurement
[21:17.640 -> 21:19.200] of the value of each exposure.
[21:19.200 -> 21:22.000] And that was the value that, you know,
[21:22.000 -> 21:23.800] group sponsors were also bringing.
[21:23.800 -> 21:28.960] So it's not that, hey, you have the biggest logo, but you're paying the least. It was corresponding as well, because we
[21:28.960 -> 21:34.800] were also mindful that if at all an external company came through, at least we know what the
[21:34.800 -> 21:40.400] numbers are, it at least we know we are following Formula One standards of measurement and exposure
[21:40.400 -> 21:45.320] and costs as well, right. So at all races, we used to get exposure values,
[21:45.320 -> 21:47.960] which is standard for every Formula 1 team.
[21:47.960 -> 21:51.320] And we used to make sure that even group sponsors
[21:51.320 -> 21:53.080] were paying similar value.
[21:53.080 -> 21:54.280] And to give you an example,
[21:54.280 -> 21:55.880] and I know we are gonna speak about this
[21:55.880 -> 21:58.820] in the next episode or even after that,
[21:58.820 -> 22:00.880] is when Sahara came on board,
[22:00.880 -> 22:04.160] they actually asked for all this data.
[22:04.160 -> 22:07.440] So when they paid an amount to buy into the team,
[22:07.440 -> 22:12.080] because all the paperwork was already there, there was a fair value assessment that happened.
[22:12.080 -> 22:16.640] And it wasn't just that, okay, I think it should be valued at 100 million or 200 million. No,
[22:16.640 -> 22:23.760] we had a measurement that proved why they had to pay an X amount to become an owner of the team.
[22:23.760 -> 22:25.120] And like we were talking, you know,
[22:25.120 -> 22:31.120] when we were preparing for this episode, at that time, Vijay Mallya and Subrata Roy were the two
[22:31.120 -> 22:36.800] biggest investors, private investors in the world of sport, in this side of the world. So,
[22:36.800 -> 22:42.400] they had investments in, you know, football, football academies, IPL teams, IPL academies,
[22:42.400 -> 22:48.160] and then of course, the Formula One team. So, we were working with some of the richest, the bad boy billionaires,
[22:48.240 -> 22:49.800] as we know it.
[22:49.880 -> 22:51.720] That is going to be a separate episode.
[22:51.800 -> 22:54.920] Yes. So, those were several challenges, you know.
[22:55.000 -> 22:57.160] Of course, like Ravi said, at least at the start,
[22:57.240 -> 22:59.800] we just had the UB Group ownership, so it was easier.
[22:59.880 -> 23:03.200] But yes, the spicy stuff comes in a little later
[23:03.280 -> 23:05.400] as you guys keep listening, I would say.
[23:05.400 -> 23:07.440] You know what, let's actually do that on a different episode,
[23:07.440 -> 23:09.120] but let's give you a bit of a glimpse of it.
[23:09.120 -> 23:10.480] There's one thing I want to talk about,
[23:10.480 -> 23:12.360] let's say for the next five, seven odd minutes,
[23:12.360 -> 23:14.400] the one from a billion campaign.
[23:14.400 -> 23:16.840] Now, for folks, all of you who don't remember it,
[23:16.840 -> 23:19.920] Force India ran a campaign with young drivers here in India.
[23:19.920 -> 23:22.760] And I think I just learned that it was around 100 of them.
[23:22.760 -> 23:24.320] And they were, basically it was an attempt
[23:24.320 -> 23:25.960] to find the best drivers in the country.
[23:25.960 -> 23:27.640] Top three, essentially go forward,
[23:27.640 -> 23:29.380] get a scholarship and the likes.
[23:29.380 -> 23:31.600] The winners of course, Arjun Maini, you might know,
[23:31.600 -> 23:34.260] Formula Two, he did that a couple of years ago.
[23:34.260 -> 23:35.100] There was Tarun Reddy,
[23:35.100 -> 23:36.860] who's a big name in Indian motorsport.
[23:36.860 -> 23:38.200] He's done quite a fair bit of,
[23:38.200 -> 23:40.520] I think Aston Martin racing as well.
[23:40.520 -> 23:43.520] No, that's somebody else if I'm getting wrong.
