Speaking about his future as a racing car driver, Karun Chandhok has stated that he focusing on getting a race seat in 2012, rather than taking part in this season’s first ever Indian Grand Prix.

Chandhok signed up as test and reserve driver at the start of the year, as was recently seen making is début in racing a Lotus in Germany. There has been much speculation as to whether Chandhok’s decision to join Lotus was made in an attempt to secure a seat in India’s inaugural Grand Prix event. However, Chandhok has since denied this to be the case, insisting that he is looking at the bigger picture, and joined the team in order to put himself in a stronger position when it comes to 2012.

In an interview with the Hindustan Times to discuss his time as a reserve driver, Chandhok also spoke about his involvement with the development of the vehicle itself. Formula 1 racing is undoubtedly an extremely high-adrenaline sport but, unlike bungee jumping or taking part in PartyPoker tournaments, much of the outcome is dependant upon the equipment used. If Chandhok does manage to fulfil his plans of becoming a full-time driver, then being closely involved with the development of his car can only serve to benefit him in the long run.

Chandhok has also recently visited the Buddh International Circuit, where the upcoming Indian Grand Prix will be held. If he is chosen to drive the Lotus for this occasion, then this is the circuit on which he will be competing Although many drivers often see driving on home soil as a personal goal, Chandhok seems keen not to let this distract him from his plans to compete during 2012. Fans will have to wait and see which of these high-profile events he is officially selected for.

Karun forced to retire from the Turkey GP.

“It was a bit frustrating not to finish a race again, when there were only a few laps to go. During the first laps I struggled a bit to have a good race pace compared to Bruno and the two Virgins. But then, with the soft tires, my pace has improved. Right at the start I had a problem with the fuel system, so right from the beginning I had trouble keeping up with the others. has been a problem for entire career, and has been the cause of my abandonment ” said Karun Chandhok.

“I am extremely frustrated by the outcome of the race; Jarno hit me out of nowhere. I think he had a brain fade, but he has apologized for the incident. We were looking good to finish in thirteenth position and would have been the best of the new teams. It has been my strongest race of the season. We had a good start and managed to jump both DI Grassi and Trulli during the pitstop. After that I was catching Senna until he retired, and was cruising to the end. This is a big disappointment for the whole team - as this would have classified us in tenth position. It is hard to take for the team and me; however we can be happy with our performance today.” said Karun Chandhok.

Both of Hispania had been classified in the last row of the grid at Albert Park, the team avoids the problems after selection of the incidents in the early stages of the Grand Prix.

“This is a fantastic day for the team and a great step forward. I’m proud to have finished the first race. At first, I saw a big accident occurred in front of me and try to stay inside to avoid trouble, I avoid them and was in 16th position. ” said Chandhok.

The Indian driver, who just completed a lap in Bahrain, has said he is excited about his second Formula 1 race in ALBERT PARK.

“Our next step with the team’s engineers is to make reliable car for the race, and the secret of a good career preparation is complete as many laps as possible on Friday to see where we are with the car.” Finishing the race would be a fantastic achievement and strive to try, “he added.

Amid growing speculation that Karun Chandhok will be on the F1 grid this year, Campos Meta Team principal Dr. Colin Kolles confirmed that the team were in talks with the Indian driver and were close to finalizing a deal. The newcomers Campos Meta had been recently taken over by Jose Ramon Carabante to confirm their participation in the 2010 championship. Kolles has been given the ardous task of getting the team fully operational to makes its debut in Bahrain in less than a fortnight.

Team principal Dr. Colin Kolles commented, “We have been very impressed with Karun’s performance in GP2 and are close to finalizing a deal with him. India is a great country and it would be great for the sport to have an Indian driver on the grid. However we will be in a better position to comment on this over the next few days. My aim now is to make sure that we are there on the grid in Bahrain which will be a huge achievement in itself. We are moving in the right direction and will do everything in our power to make sure we are running in Bahrain, with Karun in the car.”

While Karun is away training hard in Italy, his father and manager Vicky Chandhok confirmed the same, commenting “We are in talks with Colin and hope to confirm a deal very soon. We have known Colin for a number of years and we are absolutely amazed by his determination and passion to get the car on the grid in Bahrain. We have utmost faith in him and are hopeful to confirm things in the next few days.”

Chandhok has been a regular front-runner in the GP2 Series in the recent past with podiums and wins at legendary circuits like Spa, Monaco and Silverstone. The GP2 series has been the stepping stone to Formula One for many leading drivers including Lewis Hamilton, Timo Glock and Nico Rosberg. Prior to the GP2 series, Chandhok was the Asian Formula Renault V6 Champion in 2006, and was a regular front runner in British Formula 3 with T-Sport. He was also the youngest ever Asian Formula Champion in 2001 and youngest Indian National Racing Champion in 2000.

