Karun Chandhok is popular with Bernie Ecclestone but is he ready for F1?

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Karun Chandhok is in his third season of GP2

Bernie Ecclestone has told the Indian press that he wanted Karun Chandhok to take Giancarlo Fisichella’s place at Force India instead of Vitantonio Liuzzi.

Chandhok is the most likely driver to succeed Narain Karthikeyan as India’s next F1 driver. But is he ready for a step up to the top level?

Chandhok is in this third season of GP2 and is racing for the Ocean Technology team run by Karthikeyan’s former Jordan team mate Tiago Monteiro.

It’s been a year of mixed results for him so far. There have been points finishes and a podium at Silverstone. Chandhok should have won the sprint race at Monte-Carlo, but his car broke down while he was leading.

But other retirements have been self-inflicted and on a number of occasions Chandhok simply hasn’t figured at the front of the field, particularly in the Istanbul and Hungaroring rounds.

Last year, driving for iSport, he struggled to match team mate Bruno Senna – the Brazilian took second in the drivers’ championship with 64 points, Chandhok was tenth with 31 with a single win in the reverse-grid race at the Hockenheimring. This was his second GP2 victory, the first coming at Istanbul the year before.

The native of Madras might not get into F1 on the strength of his CV alone, but with the most powerful man in F1 backing his cause you have to fancy his chances.

Chandhok’s father Vicky is the former president of the former president of the Federation of Motor Sports in India and a friend of Bernie Ecclestone’s.

With Force India scoring a breakthrough result at Spa, an Indian Grand Prix on the calendar in 2011 (politics permitting) and an Indian investment firm looking at putting money into the former BMW team, F1 is beginning to take a foothold in the world’s second most populous nation. It’s no surprise Ecclestone wants to help it along by getting another Indian driver in F1.

Is Chandhok the man for the job? Are there other Indian drivers in the junior formulae who look like better prospects? Have your say in the comments.

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Keith Collantine
Lifelong motor sport fan Keith set up RaceFans in 2005 - when it was originally called F1 Fanatic. Having previously worked as a motoring...

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85 comments on “Karun Chandhok is popular with Bernie Ecclestone but is he ready for F1?”

  1. Chandhok should get the drive because he’s good enough not because of nationality, if he can’t be a star in GP2 how can he expect to be in F1? He could just end up being another Nakajima-backed by the people with power and the business side, not wanted by the teams and simply there to appeal to a wider audience.

    1. I agree. Before Bernie piped up, I hadn’t heard of this Chandhok guy.

    2. Joaqo (Max should resign now!!!)
      10th September 2009, 16:00

      Chandhok should get the drive because he’s good enough not because of nationality

      Couldn’t agree more.

  2. I am not sure whether Karun has it in him or not, but definitely he can do better than Karthikeyan!
    Next in line may be Armaan Ibrahim (Currently running in F2). Though still he has to show true potential

    1. Karthikayen made Yoong look like a superstar.

      1. Yes i agree, he’s a playstation pilot. He got a chance in 2005 cuz he brought in lots of money to the struggling Jordan. One must remember that E.Jordan has sold off his stake at the end of 2004, if he were at the helm, I’m sure kartheyekeiyan wouldn’t have got a sniff of that seat.

      2. I beg to differ. Karthikeyan was not F1 material, but he was far from a joke, which Yoong was. Yoong failed to qualify within 107% so many times that he was replaced by Davidson mid-season, who managed to qualify at both times of asking. Yoong’s erstwhile team-mate Webber, who is no Senna/Schumacher/insert your favourite WDC’s name here, was miles ahead of him.

    2. Have you followed Karthikeyan’s career through Junior Formulae and Non-F1 series?

      As someone else has pointed out correctly his aggressive style of driving was not suitable to ill-handling undeveloped car.
      For all the monies that he brought to team in form of personal sponsorship, didn’t give him a single upgrade on car through the season, and he was essentially running a year old car, only other team with similar woes on the grid was Cash strapped Minardi.

      He was performing better than his team-mate in 2005 season, till the point his mentor Trevor Carlin walked out of Jordon Endevor, after what I suspect management in-fight with Collen Colles.

      He has performed well in A1GP, and Le Mans , where he qualified car well inspite of not much experience with the car. It was shame that freak accident prevented him to participate in the race, where his team mates built on his quali efforts to give good results to the team.

      British engineers who have worked with him, Sato and Button in Junior Level rated Sato, Him and Button in that orders when it came to raw speed and ability to setup car and provide technical feedback to the engineers.

