He has the looks, the celebrity following - Shah Rukh Khan is a fan - and the motoring pedigree to fast track him straight to the top of Formula One. But Karun Chandhok is unlike many other drivers who are known more for their off-track activities than their on-track ones. The 27-year-old maintains a pretty low profile, preferring to spend as much time as he can behind the wheel on the racetrack taking corners at more than 250kmph.
The champion Indian driver, who made his Formula One debut for Hispania Racing in Bahrain in 2010, was at the Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi last month for the official launch of the inaugural i1 Supercar Series, the city-based motorsport racing league that kicks off in Sepang Malaysia on January 21. The series winds up at Yas Marina on March 9 and 10 after the Bahrain, Qatar and India legs.
Speed, danger, excitement and glorious uncertainty are what Karun's life is all about, and even though he admits his career is "as dangerous as a freak road accident", he prefers nothing more racy than cycling about 60km a day when he's not behind the wheel.
It's little wonder that he's called Mr Modest with some critics even going so far as to say that he lacks the killer instinct.
"Mr Modest, mmmm," he ponders. "I am still the same, I don't think I've changed! But I don't think it denotes a lack of the killer instinct. It's having your feet on the ground. The killer instinct has nothing to do with it.
"If a person feels the need to go out there and keep telling the world how wonderful he is that shows a certain insecurity in him. If you're good at what you do, whatever it may be, then you don't need to keep reminding others about it. That belief will be enough. Do the job and get on with your life."
Letting his driving do the talking
And that's exactly what Karun has been doing quietly on the circuits ever since he became the youngest Indian National Racing Champion in the Formula Maruti series in 2000 at 16. He not only took pole position in all ten races but set the fastest lap in every race as well - a national record that is yet to be broken.
He followed it up the next year by winning the opening five races of the season and a record eight races to become the youngest Asian Formula Champion. In 2005, he was chosen to represent India in the inaugural A1 GP, a series where competitors represent their nation, rather than a private team, which is normally the case in racing. He also has the distinction of being the only Indian driver to win three Championships, over 35 races, and start from the front row of the starting grid on over 25 occasions.
"Everything I've done has been motivated by my dream to race cars," he says. "I used to weigh 96kg when I was 16, before I went into racing. My dad said he'd support me if I lost weight. So, I lost 26kg in ten months after going through an intensive diet and exercise regimen."
It obviously paid off because today he is one of the most popular F1 drivers in India and is often spotted rubbing shoulders with A-list celebs such as Shah Rukh Khan and cricketer Sachin Tendulkar, both car fanatics.
"He is indeed a perfectionist," the Badshah of Bollywood Shah Rukh told reporters showering praise on Karun after he qualified for Formula One. "I like to congratulate him for making India proud."
Bollywood actress Priyanka Chopra is another fan, and had this to say on Karun's endeavour: "An outstanding achievement! I have no doubt that Karun, with his immense talent will accelerate his way to F1 glory!"
While Karun is happy with it all, one sentence he fondly cherishes came from Michael Schumacher who said, "Welcome to the gang," after Karun's F1 debut in Bahrain.
Following the family line
Like many boys, Karun says he has had a passion for cars for as long as he can remember. "Ever since I was a kid I wanted to race cars. I never wanted to be anything else - doctor, lawyer or even a cricketer!" says the champion.
But then it's not surprising given that motorsports run in his blood - Karun's grandfather Indu Chandhok founded the Federation of Motor Sports Club in India in the 1950s while his father Vicky Chandhok is the former president of the Federation of Motor Sports Club in India, who raced in the 1970s.
Karun started karting when he was six, driving at the racetrack in his hometown Chennai at nine, and debuted in racing at 16 in the JK Tyre Championship in 2000. "I became national champion the same year, the Asian champion the next year, and went for my driving test the year after I turned 18!" he says.
The same motivation took him to the hallowed tracks of F1 - the Silverstone racing circuit in England. Even as he was awaiting his class 12 results, Karun moved to Brackley, the village in South Northamptonshire, England, known as the home of British Grand Prix and entered the F3 series. (He now has a home there.) That was the first step to achieving Karun's dream of becoming an F1 driver. Ten years later, he has done more than just that. He is reserve driver with Team Lotus and last year replaced teammate Jarno Trulli at the German Grand Prix.
He's a true team player
Although he is riding a high right now, Karun admits that some of his dreams still remain unfulfilled. Like racing at the Indian Grand Prix.
At the inaugural race at the Buddh Circuit on October 30 in Delhi last year, he had to be content with watching his teammates Heikki Kovalainen and Jarno Trulli take the seat he so coveted. As reserve driver with Team Lotus, Karun was considered for the inaugural race but lost out to more experienced colleagues.
"Sometimes hard decisions have to be made, and I understand that this isn't about me," says Karun philosophically. "It's about the team." As far as Karun's concerned he's put it behind him and is looking to the future.
