Paris: Narain Karthikeyan is all set for his second consecutive Formula One season after making a comeback to the sport last year. With only five days left before the start of the season opening with the Australian GP, Narain, the only Indian driver racing in 2012, spoke exclusively to IBNlive.com about his preparations, this year's car and his expectations.
The 2012 championship starts this weekend in Australia. How have your preparations been for this season?
Well, I have been doing all I can, considering that there is a semblance of continuity from last season to this one. The off-season was turbulent, because of the difficult situation over the winter in Formula 1. There were ups and downs, so it was mentally exhausting. However, ever since everything fell into place, I have been relaxed and able to concentrate on the job ahead. As far as training is concerned, I was working as hard as I could during the off-season and have been fine-tuning my programme in the past couple of months in accordance with the requirements of the season. It is going to be a long year, lots of flights and travelling but I am as prepared as I can be and looking forward to go racing.
What are your expectations for the Australian GP?
The Australian GP is going to be an uncharted territory to begin with since we have not been able to test the new car except for 40km (the filming day was with demo tyres). So we'll have to ensure we make the best use of the three practice sessions before going into qualifying. Last year, we only managed to complete five laps in the third practice session and failed to qualify for the race, so I'm looking to keep that out of my memory. The car ran well during the filming day in Barcelona, no major niggles, so that's a plus. We are also expecting some rain during the weekend, so anything can happen.
What is your opinion about the Melbourne track? Is it one of your favourites?
The track is sort of a street circuit, not used apart from when the Grand Prix is taking place. So, like all the other temporary circuits, it is 'green' on Friday. Basically it means there isn't any rubber laid down so the grip is quite low and the car moves around a lot in the earlier sessions. There is not much run-off either, so the scope for mistakes is also low. Opportunities to overtake are few but this time there are two DRS zones (compared to 1 in 2011) to encourage drivers to make a move. As far as lay-outs go, it is sort of a middle-ground – not a hardcore street circuit like Monaco or Singapore but not a fast-flowing sequence like Spa or Silverstone either.
Driving at Albert Park will always be special since I made my Formula 1 debut there in 2005 – it was an unparalleled experience and I still cherish those memories. The atmosphere is great, fans are passionate and the season starts here so I am very much looking forward to it.
You had a run in the new HRT car last week. How does the car feel, especially compared to last year's challenger?
First impressions were not too bad. The F112 definitely felt like a step-up from last year. Obviously being on the demo tyres, we couldn't do any set-up work or stuff like that, but everything seemed to be working glitch-free and there were no major issues. It took a lot of work from the entire team, as it was the first time that the team was able to run the new car before heading to the opening Grand Prix despite the fact that crash tests had to be passed before the pre-season testing.
This is your second consecutive season. Will the continuity be of any help as far your performance is concerned?
I sure hope so. After being away from Formula 1 for four years, I faced a steep learning curve upon my return last year. The regulations and car dynamics had changed drastically, especially the Pirelli tyres and heavy fuel loads took some time getting used to, but I was there eventually. So this year, with the continuing regulations - that acclimatisation bit is already taken care of, which will now enable us to focus on the finer aspects of driving and set-up from the word go. So, continuity in this context can come in pretty handy – I reckon if I can pick up from where I left at the Indian GP, in terms of my performance, it will be quite encouraging.
There were some encouraging results for you last year. Will we see a repeat or something better this time around?
As a team we are striving only to move forward, so I am definitely hoping for a better show overall. We have the right ingredients to progress, with time and experience we can definitely turn them into results.
Comments
0 comment