      Alas, the Japanese and Indian didn’t have a Savvy manager and PR to publicize so called “Smooth Driving Style” the luxury that the Brit had

      1. But a certain Portuguese by the name tiago Monterio beat him fair & square at indy 05 by securing a podium.

        1. Read response above – That was after Colles tookover the team operation after shunting Trevor Carlin. First weekend Colles tookover the team operations his first press release bad-mouthing NK made it clear that new management was leaning towards Tiago and his inspid driving and Karthikeyan’s days in F1 were numbered.

          Any driver can’t succeed without a) good car b) good strategy and most important c)honest management support.

          Can you imagine the scenario if McLaren Management had lambasted Hamilton in Press on the Brazil’07, Fuji’08 and Monaco/Nurburing’09 blunders. Not to mention his out of turn outburst in Monaco’07 was covered by Macca Management. Thats the difference between success and faliure (or read accolade and lambast by ignorant fans) in F1.

          1. Narain has oodles of raw talent, and only someone totally blind can even put him in the same league as Alex Yoong.

            “British engineers who have worked with him, Sato and Button in Junior Level rated Sato, Him and Button in that orders when it came to raw speed and ability to setup car and provide technical feedback to the engineers.”

            Facts is right. Narain finished 6th in his first ever Formula Nippon race in appalling conditions in 2001, a year after he dominated the F3 races at Macau (though he crashed out from the lead)and Korea for Trevor Carlin. Anyone can notice that whenever he’s been with the Carlin squad in British F3 (scoring his first win in 1999 and finishing 6th in the championship in his first full year in the series) and World Series (finishing 4th in the championship in 2003 after being 2nd in the standings for nearly the whole season), he has performed well. His dominant win at Brands Hatch in the 2007-08 A1GP season finale and his consistent peformance in the Le Mans Series this year prove that he is really one of the most skilled racing drivers in the world. Had the cirumstances been right in the Midland squad he could have scaled greater heights in F1, as his test driving stint with Williams proved.

            But that’s not how an F1 driver should be. He should be able to perform in all circumstances. In British F3 in 2000 with Jackie Stewart’s team, he was already complaining that the team was giving better equipment to his team-mate Tomas Scheckter. In an interview with Autocar India Stewart said that the problem with Narain is his attitude, not talent. He just isn’t bent on winning all the time (pointing to the difference between Michael and Ralf Schumacher) and resorts to making excuses. That, apart from his aggressive driving style, should account for his fall from grace.

      2. So called? Have you ever watched Button’s steering through a series of corners while he’s lapping at race leader pace? Hardly any sawing back and forth of the steering wheel at all. There’s more to a successful F1 driver than “raw speed”. I’m not a Brit and I’m not a McClaren fan either but Button definately has a smooth, tyre friendly driving style. Sato was just freekin’ eratic!

  3. I’d rather not see an indian driver if he is gonna be last like papa Luca

    1. Hahahaha…yeah I agree. Looks like Bernie went for the ratings potential on this one. Do you think he’s bank rolled this guy’s sudden rise to F1 status in the hope of massive media coverage in India? I’d love to have been a fly on the wall during the meetings between Bernie, the team and Chandhok. Do you think Chandhok actually got to say more than “hello Mr Ecclestone”? I doubt it.

  4. India does not need its version Nelson Piquet Jr. I think he’s not ready yet. And Bernie must not be doing this. He shouldn’t be recommending people, is he an agent or something? If every thing turns out proper for Chandhok its fine, but if he ends up like Luca or PK, the gormless Indian media will brand him useless. Goes on to show that formula one is something much more that a sport. And Chandhok isn’t exactly setting tracks on fire in GP2, is he? I would be only wise for him to find a testing seat somewhere before actually racing.

    1. Bernie has always recommended people to come in/return to F1.

      1. Bernie reccommending someone is by no certain term a great endorsement. If Bernie wants someone in the sport there is probably a monetary reason behind it for Bernie.

  5. Drivers should be picked on merit, not nationality. This ‘racist’ attitude is beginning to creep into the sport and should be closely monitored.

    1. Just what I was about to say.

      1. We must pick more Aussies to balance out this problem ;) Kovy?

        1. It’s not racist it’s purely commercial, if Bernie could have his way the drivers crown would have to be passed around each year just to boost each countries figures. Money is money to Bernie he doesn’t care where it comes from.