[23:43.520 -> 23:44.360] That's Akhil.
[23:44.360 -> 23:48.560] That's Akhil. But Tarun's done quite a fair bit in the UK as well, as far as I remember. And
[23:48.560 -> 23:53.040] Jehan Daruwala, of course, the third place driver who's now currently working in Formula
[23:53.040 -> 23:57.840] 2 for Prema. So there's that. That's three big names that you guys found. But the whole
[23:57.840 -> 24:03.040] point is, as you rightly mentioned, your idea was to build a base in the country for Formula
[24:03.040 -> 24:05.400] 1. But how did it resonate into getting and trying
[24:05.400 -> 24:07.680] to find 100 racing drivers here in India?
[24:07.680 -> 24:09.560] What was the whole idea all about?
[24:09.560 -> 24:12.920] So I think if you were to rewind,
[24:12.920 -> 24:18.160] it was Mr. Mallya's vision that with the team named Force India
[24:18.160 -> 24:22.240] Formula One, this was a truly Indian F1 team.
[24:22.240 -> 24:26.160] And his dream always was to put an Indian kid
[24:26.160 -> 24:28.320] in the cockpit of the Force India car.
[24:28.320 -> 24:29.640] But I have to ask you something here.
[24:29.640 -> 24:30.640] Then why not Karun?
[24:30.640 -> 24:33.560] I know, I mean, I know the answer because of course.
[24:33.560 -> 24:34.400] Or Naren.
[24:34.400 -> 24:35.840] Or Naren for that matter, exactly.
[24:35.840 -> 24:38.040] But why not them in that case?
[24:38.040 -> 24:41.960] Well, I just think that, you know,
[24:41.960 -> 24:46.800] VJM had an understanding of the talent of these two drivers.
[24:47.600 -> 24:53.840] And he believed that if he has to put an Indian in the cockpit of the Force India car,
[24:55.440 -> 25:00.480] it has to be beyond them. Okay. And then that led to the formation
[25:00.480 -> 25:02.880] of the whole program, trying to find someone from the root.
[25:02.880 -> 25:05.080] Absolutely. And exactly.
[25:05.080 -> 25:08.480] And therefore, his vision was that, look, if I'm going to put an Indian in the cockpit
[25:08.480 -> 25:13.960] of this car, it has to be someone whom we find from the grassroots.
[25:13.960 -> 25:16.880] And that's where it all started.
[25:16.880 -> 25:21.040] And it literally is one from a billion because there's just so many people to choose from.
[25:21.040 -> 25:28.240] And as we discussed Kunal previously as well, there's so many people who entered so many big names that if we look at the entry list now, they're all people who've
[25:28.240 -> 25:33.280] done amazing stuff in Indian motorsport, but the top three, it's outstanding that these are three
[25:33.280 -> 25:37.280] drivers who have remained relevant in Indian motorsport and foreign motorsport as well.
[25:37.280 -> 25:38.720] Absolutely. For the last decade.
[25:38.720 -> 25:43.440] Yes. And just to add more context and just, you know, building on what you asked as well,
[25:44.480 -> 25:45.540] VGM was always
[25:45.540 -> 25:46.540] under pressure.
[25:46.540 -> 25:50.480] You're calling the team Force India, what is so Indian about it?
[25:50.480 -> 25:51.480] That's a good point.
[25:51.480 -> 25:55.300] And the understanding, the assumption, the expectation was the only way you will make
[25:55.300 -> 25:59.740] it an Indian team is if you have an Indian driver driving for it.
[25:59.740 -> 26:03.780] It was this false sense of nationalism, if I may put it that way.
[26:03.780 -> 26:04.780] I'm being a little harsh.
[26:04.780 -> 26:05.040] India.
[26:05.040 -> 26:09.520] And again, you know, Karun Narain specifically helped me a lot when I was, you know,
[26:09.520 -> 26:15.440] racing myself, or at least tried to race myself. And it was always his decision. And he was pretty
[26:15.440 -> 26:20.240] sure that, yes, I would love an Indian driver in the team, but has to be somebody we get from
[26:20.240 -> 26:26.840] the grassroots. He was a big fan of Lewis Hamilton. So, you know, the question back then was teams
[26:26.840 -> 26:29.680] were wanting to find their own Michael Schumacher.
