As Sergio Perez says goodbye..I also say that to F 1 viewing.

As Sergio Perez says Goodbye to Racing Point at the end of 2020 season...

Its goodbye F 1 this time for me too.... for ever it seems. My very 1st F1 viewing stoppage was when Michael Schumacher retired the first time, I was so so heartbroken. Words would fail me if I ever start putting down my thoughts on paper from so many years back. He was the 1st driver in whom I saw the aggression I wanted to see in a sport where miliseconds mattered down to the absolute microseconds.

Later on my joy was so much short lived as Narain Kartikeyan took the grid and he couldnt take that podium even in the 6 car race in that infamous US grand prix. Things changed when Force India came into existence and along came Perez. My expectations grew multifold as I started expecting a podium finish in every race now. Technical advancements, R n D didnt matter to me. I still have the newspaper cutting when force india secured its 1st P2 in F 1. I missed the race somehow. Later on I saw the fighting spirit and consistency of Perez as he used to be a strong finisher and later on started to finish in the top 10 on a regular basis. I remember screaming on top of my lungs while I watched TV, in the night, full volume (both me and the tv) in the 2015 Russian Grand prix as I saw a collision in the last few corners of the final lap and Perez going from P 5 to P 3 on very old tyres. I had screamed so much loud and so much that my family members thought that something untowed had happened with me... that was the case. Since then I had celebrated Perez`s every top 5 final qualifyings, hoped him to finish in the top 10 in every race...bare minimum.... screamed my heart out on his every podium finish.

That doesnt mean it was all well every time...I remember cursing both drivers when they crashed with each other in baku few years later when a force india P 1 was a very very high possibility. In all these years Perez has been a constant, a fighter who has fought for every place every point every podium ...for 6 years. It was his initiative which saved the jobs when the team went into administration. It meant that either the team ceases to exist permanently or they can be saved any which way. I was relieved when he signed a 3 year extension but worry again began to beset me ever since the talks of Vettel moving into the team started doing the rounds. Stroll has always been the boss`s son who would not leave if any changes were made in the driver lineup as both Seb`s performance and his relations with Ferrari went downhill.

With the erstwhile Force India aka Racing point goes reabranded as Aston Martin the next season onwards too, there remains little to look forward to watching F1 anymore after Perez leaves. The incentive to watch the sport has faded, for me for the time being. There is no Schumi now, no Checo either.. the fighter midfield team has gone lost in all this rebranding and stuff. I might return when Checo returns...untill then its goodbye F1 and thank you Checo for giving me so many memories of happiness on nights when I have screamed slept peacefully knowing you fought for every well deserved point and podium you earned.