Karun Chandhok needs a chance to prove his skills
Bernie Ecclestone is eager to see Karun Chandhok return for the 2011 season more aggressively.
The Indian driver is currently signed with Hispania Racing Team (HRT), where he has seen a much struggling season with not a very competitive car. As the season now reaches its packing stage Formula One Supremo, Ecclestone pronounced
his hopes of seeing the driver signing with a better team for the upcoming season which can provide him with a better car.
Chandhok teamed up with HRT at the start of the season and has raced for the team in the first ten races giving his last appearance on the track at the British Grand Prix. The team’s third driver Sakon Yamamoto has replaced him
from then onwards.
The Formula One caravan is now preparing to enter the Indian soil next season for the debut Indian Grand Prix scheduled to take place at the end of October in 2011. Bernie considers Chandhok to be a key player of the race, in terms
of pulling advertisers as well as crowds of India, but this could not be achieved unless the driver gets attached with a good team where he could prove his skills and competitive spirit more vividly.
Eccelstone is very excited for the upcoming Indian race as he has pronounced time and again that India is a big market. He further describes that the country is growing immensely as a very significant and powerful player of world
business, culture and sport. FIA is looking forward to the Indian Grand Prix as a very important addition to the calendar and believes that the highly enthusiastic and cheerful people of the country will turn Formula One’s race into a great festive event,
the way they had made cricket and showbiz in their country.
While talking to the Times of India, Eccelstone said "Having an Indian team is obviously a big help. An Indian driver will be an even better deal.”
Currently the Formula One squad has one Indian team in it, called Force India, which is owned by one of the biggest business tycoons of the country, Vijay Mallya, who also happens to be a key figure in taking the sport to the Indian
soil. Many people are also of the view that if the Indian team and the driver unite in the next season they can together, pull a lot of media coverage, build hype among people and can get a lot of advertisers as well. However, while answering such assumptions,
earlier this year, Mallya said that so far he is happy with his current drivers and does not have any plans for signing Chandhok. On the other hand, all through the season the Indian driver has given hints time and again about his interests for joining his
home team.
During his discussion with the Indian reporters, Ecclestone stated that, “Karun served his apprenticeship in a car that he could do nothing about. He really needs to be in a team where he can show his potential because I think
he can be very, very good if he gets the right car."
The 2008 world Champion, Lewis Hamilton also seconds Ecclestone, saying that the young driver must be given a chance with a better car to prove his skills.
"Karun is a very good driver," he continued telling. "He understands the nuances of the sport very well and if he is able to get a better car, he would be able to make a big difference."
Since Chandhok has not been driving with the team since past few races, he has been working as a live commentator for Radio 5. Also he has recently covered an assignment of test driving with Red Bull at the newly built Korean track
last month.
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