[26:29.680 -> 26:31.120] And VJM used to walk around saying,
[26:31.120 -> 26:33.800] no, I want to find my Lewis Hamilton.
[26:33.800 -> 26:35.400] And literally that was the case.
[26:35.400 -> 26:38.800] So that's how the one from a billion actually came about.
[26:38.800 -> 26:40.600] And a little bit of history around that as well.
[26:40.600 -> 26:43.120] So before I joined Force India,
[26:43.120 -> 26:46.000] I was working for a television channel and
[26:46.000 -> 26:53.560] we were bidding for the rights for the Indian Rally Championship. And VJM was the president
[26:53.560 -> 26:59.320] or I don't know, the chairperson of the FMSCI, right? The governing body in India. And that's
[26:59.320 -> 27:03.600] when we had my first interactions with him had happened and we presented building these
[27:03.600 -> 27:07.600] grassroots programs and stuff for that. And of course, it needed a lot of investment and pretty much
[27:07.600 -> 27:12.640] nobody's investing in rally. If nobody was investing and nobody's still investing in
[27:12.640 -> 27:17.680] rallying, unfortunately, but that's for another day. And when, you know, this thing came about
[27:17.680 -> 27:22.800] Indian team, Indian car, Indian driver sort of thing, he said, why don't we just do our own
[27:22.800 -> 27:29.940] academy? And also academies are a way of teams getting more visibility, teams getting more money as well, because you know,
[27:29.940 -> 27:32.900] academies come with their own set of sponsors and so on.
[27:32.900 -> 27:39.580] And I remember when I met him at the 2010 Turkish Grand Prix, where I said, I, you know,
[27:39.580 -> 27:42.380] I went before I was even hired.
[27:42.380 -> 27:46.760] He just asked me one thing, you're sure we can pull off something like this on ground?
[27:46.760 -> 27:48.800] And I said, of course I had to say yes.
[27:48.800 -> 27:50.960] And I said, yes, I'm pretty sure.
[27:50.960 -> 27:54.040] And that's how the whole journey started.
[27:54.040 -> 27:56.940] It of course took us a year to plan everything,
[27:56.940 -> 27:59.280] but we were literally like running a racing team
[27:59.280 -> 28:02.900] within a racing team because it came to going to circuits
[28:02.900 -> 28:04.520] and finding out which circuits in India
[28:04.520 -> 28:07.800] could actually even host something like this, right?
[28:07.800 -> 28:08.800] And there were so few.
[28:08.800 -> 28:09.800] There were so few.
[28:09.800 -> 28:12.200] We finally found seven and we did inspections.
[28:12.200 -> 28:17.600] We had experts who came from the UK and from within the Indian motorsport space.
[28:17.600 -> 28:24.100] You know, we had experts who would come and sort of help us build the whole program because there was only so much that we could do ourselves.
[28:24.100 -> 28:29.240] We had, you know, we had a team that was sort of pulling these things off.
[28:29.480 -> 28:32.280] And there were a hundred kids that were chosen eventually,
[28:32.280 -> 28:36.040] but that came out of a pool of almost 7,000 to 8,000 kids.
[28:36.040 -> 28:38.600] I remember up in North India in Amritsar,
[28:38.600 -> 28:41.560] we tied up with schools and we said,
[28:41.560 -> 28:43.720] here's a school bus, we'll pay for it.
[28:43.720 -> 28:46.720] In the middle of your school day, take permission from the parents.
[28:46.800 -> 28:50.180] Can you just bring every child to a go-kart circuit?
[28:50.260 -> 28:55.380] And we actually had kids who'd never seen a go-kart sit in one and drive it.
[28:55.460 -> 28:57.920] And that was also the objective of the program.
[28:58.000 -> 28:59.140] Because then they can be fans.
[28:59.220 -> 28:59.720] Exactly.
[28:59.800 -> 29:00.720] Lifelong fans.
[29:00.800 -> 29:04.340] You know, once you taste it, once you feel that adrenaline kicking,
[29:04.420 -> 29:06.560] and I've seen it kicking in my daughter as well,
[29:06.560 -> 29:08.560] so I can sense that, right?
