A lifeline for Hamad

It certainly has to be the best bit of news for Bahrain sport for quite some time now.

And it could not have involved a more deserving and determined person than Hamad Al Fardan, Bahrain's brightest hope to one day shine on the Formula One horizon.

Hamad has had an indifferent season in the GP2 Asia series this year. An unreliable car and big doses of bad luck contributed in equal measure as he stumbled from one race to the other with increasing disenchantment.

Then the global financial crisis took its toll and Hamad's career came close to stalling when in fact it should have been moving into top gear. The 21-year-old youngster was in despair as sponsorships dried out and his father and manager Ahmed, a former Bahrain rally driver, quite devastated.

But on Sunday, Hamad was thrown a new lifeline by the president of the General Organisation for Youth and Sports, Shaikh Fawaz bin Mohammed Al Khalifa, in the form of BD40,000 financial aid. This was the sort of help Hamad needed to resurrect his young but promising career and it could not have come at a better time.

Particularly, for a young man who had the courage and conviction to refuse a sponsorship worth thousands of dollars so that he does not have to compromise with his religious beliefs.

As we all know, last week Hamad turned down an offer to drive in the prestigious Euroseries 3,000 Championship because one of its main sponsors is the world's largest online gambling operators 'PartyPoker'.

Racing in this series would have forced Hamad to promote 'PartyPoker' and indirectly support gambling which he refused to do on religious grounds. Many may question Hamad's business sense and blame him for being unpractical. But my take on it is that he's just being honest in a highly hypocritical world. And he rightly does not want to talk about it anymore.

But he was euphoric and already planning his next move when I called him on Sunday night. There was a new tinge to his tone as he spoke about his immediate future and long term plans. Words tumbled with a comma or a full stop nowhere in sight.

"No words are enough to thank Shaikh Fawaz for his generous gesture," he said. "We were almost giving up with no sponsorship backing. I had no team, no car and no future. But with this help I can now get back to doing what I like most - that is racing."

The Formula V6 Asia Series is Hamad's next stop. It begins in Kuala Lumpur on May 29 and Hamad will be driving for the Singapore-based Tara DTM team.

In many ways it's like a step back for an aspiring Formula One driver because Formula V6 is a notch below the GP2 Asia Series. But Hamad is not unduly bothered.

"The V6 is slightly slower than GP2 but it is equally challenging. I have to make some adjustments but that is not a problem. All that I needed was someone to back me and now that Shaikh Fawaz has done it, I cannot ask for anything more. Now I have to start repaying him for the trust he has in me. And the only way I can do that is by winning races," added Hamad.

As Hamad spoke with renewed confidence, I could not resist rewinding a bit. A couple of years ago, the same youngster was full of beans and beaming ceaselessly. There was a spring in his stride and a twinkle in his eyes.

The father and son were upbeat and very optimistic. Understandably so, as the youngster had just returned from London after testing for Formula Three with encouraging results.

"The corners were coming faster in a Formula Three car," I remember the youngster saying excitedly. Hamad had come of age as his father had predicted, I thought.

I could clearly see the contours of a future F1 star right in front of me, I wrote in these same columns then.

Much has passed since then. Michael Schumacher has long retired, Lewis Hamilton has become the youngest champion, Sebastian Vettel the youngest race winner and Rubens Barrichello, for all we know, may also set a similar record of sorts.

But for me the man to follow will be Hamad as he aims to bounce back. For Bahrain that's the best news for some time now.

Exciting times are back Hamad. And all the best.