Narain Karthikeyan has no regrets at HRT

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It was either a bold move or a gamble.

When Narain Karthikeyan announced his decision to continue with back markers Hispania Racing Team, not many F1 pundits were pleased with his move, especially with the Spanish team’s coffers draining out. As expected, the blow was instant — HRT failed the mandatory crash test and missed all the pre-season running.

The trouble continued at the season-opener in Australia, where the team’s both drivers failed to qualify. But a restructure in the team management provided stability and the cars have been improving since then.

“We have come a long way since the disappointing season-opener. It was a low point as I never thought I would be a spectator in Melbourne. But I never regretted the decision to continue with HRT. The team used to work like a GP2 outfit, but a change in the management has showed that they belong to Formula 1,” Narain explained.

“The car has improved a lot compared to last year’s, to be precise two seconds faster. It’s much more reliable. In the last few races we have proved that our car is quick in qualifying but we haven’t yet shown it in a race situation,” he added.

As the 2012 Formula One season reaches the half-way mark at this weekend’s German Grand Prix, the only Indian at the pinnacle of racing reviews his performance so far, talks about future and his role in MRF’s exciting single-seater project.

On being out-qualified by teammate (Pedro de la Rosa) in all the nine race weekends this season so far:

On couple of occasions, I was really unlucky. In Barcelona, I had to abort my flying lap in qualifying as an on-board camera came off. I had to manage with only two sets of tyres instead of three in Monaco.

However, the satisfying race days made up for the disappointing qualifying sessions. Tyre management has been tricky this year and there is no room for error in picking the compounds. Another setback was missing out crucial track time in the Free Practice sessions. I had to make way for our reserve driver Dani Clos in Barcelona and Silverstone. Again I am sitting out during Friday’s FP1 this weekend.

On having experienced teammate in Pedro de la Rosa:

It was much easier to compete with my previous teammate Vitantonio Liuzzi than Pedro de la Rosa who comes with a rich experience of working as a McLaren driver. I still have a lot to learn from Pedro and competing with him has brought the best out of me.

On the second half of the season:

Exciting time ahead as the team is working on several upgrades. Mechanically the car looks fine now; so the team’s focus is on bringing more changes in the aerodynamics when the season resumes after a month-long break at Belgian GP in the first week of September. We are expected to run a lot more closer to Marussia. I am excited about the upgrades especially with the Indian GP scheduled for the second half of the season.

On personal targets for the remaining season:

It’s hard to set up targets when you are at the bottom of the grid and fighting with only one team — Marussia. Having said that, it’s been my goal to match my teammate’s performance and also to put HRT ahead of Marussia.

On this weekend’s German GP:

It will be my first outing at Hockenheim’s new circuit which is quite different to the old one. It used to be quick but now it is slower and a high-downforce track, it is also quite short, not too complicated and very stop-and-go. We have been working on improving our race pace and this weekend we are aiming to give our main rivals (Marussia) a fight throughout.

On possibilities racing in FIA’s GT1 series that comes to India in December:

I have been approached to race in the sportscar series. No doubt, it’s the next high-profile event after the Indian Grand Prix. The race will be held during winter when it’s an off season in Europe. So I can’t rule out the possibility of being on the grid.

On his future in F1:

Formula One is a complicated business, but I would love remain with HRT as I am very comfortable dealing with this management. I know the team’s plans for the 2013 car and it’s expected to be much more advanced. So I am excited about it.

‘MRF car can be Asia’s best’

Ace driver Narain Karthikeyan says MRF’s new Formula car project with international partnerships has potential to be the best single-seater series in Asia.

“I have been working closely with the JM Motorsport, who constructs the car for MRF Challenge. With Dallara chassis and 2-litre Renault engine, the series has all the ingredients to become Asia’s most dominant single-make championship,” said Narain.

“The cars are expected to be on par with Formula 3 in terms of lap times with much lesser budget. It’s a big boost for young drivers in the region,” he added.