[29:08.560 -> 29:10.160] That's when there is a higher chance
[29:10.160 -> 29:11.920] they become a fan of the team as well.
[29:11.920 -> 29:14.840] And that's what we did across so many markets.
[29:14.840 -> 29:16.760] We said, we just have to make it accessible.
[29:16.760 -> 29:17.600] And guess what?
[29:17.600 -> 29:18.880] It was also free.
[29:18.880 -> 29:21.760] So long as you had a valid school ID,
[29:21.760 -> 29:25.360] the team would sort of just fund the entire thing.
[29:25.360 -> 29:26.440] So we had blocked off everything.
[29:26.440 -> 29:31.680] We had our own go-karts, our own helmets, our own safety was all, you know, Formula
[29:31.680 -> 29:34.760] One standards, if I may put it that way.
[29:34.760 -> 29:37.560] And of course, now, this is where a lot of listeners are like, how can you have Formula
[29:37.560 -> 29:39.360] One standard safety in go-karts?
[29:39.360 -> 29:44.120] But what I meant is we paid every aspect, we paid attention to every aspect of, you
[29:44.120 -> 29:46.080] know, safety along all along the way.
[29:46.080 -> 29:52.320] And that's how the whole program got conceived. And we have some very interesting stories of how
[29:52.320 -> 29:59.040] Jehan Daruwala became a part of the program, and so on. But also, interestingly, the program was
[29:59.040 -> 30:06.960] adjudicated by Anthony Hamilton, because he, of course, played a large role and still plays a large role in Lewis Hamilton's career.
[30:07.680 -> 30:10.800] We had Nico Hulkenberg, who was a test driver at that time,
[30:10.800 -> 30:13.120] also an ambassador of the program.
[30:13.120 -> 30:16.000] And then, of course, Robert Foley was there as well.
[30:16.000 -> 30:18.480] So we put together the entire structure,
[30:18.480 -> 30:20.160] which included racing in India
[30:20.160 -> 30:22.960] and then getting further training in the UK.
[30:22.960 -> 30:24.720] You know what, let's actually talk about Jehan.
[30:24.720 -> 30:28.240] I think it's one thing we have to end the episode on,
[30:28.240 -> 30:30.560] because before we started this episode,
[30:30.560 -> 30:33.840] there's this amazing story about how Jehan Daruwala,
[30:33.840 -> 30:36.200] you can arguably call him India's best chance
[30:36.200 -> 30:37.040] of Formula One right now.
[30:37.040 -> 30:39.720] Actually, he is India's best chance of Formula One right now.
[30:39.720 -> 30:41.760] How he never made it to the program.
[30:41.760 -> 30:43.000] Just what happened there, Ravi?
[30:43.000 -> 30:44.640] Oh, this is very interesting.
[30:44.640 -> 30:49.720] You know, after much deliberation between Kunal and I and you know Robert Fearnley,
[30:49.720 -> 30:56.360] we decided to keep a very narrow age band of 13 to 17.
[30:56.360 -> 30:56.860] Correct.
[30:56.860 -> 30:57.720] If I remember correctly.
[30:57.720 -> 30:58.220] You do.
[30:58.220 -> 30:59.220] But I must correct you.
[30:59.220 -> 31:00.220] There was no deliberation.
[31:00.220 -> 31:02.220] There were hardcore arguments.
[31:02.220 -> 31:05.680] Because we had a little time to announce and launch,
[31:05.680 -> 31:08.800] and then suddenly all these permutation combinations would come in.
[31:08.800 -> 31:09.840] But yes, please.
[31:09.840 -> 31:12.320] So, you know, we've kept a fairly narrow band,
[31:12.320 -> 31:16.320] because in our wisdom, we believe that was the right age band.
[31:17.120 -> 31:21.760] And as it happened, you know, I got a call from,
[31:21.760 -> 31:27.540] you know, one of the senior folks at UB who's been around for decades and said,
[31:27.540 -> 31:30.580] look, there's this family friend
[31:30.580 -> 31:32.940] and he's got a kid who's 12 years old
[31:32.940 -> 31:35.740] and for some reason he's not able to apply.
