Sport - Racing : Motor

Mexico GP will be a challenge, says Narain

Coimbatore: When Force India, an Indian-registered team, will be making its debut in the Formula One opener in Melbourne, there may be a tinge of disappointment that it will be without Narain Karthikeyan.

India’s ace F-1 driver will be behind the wheel only at an A1 Grand Prix in Mexico.

It may be a disturbing factor for a skilful driver like Narain, but the Coimbatore-based racer prefers to challenge the world’s best in A1GP’s eighth round at the Mexico City’s Autodromo Hermanos Rodriquez Circuit on Sunday.

Narain, who suffered serious injuries during the practice session in Durban last month, sounded confident of his performance.

“The wrist injury that I suffered in South Africa will certainly not affect my performance in Mexico. In fact, the wrist is now pretty good. I have had a lot of physiotherapy done and it is also very strong. I am looking forward to the race.”

The fastest Indian in the world said the team made some changes to the car set-up in Durban after its performances dipped in Australia and New Zealand.

“It worked well and we should be able to sustain this in Mexico.”

Narain said the Mexico round would provide a fresh challenge for the drivers and the cars.

“The track surface is very bumpy, and the high altitude (7500ft above sea level) will be an issue, especially during the Feature race.”

Rookie driver Parthiv Sureshwaran, who drove the sky blue Indian car to the 17th place in the Feature and the Sprint races in Durban, hoped to get his act together in Mexico.

“The Durban experience was tremendous. It was a difficult track with several cars crashing and piling up. However, I focused on keeping out of trouble and staying on the track. We want to get together and bring home some points.”

On Thursday, Parthiv and several other A1GP drivers tested their skills in football at a training session with a group of professional Mexican footballers.

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