“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.

“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.

“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.

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/ 

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.

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.

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.