Hyderabad: India’s first F1 driver Narain Karthikeyan reckons that Hyderabad hosting a round of Formula E — India’s first world championship status event in 10 years — will provide a much-needed “buzz” to the stagnating motorsport in the country, though a lot more needs to be done for the sport to flourish.
India last hosted a major motorsport event back in 2013, when the third Indian Grand Prix Formula 1 race was held in Greater Noida.
With the all-electric Formula E Championship making its India debut this week and a MotoGP race scheduled in September, things are looking up for Indian motorsport.
Karthikeyan, who raced around the world for close to three decades before shifting focus to his entrepreneurial venture couple of years ago, spoke to PTI ahead of the Hyderabad race and also shared his thoughts on young drivers Jehan Daruvala and Kush Maini, who both will be seen in F1’s support series Formula 2.
A) It’s been a decade since a World Championship race has been held in India. So, even though this is a new format, to have a World Championship race is superb in India. It will definitely bring back the buzz, these Gen 3 cars have finally seemed to be showing the true potential and the overall spectacle seems much energised.
A) Having such an event in the heart of the city at Hyderabad, it will certainly attract a lot of crowd especially being the inaugural race, everyone will be eager to witness the highly charged atmosphere.
Having said that, the layman on the street would find it difficult to identify any of the drivers. But there are some big brands and manufacturers involved who will certainly do their bit in promoting the event.
Like all street circuits, the Hyderabad track will have its own unique challenges, it will be very green to start with. As it is a one day event, the evolution of the track will be rapid and the teams and drivers need to be quick to adapt to these fast changing conditions.
A) I am not sure about Jehan missing the bus. But a fourth season in Formula 2 is not ideal and makes it difficult to graduate to F1. But for reasons known only to him and his advisors, they’ve taken a call to continue in Formula 2 in the hope to reach Formula One is the only logic behind this campaign yet again.
A) Kush Maini seems to have a lot of potential and he has shown glimpses of pace in the F3 championship last season and moving up to F2 is another big step. In testing, he was right on the pace and knowing him personally well, I wish him the very best and I’m pretty sure he is going to surprise a lot of people.
A) Again, another world championship event coming to India will bring motorsport back into the spotlight with two major events happening in the same calendar year will rekindle the interests of fans and enthusiasts
Given the opportunities, there is enough talent in the country, the motorsport needs infrastructure and financial support which has lacked over the years.
A) I competed as a professional racing driver for nearly three decades. Sure, I have a lot of attachment towards it. In the same way, DriveX is a mobility platform which I am very passionate about. Through this, I’m connected to the entire ecosystem. I enjoy what I do in building this global platform.
A) Of Course the EVs are the new buzz in the Auto world. It is highly relevant in the world of technology and the automobile world. Motorsport brings up new R&D which paves its way to road vehicles. It will be a perfect platform for showcasing EVs and other tech which will trickle down to everyday mobility for the future.
This post was last modified on February 8, 2023 3:25 pm