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India's Chandhok still 'a year away from race seat'
India's Karun Chandhok could have a testing role with Force India next year but the country will have to wait for its next Formula One driver, according to team owner Vijay Mallya.
- Reuters
- Published: 00:03 September 8, 2008
Spa-Francorchamps: India's Karun Chandhok could have a testing role with Force India next year but the country will have to wait for its next Formula One driver, according to team owner Vijay Mallya.
"I would love to give Karun a go as a test driver first. The race seat I think he is a year away from," the drinks and aviation billionaire said at the Belgian Grand Prix.
"I need to see him winning GP2 consistently, not an odd one here and there. He has it in him to do it and when he does it, sure I would love to have an Indian driver in the car if I could,"| added Mallya.
"But at the end of the day, on the one hand I cannot be encouraging the team's performance and then doing something that might compromise the result.
"I don't believe Karun is there yet. I'm not saying he won't get there. I am hoping he will."
Best prospect
Chandhok, 24, has won two races in the GP2 support series, including his first at Spa last year and in Germany this season, and is India's best prospect since Narain Karthikeyan raced for now-defunct Jordan in 2005.
Force India currently have Italian Vitantonio Liuzzi as their test and reserve driver while compatriot Giancarlo Fisichella partners Germany's Adrian Sutil in the race lineup.
Mallya gave a clear indication that 35-year-old Fisichella, a race winner with Renault and now in his 13th season, would continue in 2009.
"This team desperately needs the experience of Giancarlo, has needed it, and as we design a brand new car for 2009, needs it even more," he said.
"This team has never had the benefit in the last three or four years of an experienced driver.
"I breed and race horses, and what the jockey tells you, nobody else can," added Mallya. "You can have the best trainer in the world, but you need a jockey to tell you how good or bad the horse is. Similarly, I firmly believe driver feedback on a car is invaluable and that is where Giancarlo is performing a very valuable role for us."
Force India have yet to score a point this season, although they came close in Monaco.
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