Focus on Karun Chandhok
Many people feel that Karun Chandhok has not earned his place in the world of Formula 1 racing. There have been rumours for the last several years that Chandhok’s ascent up the world of racing to eventually land with the HRT team in 2010 has had less to do with his talent and more to do with his connection. His father Vicky is a former driver and ex-president of the Federation of Motor Sports Clubs of India – and also a good friend of Formula 1 boss Bernie Ecclestone.
It’s always good to have friends in high places and if you want to race in Formula 1 there’s no better friend to have than Ecclestone, who has not been shy in expressing his desire to see Chandhok do well in the sport. This is partially due to economics – Chandhok is only the second Indian driver to race in Formula 1 and is a potential marketing goldmine as Ecclestone hopes to expand into a market with more than 1 billion people. However, other people have suggested that Ecclestone’s friendship with the Chandhok family has led him to use his influence to get rides for Karun Chandhok and advance his career.
It’s tough to say that Chandhok advanced through the sport strictly based on his results in other series. In three years of racing in the GP2 Series he won just won race and never finished higher than 10th in points (which he did in 2008). Certainly, the problem wasn’t equipment – in 2008 when he finished 10th, his teammate at iSport International Bruno Senna won two races, had three poles and six podium finishes and was second in the series standings.
It’s hard to argue against the fact that Chandhok’s main talent has been being in the right place at the right time. It’s all led to his having a spot on the HRT team for the 2010 season – ironically with Senna as his teammate. However, some people might argue that getting a seat on the HRT team has been less of a blessing than a curse. The team has gone from problem to problem this season, starting badly and not recovering.
The team had major problems with funding before the season began and missed all of its preseason testing. So it was wasn’t surprising that Chandhok qualified last and finished last in the opening race at the season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix. However, there was a hope that Chandhok’s performance would improve over time. Things did get better in the next two races as he finished 14th in Australia and 15th in Malaysia.
However, Chandhok’s performance hasn’t improved since then. The team went through three consecutive retirements in Spain, Monaco and Turkey and has yet to finish closer than two laps down in any race this season. His lack of success was echoed by Senna, who also struggled to get the HRT car up to speed. Things reached a low point when Senna was pulled from his seat for one race and replaced by Sakon Yamamoto.
Interestingly, there have been rumours that it was Chandhok and not Senna who was originally going to be removed from the seat before a “mystery man” made a visit to the HRT team paddocks on the eve of the British Grand Prix to convince them to leave Chandhok in the seat. Once again, it might have been a prime example of having friends (i.e. Ecclestone) in very high places.
However, not even an ally as important as Ecclestone will help Chandhok if his form continues to struggle. Then again, not being with the HRT team could be a blessing in disguise if he is able to find another team soon.
Tags: