The Indian Narain Karthikeyan is confident about his return as an F1 driver after a third year of disappointment.<\/p>\n
The 30-year-old became the first Indian driver in F1 history in 2005. At the time, he signed with Jordan. He was considered a driver with a great number of ambitions, both for himself and for his rapidly growing country, where young people are seeking to make their mark in sports other than cricket!<\/p>\n
His contract with Team Jordan proved to be unproductive, and the two years of testing with Williams that followed gave him few opportunities to fulfill his ambitions.<\/p>\n
Karthikeyan achieved his first victory with the Indian team in the A1GP series in China last week.<\/p>\n
He was happy to showcase his abilities after years of frustration, but made sure to explain that his ambitions to become a Formula 1 driver were still valid.<\/p>\n
\u00ab It is true that I was simply a test driver in recent months, but I keep the challenge of racing in F1, \u00bb said the Indian to Reuters.<\/p>\n
\u00ab This victory in A1GP is essential to silence the critics. I still have time to break into F1, \u00bb he said.<\/p>\n
Karthikeyan said he was not in favor of the title of test driver because he wants to be considered at least as the third driver.<\/p>\n
\u00ab Certainly, it is an unfinished job in F1. There is still time. \u00bb<\/p>\n
The A1GP for me is not a step backward, but just a step to the side from F1. In racing, I always invest 100% to try to achieve the best.<\/p>\n
Even though the driver disappointed millions of Indian fans by not being present in F1, he generated enormous interest in motorsports in general.<\/p>\n
Indian businessman Vijay Mallya became co-owner of the Spyker team, renamed Force India, and the country will host its first Grand Prix in New Delhi in 2010.<\/p>\n
Karun Chandhok is also a candidate for a future spot in F1. He is currently shining in GP2 and participated in a road test with Red Bull last month.<\/p>\n
Karthikeyan rejected the criticism that suggests his advanced age is now a constraint for a career in F1.<\/p>\n
\u00ab There are many drivers who have raced past the age of 33 in F1. It’s all just speculation and cynicism from certain people, \u00bb he concluded.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The Indian Narain Karthikeyan is confident about his return as an F1 driver after a third year of disappointment. The 30-year-old became the first Indian driver in F1 history in 2005. At the time, he signed with Jordan. He was considered a driver with a great number of ambitions, both for himself and for his […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1,1749],"tags":[1235],"class_list":["post-27363","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-f1","category-news","tag-pilotes"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n