Day 1: Speed and spills can’t spoil the thrills

Given the events, Karthikeyan expressed amazement when told by this reporter what The Indian Express horoscope had predicted of Capricorn, his star sign: ‘‘If there’s anything to learn at the moment, it’s that you have your own destiny to fulfil.’’

When asked if he was a deeply religious person, Karthikeyan smiled. ‘‘Not really,’’ he confessed in the lobby of the Langham Hotel. So, would he perhaps find the time to visit a place of worship before Sunday’s race? He considers the question carefully. ‘Maybe,’’ is all he says.

We discuss the role of superstition in life and sport. Does he pay any attention to it? ‘‘No,’’ he says simply. No superstitions at all? No, he carries no talismans and no special objects in the expectation that they may bring him some unexplained advantage.

But then he chuckles. He concedes some ground. ‘‘I always get into the car from the right,’’ he confesses.

We walk downstairs to the lobby and I ask him if, when he arrived at Immigration, the officer who scrutinised his passport recognized his name. ‘‘Actually, he did,’’ responds Karthikeyan. ‘‘I was very surprised. He knew exactly who I was. I thought maybe Ron Walker (chairman of Melbourne major events) had told them I was coming.’’

What does he think of the unique party atmosphere pervading Melbourne? ‘‘I think it’s great,’’ he says. Then he considers the question in light of the subsequent 18 Grand Prix races to follow. ‘‘But it could be a bit much 19 times in a year.’’

He and his wife have done some sightseeing, among the hectic schedule of the season’s first Grand Prix. He has had not much sleep after attending the Grand Prix ‘‘Rev Up’’ evening, but he is attentive and focused. Even though he is hurrying to get to the Albert Park track, he still found the time to return my call and to tell me that I could meet him on his way out.

I thank him for what is an unusually gracious gesture and he nods, making light of it.

His wife will not be at the day’s practice sessions, he says, but she will be there tomorrow, when the first qualifying session is run in the afternoon. His parents are here as well, and he is buoyed by their presence at the scene of his biggest career break.

A few hours later, I am fortunate enough to speak to his father. ‘‘My wife and I flew in from Singapore yesterday,’’ he says, proud of the fact that his other two children have made the long trip as well.

He laughs when I suggest that he is patriarch of the First Family of Indian motorsport. Modestly, he appraises his son’s achievements. ‘‘It’s been a long time coming,’’ says the father of the first Indian in Formula Once racing.

Narain Karthikeyan is not only making history. Now that he is $6750 poorer after his pit lane indiscretion, he is also reflecting on the meaning of the phrase ‘‘the quick and the debt’’.