Indian GP: Narain Karthikeyan impresses on home turf
Monday 31, October 2011
GREATER NOIDA: Sebastian Vettel might well have made himself half-Indian with his 'dhanyavaad' speech at the post-race briefing, but it was a mixed day for the nation in the inaugural Airtel Indian Grand Prix.
The only Indian competing at the Buddh International Circuit - Narain Karthikeyan of Hispania Racing Team - finished a creditable 17th to equal his best showing for the team this season. Sahara Force India, the Indian team on the grid will be slightly disappointed how the day panned out as Adrian Sutil was the only one to finish in the points at ninth place while Paul Di Resta came in 13th.
Karthikeyan had an impressive drive in front of his home crowd despite having started right at the back of the starting grid due to a five-place penalty. The 34-year-old driver finished ahead of Australian teammate Daniel Ricciardo and Jarno Trulli of Team Lotus.
Both HRT drivers rose to 15th and 16th position by Lap 4 after a mad scramble in the opening lap of the race. The team suffered a little though with the planned two-stop strategy not panning out well.
"I had a great race and really enjoyed myself, it was an amazing experience. To finish 17th in my home Grand Prix is the best result I could have hoped for with the car at my disposal. It's a shame though that we faced the penalty and could have finished a little bit further up," Karthikeyan said after the race.
HRT team principal Collin Kolles was pleased for Karthikeyan, saying, "I'm really happy for Narain because racing at the home GP for the first time is a once in a lifetime opportunity. He had a fantastic weekend and managed a great result."
Force India though would have hoped for a better showing after Sutil managed to qualify in the eighth place. But for the second race in succession he was outpaced through the race by Toro Rosso's Jaime Alguersuari.
The two cars just lacked the pace to match the Toro Rosso's but the team will be happy that two points will keep their lead at 51-41 points over Sauber and Toro Rosso in the battle for sixth place in the Championships.
"It was quite a good race and I think we can be happy with the two points today. In the early laps I struggled with the rear of the car, with a bit of oversteer, and could not hold off the Toro Rossos who were a bit quicker today," Sutil said.
Credit: Narain Karthikeyan (www.narainracing.com)
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