From 15th in Melbourne to 11th in Sepang. Narain Karthikeyan’s four step elevation in his second GP is being considered a quantum leap on the F1 scale. But India’s Jordan driver is modest about his achievement. ‘‘Now at least someone in the F1 world will recognise me,’’ he says.Narain’s historic race saw several firsts. While Renault’s Fernando Alonso brought home his first start to finish win, Jarno Trulli gave Toyota Racing their maiden podium. Likewise, Nick Heidfeld (BMW Williams) logged his best finish — a third place — and McLaren’s David Coulthard became the highest-scoring British driver in F1 history surpassing the legendary Nigel Mansel.Ferrari’s absence from the podium was their first since 1999 at Malaysia and Alonso become the first Spanish to lead FIA Drivers Championship.Back to Narain. His 17th spot on the grid momentarily slipped to 19th after Bar Honda’s Anthony Davidson choked on the track. Later, Narain ran into the debris and things weren’t looking smooth. That’s when Narain recalled his idol Michael Schumacher's words of wisdom delivered to him a day before the race. ‘‘Move out of the line, even if it takes a second more’’ — that was the mantra the Ferrari guru gave to the Indian rookie. ‘‘It sure helped,’’ said Narain, who finished the hot chase without any major mishap.There were also other troubles for Narain. He ran into unexpected track confusion when there was car trouble for Davidson and Jenson Button. Later, he lost radio contact with his team engineers and was clueless about a pit spot. But without being ruffled, Narain decided to take a pit stop on his own and that proved decisive. ‘‘Had I not decided to stop, I would have exhausted my fuel. There were just enough to last for just half a lap,’’ he says.RESULTS 1. Fernando Alonso (Renault 1:31:33.736), 2. Jarno Trulli (Toyota 1:31:58.063), 3. Nick Heidfeld (Williams 1:32:05.924), 4. Juan Pablo Montoya (McLaren, 1:32:15.367), 5. Ralf Schumacher (Toyota, 1:32:25.590), 6. David Coulthard (Red Bull, 1:32:46.279), 7. Michael Schumacher (Ferrari, 1:32:53.724), 8. Christian Klien (Red Bull, 1:32:54.571), 9. Kimi Raikkonen (McLaren, 1:32:55.316), 10. Felipe Massa (one lap behind), 11. Narain Karthikeyan (Jordan two laps), 12. Tiago Monteiro (Jordan three laps), 13. Christijan Albers (Minardi four laps). NARAINSPEAK • How’s the feeling after this amazing run? Thrilled about the whole thing. The feeling has not sunk in yet. To do better than in Melbourne has renewed my confidence level and I am looking forward to the remaining races now. • So in other words would you say ‘you have arrived’? I have got a lot to learn at the end of the day. The plan was always to get the experience this year • Any plans to celebrate tonight? I have a flight to Bahrain at 2 a.m today (technically Monday), which is not very great. • So Bahrain next. How do you rate your chances? It’s a new circuit again but I am eager to get there since the Sheikh of Bahrain has told me that there is a lot of support that awaits me there. In fact, I am looking forward to some of the race tracks that I know — Monza, Barcelona, Interlagos, Suzuka, Spa Francorchamps. • On the support in Malaysia. There was a big Indian flag and some 30-40 smaller ones. I waved to them but it was a pity that I could not get closer as in Australia, where the fans come half way on the track after the race.