          1. I’m sorry, but i feel this is racist. Ever since Mr Obama took over, we’ve seen this trend reversing.Innocent white people are being targeted unnecessarily. Chindook has been racing in Gp2 for 3 years, but all he’s got to show is 2 lucky victories. Berine is a dishonest man .All it will do is to damage karun’s reputation. Bernie wants to make some quick buck before he’s diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. That is why he’s pushing for an Indian driver & GP.

          2. Ever since Mr Obama took over, we’ve seen this trend reversing

            @mp4-19b
            That means you have agreed what used to happen before “Mr Obama took over”! :)

          3. @ Nirupam

            Yes. I agree. Innocent black people were put to shame in the past, which was not good at all. So some section of that community are hell bent upon taking revenge, which again is bad. But Mr Obama is endorsing this. very sad.

          4. I had no idea Obama was involved in F1 management. Bernie won’t be pleased there’s another rooster in the henhouse.

  6. I would like to know how exactly has Chandhok managed to get into the good books of Bernie? There are drivers much more experienced & talented than Chandhok that are waiting in the queue. But Singles out Carun. Why?

    1. Money.

      Bernie gets money from GP ticket sales, among other things. India will hold a race in 2011.

      Chandhok is Indian, Force India is an Indian team, if they were together it would draw more people to watch the Indian GP in 2011.

      1. It sounds nice & everything, but is it realistic ? Delhi, the alleged site of the f1 track is supposed to hold the commonwealth games next year, but much of the construction work is stalled & rumors are that the games might get moved else where. majority of the construction in Delhi is flawed. They authorities over there flaunt safety standards perfectly ;) just take a look at this video . They are not able to safely build flyovers & metro, how can someone expect Indians to construct a modern formula one track that adheres to international safety standards? just have a look at this Indian road!

        Look at how traffic is managed here!! Yet Bernie wants a indian Gp. Very funny :)

        1. Its all money dude!! Don’t you get it? See the interest in big companies , ex sellers of beauty products like Loreal etc, India is one big market, and with good tickle, like Force India becoming a front runner, you’d be screamin your tongue out in Delhi, not writing these columns. Already cricket has been damaged by t20 now, F1 would be a great entertainer,

          1. Incidentally I was in India last year. Their roads are terrible. On the “motorways” (if you can call them that) you constantly drive in the fast lane. Why? Because you have lorries coming the other direction in the slow lane. LORRIES. Why? Because there are no junctions to allow then to turn right (they drive on the left).

            India has the worst road safety record of any country.

            I look forward to seeing F1 there…

        2. Yes, India is in a complete mess in terms of infrastructure and politics, unlike, say, China.

          I’d be surprised if they will be ready for 2011. It will make Donnington look like, erm, China?

          1. I look forward to seeing F1 there…

            What a sadistic thought. You want another 1994 imola or something? that would permanently damage India’s reputation. That is why I’m telling Bernie mustn’t rush for a GP now. Maybe in a decade’s time everything would be put into order. I hope so.

      2. Ticket sales? Try TV ratings.

  7. You forgot to say that Chandhok has been regularly beaten by his teammate, Álvaro Parente, who already won a race in Spa-Francorchamps. I would probably say that Parente has more chances to get in F1 than Chandhok. But then, Parente is portuguese and I am portuguese!

    1. Vasco da Gama discovered India, you must be blaming him not Chandock ;)

      1. “discovered”?? It was always there. Indian history goes back 9000 years. The First County of Portugal, Condado de Portucale, was formed in 868 AD during the Reconquista.

        1. Of course it was always there. And in portuguese history we don’t say Gama discovered India. In fact, he discovered the naval (by sea) path to India, which is a different thing!
          But it was after Vasco da Gama’s arrival that India get really opened to the ocidental world. In a matter of 200 years you had portuguese, spanish, dutch, english people all over India, Indonesia, Japan. And by then, the power of the western countries was far more than the Eastern ones. In the second expedition Gama made to India, he knocked out Calcuta just by firing the cannons he had in his ships. It’s a rather interesting story, how a small country like Portugal had the naval supremacy in the Indian ocean between the XV and the XVI centuries, when they just had some 20 large ships.

          1. I made a mistake! It’s not Calcuta (founded in 1690 by the english), but Calicute. My mistake :D

      2. I think you’d find that it’s the Indians that discovered India. And that’s if you call waking up somewhere eher you always were ‘discovering’.

  8. Prisoner Monkeys
    10th September 2009, 11:47

    He’s not ready. Give him another season or two, then see how he plays out. In the meantime, give a drive to Vitaly Petrov instead. Senna and Maldonado wuld also be good choices, espeically if the proposal for resrrecting the Argentine Grand Prix goes ahead.

    1. He’s already 26yo. I don’t think another season or two will do the trick. Try a talent implant…much more likely to succeed. Maybe he could ask Michael S where he got his talent form and get some of the same.

  9. Bernie’s up to his old exploitation tactics, his is blatently trying to influence the Indian government into backing and financing an event. He knows that just by having a driver he can drum up some public interest which will put pressure onto the decision makers.
    Come dance with Bernie Karun, he will lead you a merry dance and ruin your career. Your not ready and a failed F1 career will do more damage than good.

  10. I’m sure he’ll be suggesting us a Chinese driver as well, soon enough.

    Sod driver ability, soon we’ll just have grids determined by “population of nation multiplied by average wage/spending power” tables, if Bernie gets his way.

    1. Ho Pin Tung??? I’m not sure about his ability though…

      Current Asian drivers in the upper echelons of motorsport are usually wealthy or well connected (or both!!!), no chance of a bricklayer’s or pub bouncer’s son in Asia ever being able to afford competitive karting, let alone single seaters…

      1. Current Asian drivers in the upper echelons of motorsport are usually wealthy or well connected (or both!!!), no chance of a bricklayer’s or pub bouncer’s son in Asia ever being able to afford competitive karting, let alone single seaters…

        Hmm let me look at the current F1 grid, how many brick layers sons out there.. NONE. Everybody started on their parents monies and then found good personal sponsor to fund their Motorsports dream!!!

      2. Hamilton in fact is Sr Hamilton’s investment for happy retirement in Bahamas :D. Systematic breeding and nurture LOL

  11. Anupam and James mc: Karthikeyan didn’t lack the speed – he just was too aggressive in a car that was a backmarker. He would have fared better if he had driven a better handling car.

  12. What is the point of being an F1 test/reserve driver these days?

    Luca gets shafted for Michael, then gets just as quickly replaced by Giancarlo.

    Giancarlo’s FI departure leaves a seat open for ‘Tonio, but Bernie wants to rush a no-name/results Indian driver into an Indian (in name only) team as a ploy to get another country with incredibly minimal interest in F1 to send more than 7 people to fill up the grandstands of their new track come 2011.

    I don’t even remember Karthikeyan, but then there have been so many rooke drivers joining the F1 ranks and then being booted out after 1 season in the 2000’s that their names become a jumble on a pile of young rejects who have been invited to do 200mph before they can walk.

    No he’s not ready, and if his stellar results card is anything to go by, he never shall be.

    Best of luck at the weekend ‘Tonio. Go for it!

    1. I agree on all the points you make, except this:-

      ploy to get another country with incredibly minimal interest in F1

      You’ll be surprised to find out that some of the most well informed fans are from India. Actually there is a huge fans base in the urban areas. Some of the fans are better informed that the “American F1 Fan”, if there are some left at all ;)

      Here is the proof . The point that I’m trying to make is India is not yet ready to host a GP cuz they have a dumb govt. Look at Finland, they’ve had 3 WDC & don’t host a race. Why? I really have no clue.

      1. Becuase it is cold as hell in finland..joking of course. They probably dont see the advantage in having it.

  13. Have to agree with most of the previous comments, Bernie is only suggesting him because Chandhok is Indian and Bernie wants to boost F1 in India and so make more money. Judging from his results he doesn’t stand a chance of getting into F1 if they were the only factor.

    1. Ooh! A private deceive agency is called to investigate this. Has anything like this happened before?

      1. damn the links…

        1. sorry for the mess..

          the ticle says Nelson Jr will not be PUNISHED by the FIA

        2. sorry for the mess..

          the article says Nelson Jr will not be PUNISHED by the FIA

  14. I know Bernie wants and Indian driver and Chandhok could be ready for a seat. Regardless Bernie needs to keep his nose out of the teams affairs. He referred to Liuzzi as “that Italian guy.” This man doesn’t even know the name of a driver who was recently in F1 and has been a test driver. Maybe when he shows some respect for the teams, drivers, fans, and F1 entirely maybe the teams will start listening to his opinions and thoughts.

  15. Mussolini's Pet Cat
    10th September 2009, 14:09

    What a troubling developement, the self-styled supremo of F1 actually touting a driver purely on his race….

