iSport F1 Pitstop: iSport’s Motorsport Editor Kunal Shah maps Karun Chandhok’s progress through the first 4 GPs of the 2010 F1 season and is excited on his prospects for the upcoming European leg.
The Indian Motorsport fans got a shot in the arm when Hispania Racing Team announced their signing of Chennai – born Indian racing car driver Karun Chandhok. While many thought that the move was one too soon, 4 GPs into the season and Karun has surely been most impressive of the rookies.
The HRT machine isn’t the best of the new comer teams, but their drivers can surely be touted as the best rookies. Karun and Bruno have been the best of the GP2 class and were team-mates in their past seasons. Dallara, the manufacturer of the HRT chassis has been criticized by one and all and many have expressed surprise in Dallara’s development technology.
Car troubles, coupled with lack of sponsorship would mean that Karun would have more to deal with than most other drivers on the grid – and deal he has till date. Barring his debut race in Bahrain, Karun’s drive has been a revelation with him completing the races in Australia, Malaysia and China. Better than he finished ahead of his team-mate in Australia and Malaysia.
The pre-season talks were about Karun and his challenges and I would say that he’s done well to not just face them, but also beat them with his gut. The first of his challenges were to get used to the car and finish races. If not for a bump in Bahrain, Karun would’ve finished all the 4 GPs this season. The next challenge with respect to the car is of its in-season development. The car is off the pace, but reliable and has been completing races. The team and Dallara need to invest their resources (time and money) into upgrading their components to allow their drivers to fight for the top 10 finish.
The second challenge was of beating his much-talked-about team mate Bruno Senna. The Brazilian ace is one of the best talents and was Karun’s team-mate in the GP2 series too. Bruno was consistently quicker than Karun during their GP2 days and beating Bruno in the HRT car would be the best way for Karun to announce his arrival.
While their pace isn’t much to talk about, Bruno has had a slight edge over Karun over one single lap, however, Karun has proved that with his mature driving and grit, he’s managed to finish more races than Bruno this season. This is the best possible start for Karun in his F1 career and completing races will be his top priority before he gets picked by a better team by the end of the season. Good luck Karun!!
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Gunjan Shah
said:
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... I Dont agree with the statement that KC has been the best of the rookies this season. Vitaly Petrov has clearly been the best. |
Kunal Shah
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... Ah! G, yes, Petrov has done really well no doubt, but it's also down to his machine which is very good. KC has done well considering that his machine has been lambasted by one and all for its non-F1 design and performance! |
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