Karthikeyan is back!!!

Aerond · Post by **Aerond** » 06 Jan 2011, 20:49

http://en.espnf1.com/hrtf1/motorsport/story/37584.html

Curry fans, come back to discuss!!!!!

P_Friesacher · Post by **P_Friesacher** » 06 Jan 2011, 20:52

Aerond wrote:Curry fans, come back to discuss!!!!!

I prefer Chicken Madras, but I'll take a good Ceylon Masala, too.

Phoenix · Post by **Phoenix** » 06 Jan 2011, 21:42

I will make no further comments until I see both HRTs in Bahrein's grid.

FullMetalJack · Post by **FullMetalJack** » 06 Jan 2011, 21:48

Needs to be put on the should-be-updated "You Lucky Bastard" award.

Yannick · Post by **Yannick** » 06 Jan 2011, 21:52

Now that's a surprise!

Somehow, I'd rate Narain higher than Mr Kolles' other paydriver of choice, Yamamoto-san, but why oh why did he let go of Karun Chandhok? Karthikeyan should be able to do a good job IF he is given a car. But the big question for the former Campos Racing Team is still who will build their car, not who will race it. Once the car is ready, they are rather likely to present us another paydriver who may or may not be a familiar name to followers of Colin Kolles' career in F1.

FullMetalJack · Post by **FullMetalJack** » 06 Jan 2011, 21:54

I take it Karthikeyan being at HRT has something to do with driving for Kolles Le Mans team during the 2009 Le Mans season.

shinji · Post by **shinji** » 06 Jan 2011, 22:12

Definition of a lucky bastard.

patrick · Post by **patrick** » 06 Jan 2011, 23:26

all well and good having drivers, but where is the car? I still can't see them being at bahrain in a few months.

Captain Hammer · Post by **Captain Hammer** » 06 Jan 2011, 23:40

Foot, meet bullet.

tristan1117 · Post by **tristan1117** » 07 Jan 2011, 01:01

HRT is becoming the definition of "out of left field". Its like they looked at the most anonymous drivers thread and just picked whatever names were still racing!

Myrvold · Post by **Myrvold** » 07 Jan 2011, 01:16

I'm almost feeling we can go to Kolles' wikipage, and then guess for a random driver that are mentioned there, if he is over 25, under 35 and have money!

P_Friesacher · Post by **P_Friesacher** » 07 Jan 2011, 01:21

Myrvold wrote:I'm almost feeling we can go to Kolles' wikipage, and then guess for a random driver that are mentioned there, if he is over 25, under 35 and have money!

Alright, Karthikeyan/Zwolsman, Jr. it is, then.

Henrique · Post by **Henrique** » 07 Jan 2011, 02:32

OMG OMG OMG OMG
My chin fell on my desk.
Hey Kolles, bring back Tiago Monteiro too! :twisted:

dhruvkaicker90 · Post by **dhruvkaicker90** » 07 Jan 2011, 04:40

I was talking to a friend recently about Narain having a simulator test with FI and i said that he has no chance to race for Force India but he could race for HRT if he has the money. I never expected it to turn out to be true :lol:

As a fellow Indian i would say good luck to him. I hope HRT dont struggle with the 107% rule but it looks certain they will

PLAYLIFE · Post by **PLAYLIFE** » 07 Jan 2011, 06:34

He was woeful in 2005. Monteiro ate him for dinner despite having similar qualifying pace...and Monteiro ain't that great.

I'm almost 100% sure Narain has the seat because some big wig somewhere wants an Indian competing in F1 for the inaugural Indian GP. Being Round 18 however, it's gonna be tough for him to last that long. He was unimpressive in A1GP which is the last I saw of him.

PLAYLIFE · Post by **PLAYLIFE** » 07 Jan 2011, 06:35

dhruvkaicker90 wrote:I was talking to a friend recently about Narain having a simulator test with FI and i said that he has no chance to race for Force India but he could race for HRT if he has the money. I never expected it to turn out to be true As a fellow Indian i would say good luck to him. I hope HRT dont struggle with the 107% rule but it looks certain they will

I heard Narain was 1 second slower than Karun in the FI simulators...

dhruvkaicker90 · Post by **dhruvkaicker90** » 07 Jan 2011, 07:25

Yes he was a second slower. Thats why its so surprising that he got the seat. He could be as out of depth as Badoer in 2009

but i am sure he will do great in wet races. I read somewhere that he once won a f3 race in Spa starting from 22nd on the grid

MaxZero · Post by **MaxZero** » 07 Jan 2011, 10:03

Motorsport.com named the price as 8 Million.

