A1 high pushes Narain to newer dreams

The smiling face splashed across Monday’s morning papers came with a different looking Narain Karthikeyan.

The smiling face splashed across Monday’s morning papers came with a different looking Narain Karthikeyan. A win does that to you, all the more when it has come after a long wait.

His first full season with A1 GP, and Karthikeyan has already made it to the top of the podium — winning last week’s Feature Race in Zhuhai, China. Back in the country for a gap in the calendar, Karthikeyan wants to concentrate on the positives.

Cynics might continue to mutter, but India’s biggest name in motor racing is trying to prove that he’s not ready to go away without a fight. He has spent time testing for Williams, a job he loves anyway, and with the A1 GP involvement fitting in nicely in between, he insists he’s “on a high.”

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“This (win) has come at a great time. There was a lot of talk that I’m on a low as 2007 was spent testing away from the limelight. So going into a new year on a high is a great confidence boost,” he says.

So is his season dedicated to A1? “I didn’t want to be a test driver (for Williams F1 team) for another season. At the moment I’m 100 per cent committed to A1, but it certainly doesn’t mean that the F1 chapter is over,” he says. “A1 might be a step away, but it’s not a step back.”

So as he continues to build a team around him in A1, the idea is to stay competitive. “A1 does not compete with F1 or the GP2 series. It has very competitive drivers, a mix of young and experienced ones. There is a lot of close racing and overtaking. There is also a much physical effort involved as A1 cars have no power steering,” he says. But was not getting a call-up from Force India disappointing? “It’s not the end of the world for me. They have their own plans. But it’s great that an Indian owns an F1 team.” So even though the Williams experience might not come handy here—the two GPs are “completely different,” according to Karthikeyan—it’s about staying in the thick of things.

And as A1 gets ready with Ferrari cars next season, the challenge will only grow. “There will obviously be huge logistics involved with those cars. I haven’t seen the new cars but there would obviously be a big change.”

THE A1 CAR

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•600 kg monocoque chassis, made and designed by Lola. Has a carbon fibre skin which cloaks a core made of aluminium honeycomb

•Dimensions: Overall length of 4833mm, with a long wheelbase of 3000 mm and a wide track of 1476 mm (front) and 1468 mm (rear)

•Performance: Limited 3.4 litre V8 engine, with a power-boost button, engine type: ZA1348, displacement: 3400 cc

•Suspension: double wishbone and pushrod-operated twin coil over damper, adjustable ride height, wheel chambers

• New Ferrari cars: Six-year deal from January 1, 2008 to March 14, 2014