Sunday: Karthikeyan races the race of his life in front of his home crowd
Well positioned for a few laps at the start of the race in the middle of the pack, Narain Karthikeyan delivered an incredible race today at home for the first Indian Grand Prix of Formula 1. The HRT driver finally finished the race in a very respectable 17th place, ahead of his teammate Daniel Ricciardo. He made a strong impression by being very competitive throughout the weekend in front of his fans and audience, despite having had very little track time in the recent Grand Prix events.
Narain Karthikeyan – 17th
I took part in a superb Grand Prix and really enjoyed it; it was an incredible experience. Finishing 17th in my national Grand Prix is the best I could have hoped for with the car I have, and beating my teammate and a Lotus is an added satisfaction. It’s a shame to have received that penalty (for impeding Schumacher during Q1), and maybe I could have had a better race without it. But I got a good start, then I had damage on my front wing, but then I managed to find a good rhythm and had a great race. It’s an incredible feeling to have been part of the first Indian Formula 1 Grand Prix and to have been competitive against our rivals because it means a lot.
Daniel Ricciardo – 18th
The first laps were not very good but I managed to pass a few drivers. Then I was overtaken by Narain and I managed to find a good rhythm; I was happy with my first stint because everything was going well, the balance was good, and the tires were working well. During my second stint, I had a strange feeling at the front after several laps, the car was moving a lot from left to right, I still don’t know why but maybe it was a puncture. It’s a shame because it forced me to make an additional stop and I lost a lot of time because of it. In my third stint, we found a good rhythm and we were competitive. It broke my rhythm in the race, but hopefully we can avoid that next time.
Colin Kolles – Director of the HRT team
The team did a very good job throughout the weekend, and that’s the most important thing. Despite the penalties, we approached the race with a lot of hope because Narain and Daniel had proven they had good pace. They had an excellent start and managed to avoid incidents on the first lap. Their pace was good, and it was fantastic to see both HRT cars in the middle of the pack. But then, because of the blue flags, they had to drive on the dirty part of the track, which increased tire wear and forced us to change their strategies. Additionally, Daniel had a problem with the rear right tire, which forced him to make an extra stop. That prevented us from finishing better, but overall, I’m satisfied with our weekend, and I’m really happy for Narain because racing for the first time at home is a once-in-a-lifetime experience. I’m proud he had a good weekend and managed to achieve a good result. Daniel also worked well during these three days and had a very good race too.
