New Delhi: Everyone was a winner at the end of the day as the first ever Indian Grand Prix which promised much, eventually managed to live up to its expectations in grand style.
The man of the moment once again turned out to be Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel, but one would have to say that given the way the current season has progressed, the outcome was almost a foregone conclusion.
Other than that, Adrian Sutil, thanks to a ninth place finish turned out to be the 'Force' behind India's presence among the points.
In the process, Sutil did no harm to his chances of extending his stay with Vijay Mallya and co. which did not seem to be a foregone conclusion earlier in the week.
But, crucially the success of the race will undoubtedly expedite the start of a new chapter, when it comes to India's reputation of organizing high end sporting events, which took quite a battering after the debacle of the 2010 Commonwealth Games (CWG).
The cynics will of course come up with the Mad Dogs and Englishmen theory, citing the example of the mongrel which found its way on to the tracks during Friday's practice session.
However, one has to be mindful of the fact that not only has India hosted a number of major international fixtures in the last couple of years, athletes representing the country have also come up with the desired results, which was vindicated by the second place finish at the Commonwealth Games and sixth position in the medals tally during the Asian Games.
The 2010 Hockey World Cup, the Asian Badminton Championships the same year, the 11th ICC Cricket World Cup, rounded off by the grand finale of the F1 race has stamped India's arrival as a global force in international sports with a vengeance.
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