In all fairness, i'de love to winge about this but i wouldn't want to see a competent driver in HRT, it would ruin them

Pair him with Yamamoto and it would be perfect. Kolles' two cash cows, driving a dog

DanielPT · Post by **DanielPT** » 07 Jan 2011, 10:28

Henrique wrote:OMG OMG OMG OMG
My chin fell on my desk.
Hey Kolles, bring back Tiago Monteiro too!

I bet that if Colin Kolles brought back Tiago Monteiro to parter Karthikeyan, the HRT would put a car on the podium somehow! :lol:

BTW, go home Colin Kolles!

Waris · Post by **Waris** » 07 Jan 2011, 10:51

IT'S A BLAST FROM THE PAST!!

Henrique · Post by **Henrique** » 07 Jan 2011, 12:29

PLAYLIFE wrote:I'm almost 100% sure Narain has the seat because some big wig somewhere wants an Indian competing in F1 for the inaugural Indian GP.

I think that's the only reason HRT is hiring Narain. Maybe they'll get a few sponsors that were thinking about Force India.
Money looks like the priority at HRT, so I wouldn't be surprised if they kept Yamamoto.

S951 · Post by **S951** » 07 Jan 2011, 12:57

OH dear me is all I can say

What next Panasonic come and Nakajima?

Aerond · Post by **Aerond** » 07 Jan 2011, 13:05

apparently karthikeyan backing comes from tata.... Why the hell didnt trust Chandhok instead??? :geek:

I read somewhere else that HRT is going to use an upgraded version lf the dallara chassis... :lol:

It reminds me of teams like Coloni that were so limited all they could do was upgrading an already very slow chassis from one season to the next. Then realise they were losing time..

Jeroen Krautmeir · Post by **Jeroen Krautmeir** » 07 Jan 2011, 13:10

HRT boss Colin Kolles says he has every reason to feel confident that his team can deliver a step forward in performance in 2011, having overcome the odds in simply getting to the grid last year.

Kolles was drafted in by the Spanish outfit on the eve of the 2010 campaign to help rescue its stalling preparations for the season. He ensured the team not only got itself ready for the first race in Bahrain but also that it completed the full schedule.

Although the team still faces big hurdles in securing its financial base, and building up a solid technical infrastructure, Kolles is upbeat that HRT is ready to show that it can move forward in Formula 1 in 2011.

The team suffered a setback last year when a planned technical tie-up with Toyota for 2011 was terminated, but that has not stopped HRT's technical chief Geoff Willis pressing full-steam ahead with the team's new car - which it hopes to be ready for one of the final pre-season tests.

And Kolles believes that with Willis' input, plus the hydraulic tie-up with Williams, HRT has plenty of reasons to be optimistic about what it can achieve this year.

"The car looks completely different," Kolles told AUTOSPORT. "It looks more developed and improved.

"We obviously have a Williams rear end - with the hydraulics and the Cosworth engine. This package was able to qualify in the top 10 last year, so it cannot be that bad. That is not going to be our weak point.

"I hope we can improve on the aero package and, for sure, at the first race the car is not going to be a frontrunner - although you should never say never in F1! But we have to be realistic and we have to work hard."

Kolles has confirmed the team will begin its 2011 testing programme with its 2010 car, and said HRT hoped to have an interim version of the new model running as quickly as it can.

"We will run in the Valencia test with an old car, and maybe then we will have an interim car. We hope to run the new car as soon as possible - as soon as it is achievable."

When asked if he felt Willis had what he needed to deliver a step forward for HRT, Kolles said: "No - an engineer never has everything he needs. He wants more, of course, and we all want to improve more. We are a small team and we are trying to do a better job."

HRT's financial situation has been boosted by the signing of Narain Karthikeyan, who brings along sponsorship from the Tata Group. And although the outfit is still chasing further financial opportunities, Kolles believes his outfit is in no worse money shape than some other teams on the grid.

"I think that you shouldn't look at others, but I think maybe we have smaller problems than others have," he said.

"Every team needs sponsorship and money to improve and compete. It is very normal and a daily fight, and obviously the situation in the last 24 months is not easy. But everybody has to do his best and to fight and to keep it alive."

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/88827

What I cannot believe is the line, "The car is completely different". :roll:

Glennerz · Post by **Glennerz** » 07 Jan 2011, 13:11

http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/07012011/ ... -2011.html

And we hear that Senna has been dumped for 2011, though that was never a surprise. Karthikeyan/Chandhok dream team?

watka · Post by **watka** » 07 Jan 2011, 13:41

I really REALLY hope HRT get to the grid next season after this news! The 107% rule is certainly going to come into play!

