Interview: Karun Chandok

Karun Chandhok is only the 2nd Indian Driver to compete in an F1 race, after Narain Karthikeyan raced for Jordan in 2005. India is a country with a limited Motor racing history, but it looks set to change after Grand Prix appearances from Karun and Narain. Chandhok burst onto the F1 scene for the Hispania F1 Team in 2010 for 10 rounds, placing a best finish of 14th at the mixed condition Australian Grand Prix. He then moved to Team Lotus as their reserve driver and got the chance to compete in the German Grand Prix at the Nurburgring, finishing 20th.

Not only is he one of Indian's best racing drivers, he is also one of the most popular faces in the paddock. His F1 knowledge is vast which creates a great spectacle when he is talking on TV and Radio. He has been commentated on the likes of F1 and GP2 and has appeared on a number of occasions as an F1 pundit.

I got the chance to ask Karun a few Questions on his F1 career, what 2012 holds for him and whether the only way is up for Motorsport in India.


Here is my exclusive interview with one of India's finest racing talents, Karun Chandhok:

1) Firstly,  India is not well known for its Motor sport, Growing up, how did you get interested in Motor racing and how popular was it at the time?

Racing has been my whole life since I was a kid. I’ve been obsessed with the sport and have grown up in a Motorsport environment (my grandfather raced in the 50’s and founded the Federation of Motorsports Clubs of India and my dad has been racing since 1972). It was a natural progression for me. While other kids were reading Tintin, I had my eyes glued to Autosport magazine. In India family businesses are very common so I guess you could say this is ours! Ever since I can remember I’ve wanted to be a racing driver so I’m glad I’m a person that gets to live out a childhood dream!!!

2) What was your first experience of a racing machine, how did you feel after the experience?

My first races were in the JK Tyre National Racing Championship in 2000 in India. I was racing in the Saloon car and Formula Maruti classes that day. The Saloon car race was first and I had qualified on pole position for my first race. At the start, Kamlesh Patel (who’s son Aditya now races in the VW Scirocco cup) got ahead of me but on the final lap I dived down the inside and took the lead to win my first ever race which was a big deal back then.

The first time I drove around a track in a race car was also in 2000. My dad was trying to launch a single make category with cars built in the UK and we had the prototype in India to demo at the big Annual Race Meet. On the Monday after the race, we went to the track so I could drive the car and get my first ever experience of a single-seater.

3) Describe your journey from karting to pre-GP2, did you have any difficulties?

To be honest, when I started out, things really were a bit different to the traditional European racing driver’s start. I was a product of the JK Tyre National Racing Championship but had no Karting experience. Since then we now have a bit more of a structure in terms of Karting in India but it was pretty non-existent when I entered the scene.

Winning the Formula 2000 Asia title was a big moment but entering the world of British Formula 3 was when I got my first taste of the really professional world of motorsport. I moved to the UK as an 18 year old and knew that it was where I had to be if I wanted to make this work. T-Sport were brilliant and gave me some incredible times on and off the circuit. Russell Eacott’s still one of my closest confidants in the UK and I am very grateful to the team for teaching me so much about the sport.

2004, 2005 and the end of 2006 were really tough times for me. In 2004 and 2005 we never really the right budget to compete in F3 or World Series and the A1 team was a bit of a disaster. For 2006 I moved back to Asia but after I had just won the Asian Renault V6 Championship pretty convincingly, I knew that if I had to pursue my ambition of being in Formula 1, I had to find a way back to Europe. As the money just wasn’t forthcoming, I had mentally prepared myself that this was going to be the end of the road. I was even close to accepting a F3 Team Manager position!

A week before the start of the GP2 testing season, Bernie Ecclestone called my dad to say that he had managed to come to a deal with Durango with Red Bull backing and along with JK Tyre and Amaron we managed to fund the 2007 season, which totally rescued my career. That was a real defining moment in my career and one I will always be indebted to them for.

4) You raced in the A1 GP series, representing India, was there some pressure?

