In F1, Dream Debuts do happen

And in that oblique reference lies part of the answer to the question all of India is asking: How will Narain Karthikeyan perform on his Formula One debut? Like Karthikeyan, Villeneuve made his debut here at Albert Park.

The Canadian, 25 at the time, took pole position in his blue Williams-Renault with a time of 1min 32.371 sec. It was the sort of beginning that every man in an F1 cockpit dreams of, yet so few achieve.

The two Williams drivers, justifiably, stole the headlines. Both Villeneuve and British driver Damon Hill were sons of famous drivers. Villeneuve’s father Gilles had once raced snowmobiles and souped-up Mustangs before being invited by McLaren to a session at Silverstone in 1977.

He was then hired by Ferrari, finishing twelfth on debut. In 1978, he won his first grand prix, fittingly enough, in Montreal. In May 1982, when he was 32, Gilles Villeneuve died during a qualifying session for the Belgian Grand Prix.

Like Jacques Villeneuve, Damon Hill too had racing in his chromosomes. His father, Graham Hill, had never driven a car until he was 24. His first racing job was with Lotus — as a mechanic, for the paltry sum of one pound a day. In 1958, he began driving for Lotus. His two world championships came six years apart, in 1962 and 1968. In 1975, at the age of 46, he died when the plane he was flying crashed in fog.

So it was that on a warm weekend in March 1996, the sons of famous fathers squared off as the Australian Grand Prix shifted from Adelaide to Melbourne, becoming the first race of the F1 season, rather than t he last.

Come race morning and on the opening lap, Martin Brundle, one of the best drivers never to win a grand prix, actually got airborne over the top of David Coulthard’s car. It was an incident that stopped not just the hearts of those who looked on, but stopped the race as well. Remarkably, Brundle emerged without a scratch and ran back to pit lane, cheered every step of the way by a capacity crowd.

Amazingly, he was strapped into the cockpit of the spare Jordan-Peugeot in time for the re-start but, from then on, there was really only one driver to watch. Newcomer Villeneuve led the race and Michael Schumacher hit the gravel and was forced to retire in his first race for Ferrari.

It was a fascinating race to watch for Villeneuve, flashy and aggressive, led his more experienced teammate, Damon Hill, who opted to drive safe but hard, avoiding all risks, behind the leader.

Although Villeneuve retained his lead through the pitstops, he showed the first sign of frailty as he went into one of the chicanes. Hill might have thought his opportunity had come but Villeneuve managed to get back on the track and keep the lead.

What neither of the Williams drivers realised was that Villeneuve’s undertray had been damaged when he went over the kerb. Slowly but decisively, his car began haemorrhaging oil from a fractured pipe.

The red warning light on his control panel was confirmed by his pit crew, who repeatedly urged him to slow down. But Villeneuve drove on courageously, the oil spewing from his car and coating not only Hill’s cockpit but his helmet, visor and overalls as well.

Only when his engine began to smoke did Villeneuve yield to his senior teammate.

Hill finished as the winner with a time of 1 hr 32m 50.491sec, his 14th victory putting him equal with his famous father. But it was Villeneuve, who finished second about half a minute behind, who had captured the imagination of Melbourne, a city that loves sporting heroes like no other.

Perhaps Karthikeyan needs to have a quiet chat with Villeneuve, the 1997 world champion, to find out how dreams come within reach.

And if the rest of India wants to toast any success Karthikeyan might achieve, then there is a substitute for Johnnie Walker whisky. Try a bottle of port instead, especially if the weather is stormy.

You know what they say. Any port in a storm.

(David McMahon is a Melbourne-based journalist. His first novel, ‘Vegemite Vindaloo’, is due out soon)