Chandhok eyes Red Bull test drive

Karun Chandhok

Indian driver Karun Chandhok is targeting further testing opportunities with Red Bull on the back of his debut Formula 1 outing with the team at Barcelona this week.

Standing in for regular tester Sebastien Buemi who is competing at Macau this weekend, Chandhok showed promising pace, finishing his second day in the RB3 0.7s slower than veteran David Coulthard.

Chandhok’s prospects of a future in F1 have been boosted by Indian tycoon Vijay Mallya’s recent takeover of Spyker and the fact that India is due to host a grand prix in 2010 – although Mallya has made it clear that driver selection will be based on merit and not simply nationality.

GP2 race winner Chandhok is thought to be high on Mallya’s short list, if not for next season then for 2009, but the 23-year-old says he cannot take a Force India seat for granted.

“Mallya’s buyout of Spyker is good for India and Indian motorsport as it gives us more credibility within the sport," he said in an interview with F1’s official website.

“At the moment people in India have presumed that it means that there will automatically be Indian drivers.

“What you have to remember is that while there is a 50 per cent Indian owner of the team, Formula 1 is a global sport with a global audience.

“Vijay has already made it clear on several occasions in public that the driver choice will be based on who is the most suitable rather than where he’s from and that’s fair enough.

“He was at several of the race weekends this season and saw that I had a strong run in the second half of the year.

“Obviously, I have spoken with him but I’m still only 23, so another year of GP2 will still keep me well within the age window to race from 2009 onwards and also give me a chance to gain more top-level European racing experience." In the meantime, Chandhok is eager to gain more seat time in an F1 car with Red Bull.

“At the moment I am testing for Red Bull Racing, who are an increasingly strong midfield team with huge potential and I am very happy with that," he said.

“What the future holds for 2008 and beyond, I’m not entirely sure at the moment but I’d like to think that I have done a good enough job here with Red Bull to get some more testing days next year combined with a GP2 program.

“As for the grand prix, of course it will be fantastic for me if I could be on the grid for that first Indian Grand Prix," he added.

“It is now a realistic probability and that is very exciting for anyone involved in Indian sport.

“Formula 1 is a global sporting phenomenon with a prestige value on a par with the football World Cup and the Olympics so it would be of huge value to India."