Adrian Sutil will start Sunday's Turkish Grand Prix 11th on the grid, seven places ahead of team-mate Vitantonio Liuzzi, as none of the Force India drivers could make it to the third qualifying session (Q3)on Saturday.
Having an Indian driver in Force India just for the sake of it would have been counter-productive for the Silverstone-based outfit, said Formula One supremo Bernie Ecclestone.
Adrian Sutil's seventh place finish brought Force India back among the points again but Hispania driver Karun Chandhok's hopes of a third successive finish were dashed after a tangle with Toro Rosso's Jamie Alguersuari in the Spanish Grand Prix in Barcelona on Sunday.
"Welcome to the gang." Coming from the matchless Michael Schumacher, these generous words sweetened Karun Chandhok's Formula One debut in Bahrain but looking ahead, India's newest F1 driver reckons a jerky ride awaits him this season.
India's new Formula One entrant Karun Chandhok has thanked Bernie Ecclestone for helping him to fulfill his lifelong dream.
India's Karun Chandhok has been pencilled in to be the first driver to lap South Korea's new Grand Prix circuit in a Formula One car next month.
Indian driver Karun Chandhok will miss Sunday's Hungarian Formula One Grand Prix after also being dropped by Hispania for last weekend's race in Germany.
Both the Force India cars finished among points for only the second time since its inception, while Hispania driver Karun Chandhok came 18th in the Canadian Grand Prix in Montreal on Sunday.
Karun Chandhok grew in confidence with his eventful 14th place finish in the Monaco Grand Prix and the Hispania driver now wants to carry forward the confidence to Sunday's race in Istanbul.
Chennai-based Indian driver Karun Chandhok is getting ready to try Force India's driver simulator and is confident of proving his mettle for a Formula One debut next year.
Karun Chandhok hailed Sunday's Monaco Grand Prix as one of his best races yet, despite running over a rival's steering wheel and then crashing out with a car skimming his helmet.
For the first time, both the Force India cars finished among points but Hispania driver Karun Chandhok was among the 12 drivers who did not last the distance at the Monaco Grand Prix, which turned out to be a bloodbath of a race in Monte Carlo on Sunday.
Formula One driver Karun Chandhok had a spring in his step at the Spanish Grand Prix on Saturday after recovering from a bout of food poisoning that laid him low earlier in the week.
Force India's point-scoring streak came to an abrupt end in a chaotic Chinese Grand Prix on Sunday with Adrian Sutil finishing 11th while his team-mate Vitantonio Liuzzi retired after an opening lap brake problem.
Force India driver Adrian Sutil made it to the third qualifying session (Q3) once again and will start the Chinese Grand Prix 10th, while Karun Chandhok of Hispania will begin from the back of the grid.
Force India's Adrian Sutil was seventh in the first practice session before he returned to clock the 10th fastest time in the afternoon while Hispania driver Karun Chandhok got some long runs under his belt before Sunday's Malaysian Grand Prix in Sepang.
Karun Chandhok is well aware of the monumental task ahead in his rookie Formula One season after he was thrown in at the deep end in a Hispania car devoid of pre-season testing.
Force India's Adrian Sutil breezed into the third qualifying session (Q3) and will start Sunday's Australian Grand Prix 10th on the grid which will have India's lone F1 driver Karun Chandhok in the last row. Both the Force India cars should have been in Q3 but Sutil's team mate Vitantonio Liuzzi was caught up in traffic and the Italian, who scored the outfit's first points in Bahrain, would be 13th on the starting grid.
Force India cars figured in top 10 in both the segments ahead of Sunday's Australian Grand Prix but India's lone F1 driver Karun Chandhok could complete only 20 laps before a gearbox problem ended his run in the free practice sessions in Melbourne on Friday.
After his Bahrain debut ended inside two laps, India's Karun Chandhok reckons finishing the race at the Australian Grand Prix would be a strong result for his rookie F1 outfit.
Karun Chandhok's truncated Formula One debut last weekend was tougher than he expected and the Indian driver admits his Hispania (HRT) team faces a long, hard season.
Reader Santhosh Kurup sent us these pictures from Dubai.