It’s natural for any sportsperson on the stage that we’re at to be faced with pressure, more from within ourselves than others around us.  While there is a great deal of pressure at times, it was still an amazing feeling to know that you are 1 out of a billion people and that I was living out my childhood dream while representing my country. The A1 GP was a good concept as a series but the Indian team at the time didn’t have the best technical structure and came with a lot of baggage so I stepped away after 2 race weekends.

5) Out of all the seasons in GP2, which one would you rate as your best, and why is this?

It’s hard to say really. My debut year with Durango was a real eye-opener and I relished the challenge of establishing myself in Europe once again. Winning at Spa that year with a mid-field team at the time was very special and definitely gave me and many other around the belief that I was good enough to compete with the best out there.

My next year with iSport was really special. I really think they are the best team of guys I have ever worked with till date. The motivation to succeed was incredible and I built a great friendship with the team that has lasted until today.  It’s rare for team-mates to be friends but Bruno and I became very good mates and that hasn’t changed since, which helped us work as a team that year !

2009 was a mixed season where we just couldn’t get the consistency to deliver results all the time. We had some weekends where we were very fast but had terrible luck – 2 electronic glitches in Turkey when we were very fast was bad but losing out on the race win in Monaco was a real low point. I was comfortably in the lead, with Maldonado 2 seconds behind and we had nearly 20 seconds to D’Ambrosio and Hulkenberg in 3^rd and 4^th when the driveshaft broke 8 laps from home.

6) You raced in 60 races of the main GP2 series, any highlights or stand out moments from them?

My first GP2 win in Spa in 2007 was a huge moment for me.  It had been a very long hard slog that year to get the sponsorship money to race in Europe and I was the last driver to do a deal that year to be on the GP2 grid so to win a race with a totally unfancied team was a huge boost to my career. Having the Indian anthem play for the first time ever on a Grand Prix weekend was extremely special and a day I’ll never forget!   I think when I was doing GP2 and running at the front, winning races and getting podiums against some of the best drivers in the world, I started to believe Formula 1 was a reality and that it might happen. My podiums at Monaco and Silverstone with iSport and of course my win at Hockenheim again stand out.

7) You were once linked to the Force India team for a race spot, that would of been a big step for India wouldn't it?

Yes I suppose from a patriotic and marketing view that would’ve been fantastic for India but I don’t think about things I can’t control. Vijay and Force India were very clear with me from early on that they had their 2 race drivers signed up and the only possible opportunity was the test driver role.

My ambition was always to race in F1 so we went ahead and explored every other avenue to look into being on the grid in 2010 as the test drivers today do just a couple days of testing with the new regulations. I have no personal issues with Vijay and continue to be friends with him and his family.

8) Your 10 races with Hispania in 2010 were difficult, what do you think was the main problem with the car?

For me personally I tried to keep seeing the positives. I fulfilled a lifelong ambition of being a Formula One driver. I will always be grateful to HRT as they gave me my big break into Formula One. The season was a lot better than I expected as I finished 14^th twice to put the team ahead of Virgin Racing in the overall standings. It was obviously not easy at times & we really struggled with downforce and the aerodynamics package. The team was new to Formula 1 though and I just tried to stay realistic going into the season. I finished 8 out of the 10 races that I drove in with no real mistakes, which was our aim all along and earned the respect of the people in the paddock and the highly critical F1 specialist media.

9) Your 2011 season was mainly spent commentating and racing in Free Practice, do you wish Lotus (Now Caterham) had given you more of a chance?

 Of course ! It’s no secret that I wanted to do some races and in particular the Indian Grand Prix but in the end Tony and the team opted to stay with experience and I had to respect that.

10) What would you have changed in your 1^st race for Team Lotus at the German GP in 2011, and what problems did you face over that weekend?

Well I knew it would be tough going straight into a race after spending very little time testing the car. In F1 however, you have to take any opportunity to race, without a second thought. I was definitely excited when I heard the news and was thankful to Tony and the team for giving me the opportunity. The main thing to learn about was the Pirelli tyres as they were very different to the Bridgestones. Until that weekend, I had never driven on the dry weather slick tyres before, let alone doing a full race distance on them.

