Narain Karthikeyan

India’s first F1 driver, Narain Karthikeyan joined Jordan in 2005 after 12 seasons in the junior formulas. He got the drive with the backing of Indian sponsorship, just after the team was bought out by the Midland group, and came to the sport with high hopes being dubbed “the fastest Indian in the world”.

At the time he said: “I’ve got the hopes of a nation behind me so I’ve no choice but to succeed now”. He out-paced his team-mate Tiago Montiero early in the season but missed out on a podium at the farcical six-car race at Indianapolis and finished fourth – his best result. He was dropped by the team at the end of the season after stories of bitter rows with team boss Colin Kolles.

He subsequently tested with Williams and represented his country in A1 GP, and in 2009 he finished seventh at the Le Mans 24 Hours with ex-boss Kolles’ team. In 2010 he started to carve a career in NASCAR by taking part in the Camping World Truck Series, with a highest qualifying position of ninth and a highest race finish of 13th.

In 2011 there were more than a few raised eyebrows when he was signed on a one-year contract by HRT, although backing from Indian car giant Tata to drive in the year of the inaugural Indian Grand Prix explained much. He now has a second chance to prove himself in F1 and claims to be in better physical shape.

Strengths and Weaknesses
With a career dating back to 1993, Karthikeyan has plenty of racing experience. The only problem is that just a single year of his career was spent in F1 and he struggled to impress.

Career High
Winning races for India in A1GP.

Career Low
Losing his race seat at Jordan in 2005 after a difficult season.

Quotes
“I never even approached [Vijay] Mallya. The vibes from the camp have been extremely negative and I want to make it clear that I am not interested in driving for Force India.”

“I’ve always maintained that my time in F1 was not over and now making good on that promise.”

Trivia
Karthikeyan’s father was a rally driver in India. He won the South India Rally seven times in his career.