No to Spyker was our decision: Karthikeyan

“But I never said I was expecting to make it to the team. So there’s no question of any disappointment,” he says.

“See, you must understand that it was a refusal from our side, not theirs. My team decided that it wasn’t in my best interests, and so the decision. The whys of it, my manager decides. They are taking care of my career, after all. I have a contract running with Williams and my inputs go towards making the team better,” he added.

But that surely can’t be better than the real thing? “There is no reason not to be optimistic. There are just 30-odd F1 drivers finally in the world. It’s tough to get there and tougher to stay, and I’m still a part of the set-up.

“For the moment, there’s A1. It’s good to represent the country. Good to give something back to the country.”

You mean NK Racing? “Yes, I felt I had the necessary contacts and wherewithal to start this. We need to catch and tap potential.”

The team has already found success in its first year, with Akhil Khushlani managing a move onto the Formula BMW Asia this year.

“The cars that were introduced last year also made a huge difference. I think we moved ahead at least ten years with these.”