We had some issues in practice with temperatures and also with the different brake materials that the race drivers were using compared to what I had used before and so to get within 8 tenths of Heikki in qualifying was something I was pleased with. In the race, I struggled with the tyre degradation having not done more than 8 laps in a row before that and it’s a shame I didn’t get another opportunity.

11) What are your plans for 2012? Will we still be seeing you at F1 events?

I'm very excited to join JRM Racing for the new World Endurance Championship this year. The main thing is that I am very happy to be racing again. At the end of 2011, we explored the options to race in F1 and when it didn’t look like a possibility, I decided to look outside and the WEC presents the next best option. The cars are capable of speeds of over 360kmh, the calendar is fantastic and the quality of teams and drivers are very high. While I'm looking forward to the whole championship obviously, to be the first Indian to start at the famous Sebring 12hrs and the Le Mans 24hrs races will be a huge honor. I've stood on the podium at the legendary venues of Macau, Silverstone, Spa and Monaco among others in my career so far and Sebring and Le Mans are two other classics which would be great to add to that list one day!

12) Here is a question from Izzy Kenedy, sent using my websites contact form, she asks With Parthiva Sureshwaren continuing in F2 for 2012, do you think that there a good prospects for the future of Indian racing

The domestic racing scene in India has evolved a great deal and will only get better in the years to come. We have many more categories and the driver pool has become a lot more competitive too. We have a lot of automobile manufacturers that are looking to play a role in developing the sport in India like Ford, Skoda, Suzuki, and Volkswagen etc.

The new JK Racing Asia Series is one that I helped initiate and in 2012 the series now enters Europe which will give more Asians the chance to prove themselves on a more global platform and nurture them to ensure they are ready for F3 or GP2 in the future. On a global front Formula One is the second most watched sport only after football. In India motorsport is the third most watched sport after Cricket and Football. The audiences have been increasing year on year and this is purely due to the popularity of the sport. I still believe it is a growing sport in India and there is a lot more to come from this sport in the country.

13)  Louise Williams asks via Facebook, I think he has a great future in commentary - my question is, would he give up racing for a really good job as a commentator?

For me, motorsports is a passion not a job. Driving race cars is the most fantastic experience in the world and I feel blessed to be doing something I genuinely wanted to do when I was 3 years old. I love the technical side, interacting with the fans, the history of racing, the commercial complexities and I think this comes through in my commentary but more than anything I love driving.

I enjoyed my previous stint with ESPN-STAR in Asia, Eurosport, BBC and Sky Sports.  I think it’s important to play an ambassadorial role for the sport especially coming from a country like India where we are trying to make the sport grow and commentating is a great way to share my views and knowledge of the sport with millions of people through their television sets. To get so much positive feedback from it has just been the icing on the cake! 

14) Do you think the inaugural Indian Grand Prix was a success, has it brought F1 into the public eye a bit more?

Indian motorsport has never had it so good. Two drivers involved in the highest forms of motorsport, with a team in F1 and a race in our own backyard. With the Indian GP’s success the motorsports brand in India is only going to grow more rapidly. The Indian media has really been fantastic at supporting the F1 race and raising awareness for the sport across the country. Our biggest challenge as drivers has always been sponsorship/funding, so I now hope that more corporates step forward and see the benefits in being associated with the sport.

15) This is a common question but, if you could hire 2 drivers for a team who would they be, why would you hire them and what will they bring? It can be any F1 driver or lower formula one too.

I would say Alain Prost and Ayrton Senna – simply the best two drivers in the world gives you twice the chances of success ! In today’s world, probably Seb Vettel and Fernando.

16) Lastly with the F1 2012 season looking so competitive, do you have any predictions or is it too early to say?

Looks like RBR will once again be the favorites but Mclaren also look very competitive straight out of the box, something which hasn’t happened for a while. Ferrari will be there or thereabouts when it comes to crunch time I’m sure but both Mercedes and Force India as well as Lotus seemed to have taken good steps forward from 2011 so it could be a close battle from 3^rd backwards.