Patience and huge amount of motivation are what he feels young drivers should have. "We're competing against the best in the world, so you have to be very grounded," says Karun. "Just because you won a race doesn't mean deals will fall into your lap. It's a tough business. I use the word business carefully because it's as much a business as it's a sport. I think it's important for any driver to have an understanding of the overall big picture, the commercial, the marketing and the technical angles.
"Behind every F1 driver there's a team of 300 who work extremely hard, a company spending up to $100 million on you, so you've got to be conscious of that."
Karun certainly has the big picture in mind. He and his father are consultants to the Jaypee group, which is behind the Buddh International Circuit in Noida, India where the Formula One Grand Prix was held.
"We used to run a car workshop, we used to and still run a race and rally team," he says. "Now it's not run for profit, but to train young drivers. It's my way of giving something back to the sport. My father's the president of the Indian Federation of Motorsport. Both of us work a lot with Bernie Ecclestone, the F1 boss." Karun also does a lot of F1-related commentaries on ESPN and BBC.
"On an average I travel every three days," says Karun. "I've been based in the UK since 2002 and spend most of my time on an airplane or in hotels! Ten months of the year I am in Europe, but I make at least seven to eight trips to India. I sometimes fly down from London to Delhi for a promotional event, fly down to Chennai for dinner with my parents, and then fly back to London the next morning.
"I try and grab whatever time I can get with the family," says Karun, who is single. With such a hectic lifestyle, how does he relax? "To get away from all this I go on long cycling trips," he says. "All the problems just fade away. I try to cycle between 60 and 120km every day if I can. I manage at least four days a week. I love watching movies, listening to music. But mostly whenever I have some time off I go see my friends.
"I don't get to see my parents, grandparents or my brother much but that's the price you pay for ambition," he adds. "I can't count the number of family occasions, birthdays, weddings I've missed."
Karun sees himself as the ambassador of motorsport in India, along with the only other Indian F1 driver, Narain Karthikeyan. "I think it's very important for people like me and Narain to be out there promoting the sport," he says.
So what are his thoughts when he looks into the rear view mirror of life?
"It's only recently that I've started to realise that my life's pretty unique - I dreamt of being something when I was two or three years old and I've managed to do it. Some of my friends still don't know what to do with their lives. So I must say I am lucky to have been able to realise my dream," he says.
Keeping track of Karun
In 2006, Karun became the winner of the first ever Asian Formula Renault V6 Championship, winning seven out of 12 races. In 2007, he joined the GP2 series, the official support series for Formula 1 Championship, with Durango Racing. He won the Belgian GP at the Spa-Francorchamps circuit. This led to the Red Bull Racing team inviting him to test their Formula 1 car in late 2007.
He has received many accolades: he was the recipient of Overdrive magazine's ‘Motorsport Man of the Year' in 2002 and 2004. In his first year of the GP2 Series in 2007, Karun was awarded ‘Most Improved Driver of the Year' and followed it up the next year by winning the award for the ‘Best Driving Style' by the GP2 series.
He received the Overdrive Magazine-Aaj Tak Motorsport award as well as the NDTV Profit-Car Magazine Motorsport award in 2008. He's also the first Indian to be a certified instructor at the Silverstone Racing School in England, and the only Indian to become member of the prestigious British Racing Driver's Club.
i1 Supercar Series
The new i1 Supercar Series, being organised by Machdar Motorsport, is being touted as the biggest racing championship from India, featuring former F1 drivers, along with popular Indian racers.
The driver list was announced recently at Yas Marina circuit in Abu Dhabi. It includes veteran drivers like Jacques Villeneuve, Giancarlo Fisichella, Heinz-Harald Frentzen, Jean Alesi, Mika Salo along with current F1 drivers Karun Chandhok, Vitantonio Liuzzi and Sakon Yamamoto.
The Series will consist of ten races with nine teams representing different Indian cities. They will race the Radical Sportscars' SR3 roadster. Each team will be represented by two drivers. At least one driver of each team must be of Indian origin. Teams will compete for a $2 million prize.
"I think it's a very interesting concept and cricket's Indian Premier League (IPL) has shown that Indians have a great loyalty to our cities," says Karun. "We're hoping that it'll translate into motorsport as well.
"I think it's exciting for the young Indian drivers. They'll get a great opportunity to spend time and interact with F1 stars and race winners. It's good for Indian motorsport. I welcome any new programme that will help develop the sport.
"For me, the i1 series works very well because it runs in January until early March, which is the off-season for F1 and any other form of racing like Le Mans. It fits in quite well in terms of not hurting any of my other programmes."
i1 Supercar Series calendar for 2012:
- January 21/22 - Sepang, Malaysia
- February 3/4 - Sakhir, Bahrain
- February 10/11 - Losail, Qatar
- February 25/26 - Buddh International Circuit (BIC), India
- March 9/10 - Yas Marina, Abu Dhabi, UAE
