He aborted a move into Les Combes after getting a better run out of Eau Rouge but, two laps later, repeated the run, getting into Soucek's slipstream. The Spaniard covered the inside line, forcing Chandhok to take the more risky outside route, but the Durango car braked later and swept into the right-hand part of Les Combes already in front. From there on, he opened a two-second gap and maintained his pace to take Durango's first win in two years.
"I knew I was quicker than Andy from about lap five, but really had to be patient and size up the situation," he reflected, "It's not easy to go through Eau Rouge when following another car and, on the previous two laps, I was a little careful.
"I finally decided I was going to do it without lifting off the throttle and got a run on him down the straight. I knew he'd cover the inside, but I thought 'no risk, no gain' and went for the outside, which worked out perfectly. The car was really great today and our race pace was really strong all weekend."
Despite the delight of winning, things were to get more emotional for Chandhok as he took the top step of the podium for the first time since his successful Asian V6 campaign in 2006.
“It's been a really emotional day for many reasons," he admitted later, "I was really happy obviously but, when the Indian national anthem started playing, I must admit I had tears in my eyes. It was then that I realised that it was the first time the Indian anthem had been played at a
Formula One weekend, and to be the first person in over a billion to have that feeling was something unreal. I looked down and saw my dad, the whole Durango team - even the cooks from the hospitality - all in tears! It was all a bit surreal to be honest.
The India was quick to pay tribute to his sponsors and team.
"Our deal for this year came very late and to have a win in our first season is one thing, but to do it here at Spa, widely recognised as one of the last real drivers' circuits, is something else," he smiled, "Without
Red Bull, JK Tyre, Amaron and ICSA this day would never have been possible. They are all great people to work with and it was fantastic to hear how emotional the day was for all of them as well.