Henrique · Post by **Henrique** » 07 Jan 2011, 15:20

watka wrote:I really REALLY hope HRT get to the grid next season after this news! The 107% rule is certainly going to come into play!

Right now, even HWNSNBM has a chance.
In the HRT website, it's referred that Narain drove for the Kolles Audi Team in 2009. Albers also drove for that team.

europeanminardi · Post by **europeanminardi** » 07 Jan 2011, 15:30

All I remember from Karthikeyean's "career" is the massive crash at the Chinese GP, when he was left in what looked like a yellow canoo.
This is even more ridiculous than the return of $akon Yamamoto to F1.

All the while competent drivers like Adam Carroll and (yes!) Takuma Sato have no drive...

HRT really DO remind of the mid-90ies-reject-team-glory, don't they? If only their name was still "Campos", that would be so much better than HRT.

Post by **mario** » 07 Jan 2011, 15:33

MaxZero wrote:Motorsport.com named the price as 8 Million.

In all fairness, i'de love to winge about this but i wouldn't want to see a competent driver in HRT, it would ruin them

Pair him with Yamamoto and it would be perfect. Kolles' two cash cows, driving a dog

$8 million? That's a bit of a rip off. Kolles is going to be taking him to the cleaners for every last penny he can get, and I imagine that he'll probably want to stick another pay driver in the other seat to bump up his pension pot even more...

dhruvkaicker90 wrote:Yes he was a second slower. Thats why its so surprising that he got the seat. He could be as out of depth as Badoer in 2009 but i am sure he will do great in wet races. I read somewhere that he once won a f3 race in Spa starting from 22nd on the grid

If anything, he could be even further out of his depth than Badoer - after all, Badoer had at least a little bit of practise with the car in pre season testing, whereas Narain last drove an F1 car five years ago. Hell, as you've pointed out, he's hardly even practised in a simulator, which although not the same as driving a real car, would have at least helped him to learn the tracks and roughly how the cars have evolved since he last drove.

The more that I look at this, the more I suspect that Narain will be the first driver in 2011 to be listed as "DNQ"...

Glennerz wrote:http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/07012011/58/senna-dumped-hrt-2011.html

And we hear that Senna has been dumped for 2011, though that was never a surprise. Karthikeyan/Chandhok dream team?

No surprises there - if his performance behind the wheel wasn't an issue, the fact that his sponsorship ran out last year is, so he won't be able to buy his way back into the team.

PLAYLIFE · Post by **PLAYLIFE** » 07 Jan 2011, 16:27

As mentioned above, my lasting memory of Narain was his huge accident in Shanghai - I've never seen a car go off there before or since....after failing almost killing himself there, he almost took out Jacques Villeneuve.

Which reminds me of his other infamous moment, at Spa following Villeneuve through Eau Rouge when Jacques got a massive tank slapper. Narain slipstreamed up Kemel and tried the most outrageous overtake around the outside into Les Combes, only to realise he was going about 200km/hr too fast and took the biggest short-cut I've ever seen in my life :lol:

absolutely terrible.

Salamander · Post by **Salamander** » 07 Jan 2011, 16:43

Not sure how reliable a source crash.net is, but according to this article, HRT offered Chandhok a drive, which Karun turned down. Apparently he's looking for a car capable of points, and has 'zeroed in' on two unnamed teams (presumably Force India and Toro Rosso).

Klon · Post by **Klon** » 07 Jan 2011, 16:52

BlindCaveSalamander wrote:Not sure how reliable a source crash.net is, but according to this article, HRT offered Chandhok a drive, which Karun turned down. Apparently he's looking for a car capable of points, and has 'zeroed in' on two unnamed teams (presumably Force India and Toro Rosso).

As much as I think Karun could do quite well in an appropriate car - this might be a case of unwarranted self importance. Just like Hülkenberg. And people wonder why they do not get seats, whereas Narain Karthikeyan does.

DanielPT · Post by **DanielPT** » 07 Jan 2011, 17:08

I cannot imagine why Chandhock thinks he deserves a better seat. Yes, he was a bit better last year than Senna, and lets face it, Senna doesn't swim in a pool of previous racing experience, but his feeder credentials are average at most. I do remember him getting soundly beaten by Alvaro Parente in GP2 when both raced for the same team (Ocean if I am not mistaken...).

My guess about Hülkenberg is that he thinks it is better to wait on the wings of an established team than go to HRT, and frankly, given what HRT is, the boy has a point.

Myrvold · Post by **Myrvold** » 07 Jan 2011, 21:49

DanielPT wrote:I do remember him getting soundly beaten by Alvaro Parente in GP2 when both raced for the same team (Ocean if I am not mistaken...).

