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Catching Up With Narain Karthikeyan

Apr 10, 2007

Read more: a1 team india, speed car series

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Q. What made you decide to race in A1GP?

A. I ve been in discussion with A1 Team India since early last year, but due to my contractual obligations with Williams F1 (for whom I am a test driver), things just didn t happen earlier in the A1 season. With my racing calendar this season being fairly free, and my inherent need as a racer to race, not just test, I weighed all the options available to me. Of the 3 or 4 options that I had, A1 was certainly the most attractive. It is a genuine World Championship with representation from all over the world, and racing across the globe. The level of competition is great, and with the cars all being equal, I felt that I could compete on a level playing field without any technical disadvantages.

Q. Does it make a difference racing for your country s team?

A. Of course it does. I ve always been very proud to be Indian. I ve been wearing the national flag colours on my helmet since my racing career started.

Q. After three weekends of A1GP, how do you rate your performance?

A. I think I ve shown that when the car is competitive, so am I. I have made a mistake or two, like in Qualifying in Durban, and the team have made a couple of mistakes as well, which has hampered my performance, but overall I think we ve made a positive start, and now we re really fired up to rack up some good results before the season is over.

Q. Did you expect the Series to be so competitive?

I really wasn t sure what to expect when I first arrived in Taupo. I had watched a few races earlier this season as well as during the first season of A1, so I was aware that the racing would be close and competitive.

A. Can A1 Team India win?

With the championship designed the way it is, I think any team can win, given the right ingredients, so of course A1 Team India can win. We are all working flat-out to prove exactly that.