Ecclestone supports Chandhok, unlike Mallya
Bernie Ecclestone went against the statements of Force India’s owner, Vijay Mallya, who claimed that no Indian driver was ready, to date, to compete in Formula 1. The billionaire, who owns and operates the first Indian team in the history of F1, wants a compatriot behind the wheel of his car, but has currently ruled […]
Bernie Ecclestone went against the statements of Force India’s owner, Vijay Mallya, who claimed that no Indian driver was ready, to date, to compete in Formula 1.
The billionaire, who owns and operates the first Indian team in the history of F1, wants a compatriot behind the wheel of his car, but has currently ruled out the only two drivers from New Delhi: Narain Karthikeyan and Karun Chandhok.
He stated that Karthikeyan, who was a driver with Jordan in 2005, did not meet his criteria, while Chandhok did not impress enough this year in GP2.
But the F1’s big financier, Bernie Ecclestone, who is planning to add India to the official calendar in 2011, does not agree.
« India will very soon be at the center of the F1 planet. I am, in fact, very enthusiastic about this idea and I hope that Karun Chandhok will be part of this adventure. His place is in F1, » admitted the 78-year-old man to the Hindustan Times.
Chandhok finished in tenth position in the GP2 Series 2008. Karthikeyan, who tested last year for the Williams team, was not mentioned by Ecclestone.