You rememer wrong. Very wrong. The only time he have been beaten by a teammate (I do not count F1) was in 05, in F3. That was his first full season in any sort of racing since Ayrton died. That year Parente won the title. After that, he have always beaten his teammates, and never been beaten by Parente again.

Senna does have a very short career, but his GP2 results are better than more than one driver that is in their second (or more) season in F1.

Post by **mario** » 07 Jan 2011, 23:18

Klon wrote:
BlindCaveSalamander wrote:Not sure how reliable a source crash.net is, but according to this article, HRT offered Chandhok a drive, which Karun turned down. Apparently he's looking for a car capable of points, and has 'zeroed in' on two unnamed teams (presumably Force India and Toro Rosso).

As much as I think Karun could do quite well in an appropriate car - this might be a case of unwarranted self importance. Just like Hülkenberg. And people wonder why they do not get seats, whereas Narain Karthikeyan does.

Now Chandhok has decided to speak to Autosport, and he says that he never entered into talks with HRT to begin with:

"I wasn't chasing the HRT drive in 2011," he explained. "The team didn't make much progress last year and, at the time when we last spoke to them, it didn't sound like there was a huge amount in the pipeline for this year. I had one year with them, and I am grateful and will always be grateful to them for getting me a foot in the door. But now I'm looking elsewhere."

Essentially, what he is hoping to do is follow the same path as Di Resta, starting out as a test driver in a midfield team for a year or two and driving in practise session, before making a switch to a fron line drive in 2012 or 2013:

"I want something for the medium and long term - not just for 2011," Chandhok told AUTOSPORT on Friday. "What I do in 2012 and 2013 is important. If that means taking a back seat, as reserve driver next year, then so be it - a bit like what Paul di Resta did in 2010. As long as it is somewhere further up the grid, then that is the best option."

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/88833

Interestingly, he was very complimentary about Tony Fernandes and the effort that he is putting in. Now, since Fauzy left the team, there is a vacancy for a test driver, and Lotus Racing could well be on the up, so perhaps he might have an eye on the test driver role there before replacing Trulli in 2012?

shinji · Post by **shinji** » 08 Jan 2011, 01:11

Say... Tata make cut-price cars for the Indian market, don't they?

Manufacturer backing is what I call this. Prepare for a $2,000 HRT Nano on the Bahrain grid.

Or don't.

DanielPT · Post by **DanielPT** » 08 Jan 2011, 01:56

Myrvold wrote:
DanielPT wrote:I do remember him getting soundly beaten by Alvaro Parente in GP2 when both raced for the same team (Ocean if I am not mistaken...).

You rememer wrong. Very wrong. The only time he have been beaten by a teammate (I do not count F1) was in 05, in F3. That was his first full season in any sort of racing since Ayrton died. That year Parente won the title. After that, he have always beaten his teammates, and never been beaten by Parente again.

Senna does have a very short career, but his GP2 results are better than more than one driver that is in their second (or more) season in F1.

I was talking about Chandhock in that sentence... Karun finished 18th and Parente finished 8th in 2009.

Myrvold · Post by **Myrvold** » 08 Jan 2011, 04:53

DanielPT wrote:
Myrvold wrote:
DanielPT wrote:I do remember him getting soundly beaten by Alvaro Parente in GP2 when both raced for the same team (Ocean if I am not mistaken...).

You rememer wrong. Very wrong. The only time he have been beaten by a teammate (I do not count F1) was in 05, in F3. That was his first full season in any sort of racing since Ayrton died. That year Parente won the title. After that, he have always beaten his teammates, and never been beaten by Parente again.

Senna does have a very short career, but his GP2 results are better than more than one driver that is in their second (or more) season in F1.

I was talking about Chandhock in that sentence... Karun finished 18th and Parente finished 8th in 2009.

Woah, I can understand why i read it wrong first time, second time and third time!

Peter · Post by **Peter** » 08 Jan 2011, 06:46

DanielPT wrote:Yes, he was a bit better last year than Senna.

U mad? Almost every race Senna and Karun raced together in 2010 Senna outqualified him, but most of the races just went wrong for Senna either because of reliability, crashes, or incidents.

Phoenix · Post by **Phoenix** » 08 Jan 2011, 21:40

What made Karun Chandhok likeable was his attitude and how staid, calm and collected remained while having a fair degree of speed, which was, considering his average lower formulae results, a pleasant surprise. What was most required of that particular situation was that very serene attitude, to capitalize on others' misfortunes (after all, it's thanks to Chandhok that HRT finished ahead of Virgin in the Constructors Championship, with his 14th in Australia).