Jan. 10: After being dropped from the Hispania Racing Team last July, Karun Chandhok is in a legal tangle now. The Spanish F1 team are set to take legal action against the Indian driver “for breaching the contract”.
Hispania boss Colin Kolles revealed that Karun was suspended from the team after the British GP last year “for not fulfilling the contract”.
“When he signed an agreement with us for the 2010 season, Karun made a lot of promises on paper. But, he failed to fulfill his obligations. We waited for some time, but we didn’t have any other choice than suspending him at the German GP. We, however, did everything diplomatically. We didn’t make it public. Since then, Karun was never in the team’s radar,” the German told this newspaper.
Sources say Karun, as a pay driver, had promised to bring in about 8 million euros to the team, but his contribution stopped after the first installment of 2 million euros.
“His failed promises affected the team’s progress last year. We were planning to do certain upgrades on the car, but everything got disturbed,” Kolles added.
The Hispania boss, who has signed Narain Karthikeyan for the new season, says the 33-year-old Indian has to work hard to make his comeback a memorable one.
“It’s a demanding sport. The last time Narain drove an F1 car was in 2007 when he was a test driver with the Williams. Though he has been racing various single-seaters, the Formula One has changed a lot over the years. I have worked with him before when he made debut with Jordan (in 2005). I hope his experience will be a value addition to the team,” added Kolles, who worked with Force India when Vijay Mallya bought the team in 2008.
Kolles has already made it clear that Bruno Senna, the nephew of Ayrton Senna, will not be a part of his team in 2011. Reports suggest that Spanish driver Pedro de la Rosa could be the teammate of Narain. “A lot of drivers are showing interest for a vacant seat. We are going to pick the best out of them. Our target for the season is to establish Hispania as the best newcomers. We are confident of doing it,” said Kolles.