Karun Chandhok: The Indian Representative at Formula One
True, making it to the Formula One stage is no mean feat for any driver, yet it was an especially difficult journey for Karun Chandhok. Born on 19th January, 1984, in Chennai, India, Karun originates from a country where until very lately, a large chunk of the population remained oblivious to the lure of motor racing.
Lacking the crucial home-backing that many of his European colleagues have enjoyed throughout their careers, Chandhok was yet determined to let nothing stand between his Formula One ambitions. After an initial stint at kart racing, the young Indian swiftly set the ball rolling for his professional aspirations by advancing to the Indian national competition; the Formula Maruti contest. After notching seven wins from ten pole starts, Chandhok took the championship title at apparent ease. After concluding, it was time to proceed to more challenging pastures, the endeavouring Indian then embarked on a move to overseas competitions.
Battling at the Asian leg of the Formula 2000 series, Chandhok won the 2001 championship with eight race victories to his name. The Indian’s successful run inevitably drew the notice of several English squads, making a move to Europe now seemed very much on the cards for Chandhok. As expected, the opportunity came knocking in late 2001, when the Carlin Motorsport squad offered the Indian a test drive outing on their British Formula Three machine.
Chandhok’s performance was assuring enough to reserve him a race seat for the 2002 British F3 season, where he chose to compete with the T-Sport squad. The Indian’s initial season saw him net the sixth spot overall at the national level and he decided to remain embedded with the T-Sport team for the coming season. 2003 saw a significant pick-up in Chandhok’s form, and the Indian clinched seven victories before ending third in the national rankings table.
Chandhok was once again at the forefront of the competition for most of the British Formula Three, 2004, season. The Indian also got to race side-by-side with compatriot Narain Karthikeyan later in the year at the Nissan World series contest. Chandhok shifted his attention to the newly formulated A1 GP series for the 2005 competition where he joined hands with the Team India squad. The same year, Chandhok also made appearances at the Formula Renault 3.5 race series teamed with RC Motorsport.
The Indian proceeded to contest the newly wrought Asian Formula Renault V6 tournament in 2006. In trademark style, Chandhok dazzled at the competition to seal the championship title after recording 7 victories from 12 outings.
In 2007, Chandhok once more journeyed to Europe, this time to try his fortunes at the GP2 series. Signing up with Durango Racing, the Indian found himself in the midst of many seriously tough contestants, including the likes of Bruno Senna, Lucas di Grassi, Kazuki Nakajima and Timo Glock. Yet, Chandhok took up the challenge to distinguish his name with gusto. The South Asian sealed a remarkable win at the year’s Belgian event, where he whizzed past the infamously challenging curves of the Spa-Francorchamps circuit all the way to victory. Chandhok’s Belgian exploits awakened the Formula One Red Bull squad to his significant promise and the Austrian drink-makers afforded him a test outing at the end of the 2007 season.
Paired with the great Ayrton Senna’s nephew, Bruno Senna, Chandhok embarked on another years spell at GP2 racing, this time competing for iSport International. In addition to securing podium positions at both Silverstone and Monaco, the Indian landed his second major victory at the 2008 German showdown.
Chandhok decided to switch teams for the 2009 GP2 run, pledging his loyalties to the Ocean Racing Technology squad. Although a third significant win eluded him, Chandhok’s transition to Formula One seemed increasingly likely. A handful of freshly wrought teams were on the hunt for talented young drivers who would spearhead their inaugural Formula One campaigns for the coming 2010 season. Amazingly, just as the sun was rapidly setting on the 2009 F1 campaign, Chandhok was picked up by HRT (Hispania Racing F1 Team) to partner fellow rookie, the Brazilian Bruno Senna.
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