  16. Keith: Hell is breaking lose in the Piquetgate thing and we are discussing Karun Chautlacktuothkslktjk…who?
    PF1 just put out a story that Pat Simons and Briatore adimited to the fixing but told that it was Piquet Jr’s idea…..Now that would warrant a disussion.

    1. Let me correct my posting: PF1 put out a story in which Pat Symmonds and Briatore alledgedly admitted ot the fixing.

  17. As much I feel Chandok is not ready for higher category in Motorsports. Level comments posted on this article are simply random and based on biases….

    “A fanatic is one who can’t change his mind and won’t change the subject.” – Winston Churchill

    And makes me wonder was this subject worth to be put for discussion in first place, or the author simply wanted to give readers an opportunity to harp on how a) Brits and b) European drivers are the only ones entitled to have drives in F1.

    Person who dragged Kaz Nakajima has conveniently forgotten that last year in an uncompetitive Williams the Japanese Driver kept his much talented German Team-mate honest and This year at least thrice he had point scoring opportunities (once ahead of his team mate) when team failed the Japanese Driver

    1. Yes, agreed. All that this article did was kick up debate on ethnicity. I think this is the time we must be discussing more about the Piquetgate, by far the hottest subject & everyone likes it :) particularly when this allegation has cropped up. Keith i request you to have a discussion on piquetgate. It potentially will have devastating implications on the sport. Its far more important than Bernie’s petty interests.

    2. Nakajima is really a bad example… He would never had a f1 drive on merit, his Toyota backing is what got him and is keeping him in Formula 1. Especially when you look at results Rosberg is doing in same car – the current record of constant points-finish, missed Q3 only once and scored 30,5 points more. Three times points scoring position don’t really cut it, even in 2008 Rosberg scored 2 podiums and regulary outperformed Nakajima.

      1. Three times points scoring position don’t really cut it,

        How many times this year Car related issues have forced Kaz to be sidelined in Q1-Q2 in Qualifying. Please read team debrief statements.

        even in 2008 Rosberg scored 2 podiums and regulary outperformed Nakajima.

        Hmmm two freak races where all front runners DNF and resulted in Oz Podium and Singapore will be properly dissected in days to come… Nico himself acknowledged the freakish natures of the “TWO Podiums” in 2008, and take those out and Kaz was @par with Nico. I hope that should suffice

        1. Nakajima’s 2009 season is similar to Heikki’s 2008 season. Where Martin Whitmarsh had to acknowledge after every race that “Fuel Corrected Heikki was faster in qualifying than Lewis” which in other words meant, “we over fueled Heikki, which means he never had a chance of Pole position”.
          Kaz has been similar victim this season of circumstances,incidents and wrong strategies.

          I sometimes wonder if the fans even bother to understand the underpinning of what happens in F1 races. or just make random,superficial comments

          1. If I’m not mistaken Nakajima managed to reach Q3 on 3 occasions this season – that is opposed to Rosberg’s 11. On those 3 occasions he was fueled lighter then NR at Silverstone and got fifth and on two occasions he was fueled heavier and managed only 10th in qualifying. Hardly a conspiracy by team… What stopped him from matching Rosberg’s qualifying pace in other 9 races?

            Sure, he had some bad luck and team made mistakes that cost him better results – the fact remains he is having a horrible season and is seriously outperformed by his team mate. Last year he could blame it on a car which wasn’t as competitive as FW31

  18. FYI santander announce deal with ferrari for 2010, alonso to follow???

  19. Bernie is playing to the Indian press. He knows Chandok isn’t ready for F1. Vijay Mallya said earlier this season that Chandok was not ready for F1. Come on….
    Of course, money talks. If he can bring a ton of cash to one of the new teams he might be in. Was Piquet Jr. ready, no. Was Bourdais ready,(I would have thought so, but apparently), no. How about Badoer? Really no! The list can go on, but the bottom line is Bernie is being Bernie. Saying things to get attention.

    1. Vijay Mallya said earlier this season that Chandok was not ready for F1. Come on….

      One good point in this needless article is

      Chandhok’s father Vicky is the former president of the former president of the Federation of Motor Sports in India and a friend of Bernie Ecclestone’s.

      And guess who is current honorary president “Vijay Mallya” and How did he become President by getting Max’s blessing that his faction is FIA approved motorsports body and how did he get the blessings any guesses .. Yes his faction supported Max in Spank Gate Vote.