[31:35.740 -> 31:38.180] So why don't you chat with him?
[31:38.180 -> 31:42.060] And I remember chatting with Jehan's dad
[31:43.320 -> 31:46.800] and he says, look, I've got a son, he's 12.
[31:46.800 -> 31:49.800] He's very enthusiastic about this.
[31:49.800 -> 31:52.840] And he went on to tell me all his achievements
[31:52.840 -> 31:54.360] at such a young age.
[31:54.360 -> 31:55.780] And he says, look, I don't want to wait
[31:55.780 -> 31:57.160] for another one year.
[31:57.160 -> 31:58.000] Which is fair.
[31:58.000 -> 31:59.520] Which is fair.
[31:59.520 -> 32:01.960] And I mean, to be fair to him,
[32:01.960 -> 32:04.280] he made a compelling argument why,
[32:04.280 -> 32:07.760] I've got a talented son and why he's not making the cut.
[32:09.680 -> 32:15.360] And coincidentally, I of course heard him out and it so happened that we were getting a few requests
[32:15.360 -> 32:19.120] from people slightly above our cutoff of 17 years.
[32:19.120 -> 32:19.620] Okay.
[32:20.480 -> 32:26.120] And then finally, we decided, all right, you know, we were looking at 98 kids in this age group,
[32:26.120 -> 32:28.800] right, to shortlist from 78,000 kids or whatever,
[32:28.800 -> 32:30.520] finally it would end up at later.
[32:30.520 -> 32:34.200] And we said, let's have a wild card, right?
[32:34.200 -> 32:36.960] I know Kunal was not very happy about it.
[32:36.960 -> 32:38.400] I said, let's do a wild card.
[32:38.400 -> 32:42.480] Let's be fair, we will keep one below and one above.
[32:42.480 -> 32:44.360] And then of course it's open, right?
[32:44.360 -> 32:50.560] There was no guarantee that Jeahan would actually make it. It's just that it allowed him to participate.
[32:50.560 -> 32:59.200] And the rest is history. He actually managed to come in along with maybe a couple of other 12 year olds. But he finally got into the program. Yes.
[32:59.200 -> 33:05.040] I remember these conversations like they were yesterday and they were not easy because on one hand there was
[33:05.040 -> 33:10.160] this you know I think we were almost 100 people direct indirect working on one from a billion
[33:10.160 -> 33:14.560] and then suddenly like any changes in the structure and I used to be like no I'm red
[33:14.560 -> 33:20.560] flagging this we can't be doing this but of course in hindsight I mean I'm sure I knew at the time
[33:20.560 -> 33:25.200] that it was the right thing to do it It's just that I was resisting that change.
[33:25.200 -> 33:30.720] But I still remember when Jehan actually came. This was in Hyderabad when he came to,
[33:31.840 -> 33:37.360] when he came for the qualifying round, we did not have overalls his size. So he was wearing
[33:37.360 -> 33:50.040] oversized overalls, right. And like Ravi said, the rest is history. He was the quickest by far. And then, you know, gradually, when we moved to the top 100 and to the top 10, Jehan, Arjun
[33:50.040 -> 33:55.960] Maini, two very, very strong candidates who could who just breezed their way through,
[33:55.960 -> 33:56.960] literally speaking.
[33:56.960 -> 34:02.240] I just realized as well, I think Tarun is working for Veloz Esports, if I'm not mistaken,
[34:02.240 -> 34:03.280] at a very high level.
[34:03.280 -> 34:05.120] So that's like three of the best you've
[34:05.120 -> 34:09.600] got in the country. But hey, that's just one marketing campaign. There's so many more to
[34:09.600 -> 34:15.680] discuss. There's the tie up with Force India and the RCB cricket team, when a Formula One car was
[34:15.680 -> 34:20.320] placed in a cricket stadium. There's more on Shah Rukh Khan and the whole Ravan promotions. There's
[34:20.320 -> 34:27.300] more on working with Vijay Mallya and Subrata Roy, the bad boy billionaires of Netflix. All of that and more on other future episodes.
[34:27.300 -> 34:32.100] Stay on the podcast, subscribe to us, give us a good rating and be right here.
[34:32.100 -> None] More good episodes coming soon. you