By IANS
New Delhi : A1 Grand Prix driver Narain Karthikeyan has assured A1 Team India his 110 percent commitment during the 2008-09 season and he expects a top-six finish in all the races next year.
“Right now I am 110 percent committed to A1 GP. I think the win has come at the right time and I am on a high,” Karthikeyan told reporters here Thursday.
Karthikeyan, the first Indian to win an A1 GP race, entered his name in the record books Sunday, after his success in Zuhai, China.
“It was important for us to end the year on a high note. It was important for A1 Team India as we have a lot of plans for the next year,” said the 30-year-old driver, who was also the first Indian to race on the Formula One circuit.
Karthikeyan was the first Indian to drive for a F1 team, Team Jordan Toyota, which selected him as the race driver for the 2005-6 season. But he had an uneventful F1 debut and his best finish was fourth at Indianapolis in the US, where only six out of 20 cars participated.
In the next season, he was back in the F1 circuit again but this time as a test driver with the BMW Williams F1 team.
Is he confident of getting back to the F1 circuit again? Karthikeyan’s response was: “Every time I perform at this level my chances of moving forward certainly improve.”
Karthikeyan is also not disappointed at missing out on a spot in the Vijay Mallya co-owned Force India team in the F1 circuit.
“It is not the end of the world for me. But an Indian team on the F1 grid is definitely a great news for motorsports in India.”
Asked whether A1 was a step in the right direction, he said: “I am not feeling bad at all. A1 GP win was especially essential to shut up all the critics. We have managed to get the settings right in qualifying and we hope to finish the year off on a strong note.
“I don’t think this is a step back in any way but a step to the side. But it was a brave decision all the same at that time. I didn’t want to continue as the test driver of Williams for another year if they couldn’t offer me the position of the third driver.”
Karthikeyan also said that he is looking forward to the 2008 season when all the cars on the grid will be driven with the Ferarri engines.
“The team is certainly improving with every race. Now that we have got our set-up sorted out we will definitely be in the top-six in the rest of the races this season,” he said.
Asked whether a 23-year-old Chandhok is a lucrative option over an older Karthikeyan, he said: “Age is just a number for me. Damon Hill made his debut in F1 aged 31 and was the world champion later. As long as the reflexes are intact one can drive till the age of 40.”
“I would not like to compare myself to Karun, because we were part of the same team three years ago and I was quicker than him,” Karthikeyan said matter-of-factly.