Chandhok, who will be only the second Indian to race in Formula One after Narain Karthikeyan in 2005, will make his debut on Sunday with less experience behind the wheel of his car than any driver in recent memory. Until Saturday's first knockout qualifying session, he had not even driven it out of a garage, let alone around a corner or down a straight.
India's Formula One debutant Karun Chandhok, who got his super licence on Sunday, says he'd like to see seven-times champion Michael Schumacher beat Hamilton this season.
Karun Chandhok has no illusions about what awaits him this weekend when India's sole Formula One driver makes his debut barely a week after sealing the deal. His new Spanish-based HRT team, formerly Campos Meta, have not even conducted a shakedown test of the Cosworth-powered car after narrowly winning a race just to get it ready for the Bahrain season-opener.
Formula One supremo Bernie Ecclestone has urged India to get behind Karun Chandhok when he makes his grand prix debut in Bahrain next weekend with the new HRT team.
Karun Chandhok on Thursday ended India's long wait to see its second Formula One driver and Narain Karthikeyan, the first man to do it for the country, has wished the youngster good luck.
Set to rub shoulders with the likes of Michael Schumacher and Lewis Hamilton, Karun Chandhok said it feels surreal to have finally become India's second Formula One driver.
Karun Chandhok is in the final stages of talks with Campos Meta Formula One team for a drive in the 2010 season, his manager said on Friday. Spain's Campos, one of four new teams in an expanded F1 grid in the new season, have so far named only one driver, Brazilian Bruno Senna, nephew of late F1 world champion Ayrton Senna and Chandhok's former GP2 team mate.
It was a repatriation flight for the Indians stuck in London and being exposed to infection during the long journey was a risk but Formula 1 hopeful Jehan Daruvala had no option.
Ocean Racing Technology (ORT) secured a top driver contract for the GP2 Main Series with Indian driver Karun Chandhok joining forces with the Portuguese team, making him the first driver confirmed for the outfit directed by former Formula One driver Tiago Monteiro. Chandhok has two seasons in the series under his belt, which saw him secure several podium finishes and therefore brings great experience with him that will be decisive for the all new team in the GP2 Main Series.
Indian racing ace Karun Chandhok is keen on joining Malaysian outfit Lotus Racing for the 2011 season so that he can contribute in Asia's emergence as a force in the "West dominated" Formula One circuit.
Karun Chandhok can kiss his Force India ambitions good-bye, at least for the time being, after chairman of the resurgent outfit Vijay Mallya said he doesn't consider any Indian driver good enough for Formula One.
F1 aspirant Karun Chandhok finished a lowly 19th in the feature race of the GP2 Main Series, thus failing to buttress his case for a seat with the Force India Formula One team.
Karun Chandhok came all the way from the rear of the grid only to finish seventh, just outside the points, in the GP2 race on Sunday.
Motor racing ace Karun Chandhok has become the first Indian to be invited to join the British Racing Drivers Club (BRDC). The BRDC is the world most elite and prestigious club with the members including the only a select few International drivers from outside of Britain.
Karun Chandhok will test with GP2 teams in Abu Dhabi this weekend while still hoping for a return to Formula One next year in time for his country's first Grand Prix.
Karun Chandhok drove an amazing race to finish third at the British Grand Prix and secure Ocean Racing Technology's (ORT) first podium finish in the GP2 series in Silverstone on Sunday. The Chennai-born driver, who had finished sixth in the feature race, ended up ahead of series leader Romain Grosjean.
'Best Driving Style' award in a glittering ceremony at the Sporting Club Monza, in Italy. The 24-year-old iSport International driver ended the 20-race season in the top 10 in a year highlighted by victory at Hockenheim in Germany as well as podium finishes at classic Grand Prix venues in Monaco and Silverstone.
Karun Chandhok declared South Korea's new, and as yet unfinished, grand prix circuit to be in good shape after becoming the first person to drive a Formula One car around it on Saturday.
© 2026 Rediff.com - Investor Information - Advertise with us - Disclaimer - Privacy Policy - Sitemap - Feedback - About us - Terms of use - Grievances