Next Indian Formula One Driver

The last three years has seen India making a strong impact in the World of Formula One. The biggest impact will obviously have to be Vijay Mallya's ownership of a Formula One team, namely Force India. Ten years ago, no one could have every predicted an Indian owning an F1 team, but this year it became a reality for all. It could have been two F1 teams from India if the Spice Group had managed to work out a deal to buy the struggling Super Aguri team. They came close but could not work out a deal finally. The Force India team, promoted by Shah Rukh Khan in India has brought in a whole new bunch of viewers for the sport, and can be nothing but good for the sport. All they need now is an Indian driver to drive for the Indian team, to hold our flag up high, and listen to Jana Gana Mana blaring on the podium. Now the question is who will be the Indian driver to step up to the plate...

India has had only one F1 driver till date, that being Narain Karthikeyan in the Jordan F1 team in 2005. Narain was also a test driver with the Williams F1 team in 2006-07. Narain's highlight that year was finishing 4th at the US GP at the famed Indianapolis Speedway. But I should add that only 6 cars took part in that race, either way he will always go down in history as the highest finisher for an Indian in an Formula One race. As Narain has made A1Gp his home with some fantastic performances, his chances of getting back into F1 look bleak, but anything is possible.
In the last couple of years Narain's 'Fastest Indian in the World' tag has been constantly threatened by none other than Karun Chandhok, and rightly so.

Karun hails from a family of racers, with his grandfather Indu Chandhok and his father Vicky Chandhok, leading racers during their time. It is easy to see where Karun gets his talent and abilities from. Vicky Chandhok has still got the ability to wring the neck out of any car that he manages to get his hands on. Dont take my word for it, ask the American and British cops, or for that matter, any country that he has driven in. Karun has always lived, breathed and dreamed Formula One and is one of the most committed drivers presently in the sport.


If I am not mistaken, his first words ever spoken were 'çar' instead of 'mom' or 'dad' like normal babies do so. His visits to the race track in Chennai started at an early age when he used to spend the whole day there with his father. Amazingly he still continues to go to the track to help out the youngsters, whenever in town.

Karun has taken the necessary steps in the racing ladder, with the next obvious step being Formula One. After successfully winning the Indian National Racing Championship and Asian Formula Championship in 2000 & 2001, Karun moved on to the Formula 3 series in England. He was the winner of the inaugural Formula Asia Renault V6 Championship in 2006 which led him to take part in the GP2 Championship with Durango. GP2, for those who dont know, is the last step before reaching the doors of Formula One. Previous champions include Nico Rosberg (2005), Lewis Hamilton (2006) and Timo Glock (2007). Karun started the 2007 season slowly and was leading in Turkey with 10 laps to go before he was punted off by Nakajima. However he finished on a very strong note with a historic victory in Spa, possibly the greatest circuit for any racer. This was also the first time the Indian national anthem was played in any form of racing, bringing tears to many, including Karun himself. This resulted in a test with Red Bull Racing, where he finished a creditable seven-tenths of veteran driver David Coulthard.


This year the task is even tougher, with his team-mate being none other than Bruno Senna, nephew of racing legend Ayrton Senna. Ayrton Senna once said "watch out for this kid, he is gonna be even faster than I am". This year is gonna be crucial for Karun, as good performances will ensure a seat in F1 next year. However, this year the competition seems to be at the highest levels with drivers in a position to win the championship. Karun needs some luck to help him have a good race. He finished on the podium in Monaco last time out and is testing this week at the Paul Ricard circuit in France and the more familiar he gets with the car, the more he can be ahead of the pack.




The only other Indians racing Armaan Ebrahim and Parthiva Sureshwaran, but both seem to be far away from Formula One for now. With Narain out to conquer A1, Karun seems to be the frontrunner to be the next Indian to get into Formula One. Well let us support our fellow Indian and drive him to Formula One..