Decoding the winning formula

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Sidhant examining a car before a race

He would have been completing his B.Tech degree had he agreed to go by the path his parents chose for him. But 21-year-old Sidhant Panda wanted to carve his own path.

Sidhant was admitted to an engineering college in 2010 after he completed his school, but he wanted to become a Formula One racer. Although from an affluent family in south Delhi, Sidhant didn’t have all the resources to pursue his dreams.
“Racing requires a lot of money. I didn’t have that. Also, you have to start young, at least at the age of eight to excel. I was way too old,” says Sidhant, who despite being aware of these shortcomings gave it a try.
But before he could begin, he had to convince his parents and make them believe that he is really passionate about the sport. His next step was to convince the college authorities to refund the admission fee. “I wanted to utilise that money for my practice sessions. Though it was difficult, the fee was finally refunded,” says Sidhant, who drove a racing Go kart for the first time in 2010.
However, the lack of funds stopped him from racing that year. “I worked as a mechanic at Toyota service station for three months during summer to learn about the mechanical aspects of a car. In 2011, I started competing with an Indian Go kart (the cheapest option) and took part in the Rotax Max Rookie Cup,” he says.
Sidhant was the only competitor with an India made Go kart and he suffered because of the quality. Due to a major accident on account of brake failure, he got injured and even lost the championship. But he managed to finish third in his debut year.
Now, he has graduated to the Formula Four category and is set to participate at The French Formula 4 Championship in April that is considered to be the stepping-stone for Formula One. He would be the first Indian to participate. The journey so far has been difficult but he is a fighter. “I draw my inspiration from Canadian racing driver Gilles Villeneuve, who also started quite late and even sold his own house to pursue his dreams. Sadly, he died in an accident on the track. But it’s only him who I can relate to,” he concludes.