Karthikeyan to start for the Indian Grand Prix with HRT
Having not much to play for until the end of the season, HRT has decided, in accordance with its commitments, to appoint its Indian driver, Narain Karthikeyan, for the first Indian Formula 1 Grand Prix on October 30. He will also participate in the first free practice session of the Singapore Grand Prix.
It’s not really a surprise, but the Indian driver Narain Karthikeyan will be confirmed by the HRT team to compete in the Indian Grand Prix, the first of its kind. This information also comes with the announcement of the Chennai native’s participation in the first free practice session of the Singapore Grand Prix with Hispania.
At 34 years old, Karthikeyan has competed in twenty-six F1 races in his career, most of which took place during the 2005 season when he raced for the now-defunct Irish team Jordan. Recalled this season by HRT, the Indian driver has competed in seven of the first eight Grand Prix events, also facing the non-qualification of the F111 for the first race at Albert Park in Melbourne.
Replaced after the European Grand Prix by young Australian Daniel Ricciardo, from the prolific Red Bull school, Narain Karthikeyan is given the opportunity to race in front of his home crowd, who will be witnessing a premier class race for the first time on October 30 at the Buddh International Circuit near New Delhi. HRT has not yet announced the name of the driver who will give up their seat, while Vitantonio Liuzzi’s manager assured our colleagues at ESPN F1 that his protégé has a contract to race all the races of the season without exception.
« Obviously, it’s a great feeling to be driving during a Grand Prix weekend again, and regarding my home Grand Prix, the team assured me that I would be there when I gave up my seat after the European Grand Prix, Karthikeyan said, who is preparing mainly for Singapore. « The Singapore circuit will be a challenge because it’s new to me, so I’ll need to find my bearings quite quickly. From what I know, it’s a race that is very physically demanding, not only because of the temperatures and humidity but also because it’s a fast, very bumpy street circuit. Like all urban circuits, the grip improves over the weekend, and the car’s setup needs to be constantly reviewed to get the best out of it. The road will be long to get back up to speed before the Indian GP. Also, I would like to extend my sincere thanks to my loyal sponsor, Tata Group, and my recent supporters, Hero Motors and Base Batteries.
Colin Kolles, HRT director, also welcomed this news: “It’s great to see Narain back in the car. It will give him some race time before driving in India. He is the best driver in the region and is undoubtedly extremely talented, as he has proven through his progress this season.” As a reminder, the best qualifying position of the season for Narain Karthikeyan is 22nd place, and his best race result is 17th position.
