Narain Karthikeyan re-signs with HRT
There was only one seat left, and it has now been assigned. Indian driver Narain Karthikeyan will team up with Pedro de la Rosa at HRT for the 2012 Formula 1 season.
A few weeks before the first Grand Prix of the 2012 Formula 1 season, the lineup is now complete. There was only one seat left available, at HRT, and it was the Indian Narain Karthikeyan who was officially announced by the Spanish team this morning.
The Indian driver who had already been present in F1 with Jordan in 2005 made his return to the category last season with the same HRT team before being replaced by Daniel Ricciardo from Silverstone onwards. Narain Karthikeyan, however, made another appearance behind the wheel of the F111 during the first ever Indian Grand Prix in the history of F1.
In recent days, it seemed that Dutchman Giedo van der Garde was in the lead to support Pedro de la Rosa, but the management ultimately chose continuity by once again placing their trust in Karthikeyan.
« I am delighted to have Narain with us this season. He will contribute to the team’s continuity and stability. He is fast, intuitive, and met expectations last season despite a lack of consistency. During the eight Grand Prix he participated in in 2011, he was only able to finish on one occasion. I am confident that he will continue to work and drive on a foundation that will allow him to progress this season. We can say that the team is starting from scratch this year, and every person involved will be important, » explains Luis Pérez-Sala, the team principal.
For Karthikeyan, this signing with HRT is a great opportunity to build on his achievements from 2011, and with the numerous changes made within the team in recent months, he hopes this will enable progress.
« It took a lot of work to get here, but I am absolutely thrilled to be on the grid with HRT in 2012. I was pleased with our performance at the Indian Grand Prix in front of my fans, and I hope to build on this result in 2012. I have trained hard since the end of 2011 to ensure that I would be ready to step into an F1 if the opportunity arose. I am happy to have signed with HRT F1 Team. With the new management, Pedro, and the team, there is definitely potential to progress, » says the Indian driver.
The HRT team, which unlike in recent years, will indeed be present during winter testing. The team will send the 2011 F111 to Jerez to test the new Pirelli tires. The 2012 car, on the other hand, is not expected to hit the track before the March tests at the Barcelona circuit.
