Narain Karthikeyan aims to finish as many races in 2011
The first ever Indian driver to drive a full Formula 1 season, Narain Karthikeyan recently revealed that he signed with Hispania Racing Team (HRT) for the 2011 Formula 1 season as their full season driver. Narain stated that the team’s main aim in 2011 is
to finish as many races as they possibly can. Since the team is not going to use a new car in the beginning of the 2011 Formula 1 season, they hope to bring in an updated version of their 2010 car and probably perform much better than they did in 2010. The
team has not revealed its second driver yet but it is believed that it is either going to be Christian Klien, Sakon Yamamoto or Karun Chandhok.
The team is expected to use Williams’ gearboxes and a completely new hydraulics package. However, the team might not use KERS (Kinetic Energy Recovery System.) The squad is definitely going to face some problems since the new season is bringing in new rules
and regulations and applying those to their 2010 car might create some problems for them.
“The team and I are under no illusions, and don't expect any miracles in 2011. The team at HRT is working flat-out to ensure that the cars will be ready for the first tests in February. We want to be as reliable as possible, finish as many races as we can,
and then we will be moving in a positive direction,” he said in an interview.
Karthikeyan believes that the team would take one step at a time and reckons that there will be a noticeable improvement in the car’s performance in terms of pace.
“It (the car) will have an upgraded version of its 2010 chassis, mated to Cosworth engine and a gearbox from Williams F1. They have also hired designer Geoff Willis, who has plenty of experience in F1. This combination will definitely make for an improved
package,” he added.
He is confident that the team’s technical director Geoff Willis is a man who has the ability to deliver a good package in a small amount of time.
Since Narain’s signing with the team, the details about his deal with the team have not been made public yet. It is believed that his sponsor is one of the major reasons why the team signed the 33-year-old Indian driver.
“I cannot comment on HRT's contracts with its other drivers. I am confident that I will be driving in F1 for the 2011 racing season,” Narain concluded.
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