Hispania not suited for the Indian track,says Narain

Hispanias Narain Karthikeyan,the countrys first Formula 1 driver and a key local interest at the inaugural Indian Grand Prix

Hispanias Narain Karthikeyan,the countrys first Formula 1 driver and a key local interest at the inaugural Indian Grand Prix,did a reality check on Saturday,saying that his car was not the best equipped machine for the Buddh International Circuit,leaving him with a rather modest aim for October 30: to finish the race.

This the Indian race is a very symbolic and historic moment for me but Hispania has its limitations, Karthikeyan said. It is not suited for the Indian track as it is a high downforce track and the HRT cars lack downforce.

So to finish among points will be a tall order but Ill try my best and the idea is to bring the car home to the chequered flag. But having said that,we havent raced in our car on this track and it could turn out to be better than we predict, he added.

Downforce allows an F1 car to negotiate corners at a very high speed without the danger of the car lifting off the track and also enables tremendous deceleration. This disadvantage reflects in Hispanias and Karthikeyans performance this season.

Karthikeyans best finish in eight races this season has been 17th out of 24 and at another similarly high downforce track in Australia he failed to even start on the grid as he was 107 off the pace in the qualifying session.

This is a very equipment oriented sport. Even Michael Schumacher,whos one of the best,hasnt had a podium finish this season. I would have liked to do a full season and get much more mileage. Theres no two ways about it that the more races you get,the better. But it is what it is, Karthikeyan,who had last raced in June,said.

He,however,gushed about the track,which will be officially unveiled on October 14. Its among my top-5 favourites in the world. There are a lot of overtaking opportunities so that will be a good watching experience,there are some blind turns which will be exciting and the track is wide at some places as well. I like turns 1-3 and the turns seven and eight are cambered,they are not flat and have banking which is very unique in modern tracks, he added.