In Dialogue: Neel Jani [Part II]

'I was never asked for money at Force India' says Neel Jani. Read about his F1 plans and more as iSport.in brings to you Neel Jani in dialogue with Kunal Shah

You are reading Part II of this iSport Exclusive: Part I can be read here.

16. Did you miss out the Force India Formula1 seat only due to lack of personal sponsorship?
A. I don’t know. I was never asked for money at Force India

17. You think an Indian driver in a so-called Indian team could be a good bet to attract Indian viewers?
A. Yes you would think so, but also only if he is skilled enough to perform in F1. I think I would have been skilled enough as I have beaten several guys on the current grid. I assume it would make the team more ‘national’ in a sense. I mean look at McLaren and Mercedes – they both also seem to be cashing in on the national advantage through their drivers. I guess we need to wait to be see the impact it will have when an Indian team actually has an Indian driver, driving them ahead in the pinnacle of motorsport.

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18. Talking of India and motorsport – any Indian drivers that you are in touch with or good friends with?
A. I talk to Narain as I got to know him well in our time at A1GP and he is a very good laugh. He also was a hard competitor in A1GP and I think he’s a nice person – genuine.

19.Have you heard of the racing circuits in India? Any plans to drive on them? There’s a Formula Swift, Formula Rolon and Esteem Class ready for you to have some fun…
A. I know there is one in Chennai and one in Coimbatore – from where Narain hails. I would absolutely love the chance to do that some day – even just for fun.

20. Any Indian sports that you follow? Cricket / Hockey? Or any other sport for that matter?
A. I watch cricket sometimes – with my dad. It is nearly never on TV in Switzerland so hard to catch good matches though.

21. Your favourite Indian sportsman [any discipline would do]
A. I met Tendulkar once so obviously I follow him and Leander Paes! Both have proven themselves at the highest levels of international sporting competition.

22. Your favourite sportsman
A. No one specific as such. I think every great sportsman has his good things you should learn from. Switzerland and India have some very skilled sportspeople. This time for the Olympics in China – I know India did better, winning 3 medals!

23. Schumacher or Senna?
A. Schumacher

24. Traction Control – Yes or No
A. No

25. Re-fuelling ban – yes or no
A. YES [I can’t believe he said YES!]

26. KERS – yes or no!
A. YES

27. Dream F1 team that you’d like to drive for? [List out the Team Principal, Technical Director, Strategist, Chief Engineer, Chassis, Engine and Tyre choice]
A. Ferrari designed by Newey, Michelin tyres, lead by Max Welti (team boss A1GP), chief engineered by James Robinson and teammate Narain [smiles!]

28. Any thoughts on your association with Leander Sport?
A. Very proud to be associated to a professional company with such a big name and I have a great team working with me – good relationships!

29. A message for the motorsport fans on iSport.in
A. Keep routing for all your Indian and half Indian drivers as they can use all the support they get to move forward! And to some day make India proud!!

iSport attempts to bring to you athletes of international repute. Have a question or good wishes for Neel? Share them to us by either using the comments section below or mailing on This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

(The author is a former racer and currently works with Sport18 - a div. of Network18. Kunal can be contacted at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it )