Six years after his F1 debut, Indian driver Narain Karthikeyan is set to make a comeback as a race driver after joining Hispania Racing Team for the 2011 season.The 33-year-old last raced in F1 for Jordan Grand Prix in 2005 before becoming a test driver for Williams Grand Prix in 2006 and 2007. But now he made the greatest surprise to secure one of the few remaining dricing seats of the forthcoming season with the help of the funding from Indian car giant Tata. In fact, Karthikeyan will provide a much needed boost for the cash-strapped HRT outfit. Although the rumours for Pedro de la Rosa drive with the sponsorship of Spanish Comminucations giant Telefonica collapsed following the financial crisis in Spain, Jose Ramon Carabante finally got the big sponsorship deal he was looking for ahead of the inaugural Indian Grand Prix.
The 2nd driver of the team hasn't yet been announced, still, Karthikeyan's entry automatically puts his countryman and without funding Karun Chandock out of contention. Moreover, HRT's Team Manager Collin Kolles insisted that B. Senna is out of the team as well, leaving Yamamoto and Wurtz to feel more optimistic to get the driving seat.
Karthikeyan commented about his F1 return:
"It's been a while in the making, but I am delighted to be racing again in Formula One in 2011. I am confident that I have the pace, the fitness and the will to succeed in Formula One. I'm looking forward to racing for HRT, and to working again with [team principal] Colin Kolles. We have a long standing and excellent working relationship together. I have worked really hard to come back to F1 and it will be a dream come true to race in the first ever Indian Grand Prix in front of my fellow Indians. I hope that they will spur me on with their blessings and good wishes."
Team Manager, Collin Kolles stated that he is confident Karthikeyan still has the pace to compete at the top level, after spending the 2009 season racing for his team in the Le Mans Series.
"It is a great pleasure for us to have signed Narain Karthikeyan as our race driver for 2011. I have known Narain for a long time and he can revert to the experiences he gained when he was competing for Jordan Grand Prix and being test and reserve driver for Williams F1. Narain has also been driving in other racing series and running in one of the legendary Audi sports cars in the Le Mans Series. We are welcoming Narain to our team and we look forward to working closely with him this year."
During his break from F1, Karthikeyan has raced in A1GP, Le Mans Series, Superleague Formula and recently in NASCAR's Camping World Truck Series.
Furthermore, Kolles stated to Reuters that Brunno Senna is not expected to drive for the team next season.
"I can definitely say that Mr Bruno Senna is not going to race for HRT, 100% not."