      All Vijay Mallya has done after taking over the motorsports federation is eliminating the earlier infrastructure , which incidently was running good karting formulae.

      So thanks to Vijay Mallya scrapping off the infrastructure, We won’t have any Indian driver in future to lambast in forums like these.

      Main reason why Vijay has not considered Karthikeyan/Chandok for the race seat is they belong to rival factions in Indian Motorsports. And thanks to his ego all the sponsors logo on FIFI cars are ventures where Mallya has personal stakes. If only Chandok and Karthikeyan were driving the Indian team owner’s cars, he would have floods of funds.. But for one person’s ego trip.

      But then Big bloated ego is what you need to be in F1 Paddock and F1 grid. being humble and down to earth is a big NO NO isn’t it :D

      1. that still does not stop Karun from winning in GP2 and Kartikeyan from winning in A1GP…

        they are not doing good against not so good drivers in similar cars….

        there is no need to have a Indian Nakajima… and make him look like a joker!!

  20. He wont get a drive til he sorts out his eyebrows! :|

  21. IMO Bernie needs to stay out of Teams way. It dose not matter who he thinks should be in the car. That is for a team to decide. He needs to learn his place. Wont happen any time soon.

  22. F1 chief executive Bernie Ecclestone received a pay-rise of nearly 15 per cent last year, a report in the Financial Times reveals.
    The 78-year-old therefore made about $6.5m in 2008, which is more than 80 per cent of the fees set aside for directors of the Formula One Management company.
    At the same time, F1’s owners CVC recorded losses for the sport in excess of $500m, as teams were paid more prize money – totalling more than half a billion dollars – in the wake of Honda’s shock departure.
    $22m was written off when Canada dropped off the race calendar. $84m, meanwhile, was paid off F1’s debts, leaving $2.3bn to be repaid by 2014.

    Bernie and his millions. Alright for some but I wish he’d get back to the sport and not the business.

  23. why the hell should driver’s be chosen for their nationality? bit of a joke to be honest, it should be about skill.

    when was the last time a driver was promoted into F1 because of where he was from?!

  24. Another madcap idea by B£rni€

  25. I dont know..I like Karun, he’s a supremely confident chap. I feel his problem is that he’s too aggressive, he needs good management I feel.

    I believe he has the pace, but his talent needs to be nurtured, he needs the proper support

  26. i hate chandhok eyebrow…hahahaha…uglaaay!!!

  27. Karun has not proved anything yet in GP2, Bruno beat him fair n square…. so for me he is not good enough to be in F1 yet…

    As for Narain… he simply was not good enough… if he was … he would be doing pretty good at A1 … and he would have got F1 seat with some other team…

    I hope Williams kick out Nakajima!!

  28. Narain was definetly much more promising than Karun when he wasnt in f1. He was constantly up there in terms of pace, while Karun is simply struggling this season and he has already spent 3 seasons in gp2 not being able to produce a consistent performance. Nk was super quick in that jordan in 05 compared to his teammate, he was a bit erratic but that car was absolute **** and it wasnt rite for him. Thats why Sir Frank williams took him under his wing and if not for the pressure from Toyota im sure Narain would have gotten a driver. If u take the opinions of ppl like former world champion Emerson fittipaldi who said that Nk is a sure race winner and given a good car and package he would surely win in F1, you wouldnt doubt his abilities.

    On the other hand KC needs to work hard, he has potential but needs to produce the results and match up with the competition.

    1. Also regarding Nk not doing good in A1gp, FYI last season the team was cash strapped to the point that they had to go borrowing parts from other teams and Nk had to pay for the insurance and flight tickets out of his own pockets. In the 3rd season the team had a bad technical package and Nk did the best he could with it and produced two brilliant wins.

      To prove that he is capable of doing well in a good team, look at Lemans Series he has adapted very well to the LMP1 Audi R10 car and has been one of the quickest drivers in the series. I hope this answers all the bull**** that has been going around abt nk not being good enough.

  29. I think Karun deserves a drive in F1 now with three new teams coming he will perhaps go to Lotus,it will be great to see him in F1………
    Gp2 is not the right way to judge a driver,look at Nelson piquet champion in GP2 what did he do in F1 Crash for Alonso in Singapore that is it,,,,And kobiyashi was not the front runner in GP2 But now he has scored 2 points in only his 2nd grand prix,,,,,Every GP2 can drive an f1 car,,they all have potential itz all about……….BELEIF

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