Font: http://www.karunchandhok.com/ 

Karun Chandhok is in his third season of GP2.

Bernie Ecclestone has told the Indian press that he wanted Karun Chandhok to take Giancarlo Fisichella’s place at Force India instead of Vitantonio Liuzzi.

Chandhok is the most likely driver to succeed Narain Karthikeyan as India’s next F1 driver. But is he ready for a step up to the top level?
Chandhok is in this third season of GP2 and is racing for the Ocean Technology team run by Karthikeyan’s former Jordan team mate Tiago Monteiro.

It’s been a year of mixed results for him so far. There have been points finishes and a podium at Silverstone. Chandhok should have won the sprint race at Monte-Carlo, but his car broke down while he was leading.

Karun Chandhok finished a creditable 10th position at the GP2 race at the Hungarian Grand Prix for Ocean Racing Technology.
Chandhok fought his way from 17th on the grid on a circuit where overtaking is very tough for most drivers. Chandhok had earlier retired from the feature race with tyre problems.
The Indian GP2 ace was suffering from lack of grip the whole weekend but took solace from the fact that he was able to get past many cars in both races.
Chandhok had a disappointing start to the weekend by qualifying 20th for the feature race struggling with a lack of front end grip.
However, he worked his way up in the race to 13th overtaking cars with some daring moves. As he was looking to make up more places his rear tyres started to give way and he was forced to retire from the race.
”It has been a really frustrating weekend as I struggled to find grip. It’s extra frustrating because I normally like this circuit and was strong here last year when I qualified fifth and finished fourth,” Chandhok said.
”Practice and qualifying was a real struggle and when you are starting at the back at Budapest you know that you are going to get stuck behind slower cars the whole race as overtaking is really tough here.
”Moving up to 13th place was really encouraging as I made some overtaking moves I don’t think I could have ever thought was possible. By pushing hard early on to make those places my rear tyres were totally destroyed and it also ultimately meant the end of my race,” Karun added.

Bangalore, June 21, 2009: Indian racing ace Karun Chandhok is back home for the first time in six months after a busy period on track. The Chennai born driver who now lives in the UK is on a whirlwind tour of the country meeting sponsors, media and fans after getting his first podium of the year at Silverstone last time out.

Looking back on the season thus far, Karun said “It’s been a very busy season especially since I am with a new team, Ocean Racing Technology this year. I have been more involved in moulding the way the team functions and the technical setups of the car than before and it is a challenge that I am relishing. To be very honest, at the first race in Barcelona we were not really competitive as a team and I was actually quite worried about the rest of the season.

Silverstone, 18 June 2009 - Since the formation of FOTA last September the teams have worked together and sought to engage the FIA and commercial rights holder, to develop and improve the sport. 

Unprecedented worldwide financial turmoil has inevitably placed great challenges before the F1 community.  FOTA is proud that it has achieved the most substantial measures to reduce costs in the history of our sport.   

In particular the manufacturer teams have provided assistance to the independent teams, a number of which would probably not be in the sport today without the FOTA initiatives.  The FOTA teams have further agreed upon a substantial voluntary cost reduction that provides a sustainable model for the future. 

Following these efforts all the teams have confirmed to the FIA and the commercial rights holder that they are willing to commit until the end of 2012.   

The FIA and the commercial rights holder have campaigned to divide FOTA.  

The wishes of the majority of the teams are ignored. Furthermore, tens of millions of dollars have been withheld from many teams by the commercial rights holder, going back as far as 2006. Despite this and the uncompromising environment, FOTA has genuinely sought compromise. 

It has become clear however, that the teams cannot continue to compromise on the fundamental values of the sport and have declined to alter their original conditional entries to the 2010 World Championship. 

These teams therefore have no alternative other than to commence the preparation for a new Championship which reflects the values of its participants and partners.  This series will have transparent governance, one set of regulations, encourage more entrants and listen to the wishes of the fans, including offering lower prices for spectators worldwide,   partners and other important stakeholders.   

The major drivers, stars, brands, sponsors, promoters and companies historically associated with the highest level of motorsport will all feature in this new series. 

Note to Eds: Statement issued by FOTA on behalf of BMW-Sauber, BrawnGP, Scuderia Ferrari, McLaren-Mercedes, Red Bull Racing, Renault, Scuderia Toro Rosso, Toyota.