Karthikeyan gears up for A1 circuit, admits that his first choice will always be F-1

Sep 26: Indian racing speedster Narain Karthikeyan is all set to race for Team India for the upcoming season of A1 Grand Prix scheduled to start from September 30 in Zandvoort, the Netherlands.

Karthikeyan is ready to participate for Team India in the A1 circuit as long as it does not confront with his possible partaking in Formula One (F-1) this season.

“At present, I have nothing to talk about. I have to keep pushing. If I have to make a choice, between F-1 and A1, I will obviously choose F-1. If there is no clash with F-1 commitments, then I would like to finish (the A1 circuit),” Karthikeyan said.

Talking with mediapersons in the capital at the launch of Team India for current season’s A1 circuit on Tuesday in the capital, Narain said that talks were on with a few teams in F-1 including Spyker which is partly owned by liquor baron Vijay Mallya but didn’t know how things would fall into place.

He also added that Mallya buying into the Spyker team would be a big boost up for motor sports in the country.

"An Indian owning an F1 team is a big thing. It will certainly provide mega opportunities for Indian drivers to race in F1. I hope I will also get a chance to drive for Spyker very soon," said Karthikeyan.

Ace Indian driver raced five times in the last season in A1 and finished a worthy fourth in the concluding race at Brands Hatch, Great Britain. Eventually, India managed to collect just 13 points and finished 16 th in among 24 competing Nations. But with Narain and Parthiva Sureshwaren forming the team, India is expected to perform better this time around.

This time India has a better set-up and lot more financial support. “With 10 strong teams around, it's hard to predict a winner but we would be competitive, that's for sure,” the fastest driver of India claimed.

The Indian Team manager Yohann Setna said that if there would be any case that Narain is not available, Karun Chandhok and Arman Ebrahim would be among the frontrunners.

Replying on questions regarding India’s chances of becoming a possible destination on the A1 circuit, Narain said, “Chennai should surely be a better choice. Coimbatore does not have the kind of space needed for A1.”

Karthikeyan, who is currently working as a test driver for Williams, made his F1 debut with Jordan in the 2005-06 season but only for sometime.

However, Karthikeyan feels that A1 Team India would have a realistic chance of winning in the coming season but consistency will be the key.