Big disappointment for Karun as Lotus aims for 10th
25 Oct 2011 (Lotus Release): With the Team Lotus announcement getting delayed day by day, it was a foregone conclusion that India’s second F1 driver Karun Chandhok will not be lucky to drive in the inaugural Airtel Grand Prix of India. It was a big disappointment for the fans that the Formula One race this Sunday at the Buddh International Circuit in Greater Noida, near Delhi but the presence of the first Indian F1 driver Narain Karthikeyan will be a consolation.
Tony Fernandes, the team Principal of Lotus, who earlier expressed his interest in giving Karun a chance said it would be a team decision. He felt that the team preferred to go with experience and rather go for the 10th place in the constructers championship than to take a sentimental decision of fielding Karun Chandhok
Tony Fernandes said: “From the team perspective the key goal for us this weekend is to maintain the performance levels we saw in the last two races and while I am sure there will be fans in India who want to see Karun race for us on Sunday we had to make the best decision for the future of the team. While all the emotional reasons for him driving were right we were conscious that the limited running he has had in the car this season, largely due to the weather conditions that have hit most of his FP1 sessions, has not given him the best preparation for this race, so we have taken the very difficult decision not to run him in this weekend.”
Karun Chandhok in turn hid his disappointment and said: “I am very excited about driving at the new BIC in Free Practice (FP1 on Friday) in front of my home crowd and while I am obviously disappointed that I won’t have the chance to race on Sunday, I accept the team’s decision to opt for the experience and talent they have at their disposal with Jarno and Heikki. This is a team that is still young, still growing, and I know that they have to do their best to secure their future in the sport – sometimes the hard decisions have to be made, and in this case it must have been a very difficult choice, but I understand that this isn’t about me. It’s about the team and everything the 254 people on track and back at the factory are doing to build for the future. For me, I believe that I have grown as a driver in and out of the car this year with my role in the Friday practice sessions and I’m looking forward to playing my part in helping the team have another strong weekend on track.”
Tony congratulates Jaypee Group
“I am very excited about the Indian Grand Prix and I would like to congratulate The Jaypee Group and everyone involved at the circuit for their hard work in creating what I am sure will be an incredible event, said the Lotus F1 team Principal in a Press Release on Tuesday,” added Tony Fernandes.
“It is absolutely vital that we secure tenth place in 2011 to give us the platform to keep growing and despite the fact that Karun’s performance levels have continued to improve every time he has driven for us in 2011, it was considered too much pressure to put on Karun to drive in his first home race, deal with all the attention he would have had and be able to perform at the same level as either of our regular race drivers over the whole weekend. For that reason we had to take the pragmatic decision to put our faith in the experience and pace we have in Jarno and Heikki, and are confident they will continue to perform at the level they have over the last two years with us. While this is obviously not the decision Karun wanted us to take he understands that we have to take the long-term view and do so in the best interests of the team. He also understands that his relationship with our team is not about just one race, it is about growing together and while this is an historic event, there will be many opportunities to race in India in the future, and he is in the best possible place with us to take advantage of those chances in seasons to come,” concluded Fernandes.
