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‘My dream was to drive in F1’
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SportsDesk on 15 May, 2008 02:20:35
 
By C. Santhosh Kumar
Chennai, May 15: Nothing excites Narain Karthikeyan more than making the
country proud. He opened the Formula One floodgates with his debut at
motorsports’ elite event in 2005. Though it was a short-stay, fans remember
him for being the first Indian to rub shoulder with the likes of Michael
Schumacher.
When Team India were struggling at the A1 GP World Cup, the Coimbatore driver
pitched in to save face. He helped Team India claim their first point during
2006-07 season when he finished seventh in the New Zealand sprint race. Narain
capped his impressive season (2007-08) with a dramatic victory at his ‘second
home’, Brands Hatch, as Team India for the first time finished in top-10 of
the championship.
In an exclusive chat, the 31-year-old spoke on a range of issues. Excerpts:
On what the wins this year mean to him: Any victory at this stage of my career
holds a big significance and it turned out to be a perfect end to my first full
season in A1 GP.
After that, offers have been pouring in from all directions. I have an opening
in World Touring Car championship and a test offer from Indy Racing. Now I have
a three-month break to prepare for the 2008-09 season and I am planning to test
Indy Cars next month before having a first taste of the Ferrari-powered A1 car
in June.
On F1 and A1 GP: There is no doubt that Formula One is the pinnacle of motor
sports and growing up, my dream was to drive a F1 car. Representing your country
in A1 GP is also special. The first half of my F1 rookie season went according
to plans, but the second was a rough ride as I had problems with the team
management.
I still feel I have some business left in F1. People may call my passage from
F1 to A1 a demotion, but my career in A1 has been more than satisfying. I am
happy that I am contributing for Team India and the team has come a long way.
On Vijay Mallya’s recent comments: Not many people know my proximity with
Mallya and I am always grateful to him for his help. During my initial career,
his UB group was one of my key sponsors. I don’t think the comment was
targeted at me. At the end of the day, it is Mallya’s team. No one can
question his selection of drivers.
On Force India’s journey so far: They have been making improvements in their
aerodynamics and car set up. They recently built up two wind tunnels. Now Force
India have to concentrate in making a cut into Q2, I know the current
championship is extremely competitive and I hope the team will improve as the
seasons wears on.