HRT has confirmed that it will be Vitantonio Liuzzi who remains out of action as Narain Karthikeyan returns for a one-off race appearance at this weekend’s inaugural Indian Grand Prix. Previously, Daniel Ricciardo had been expected to stand aside.
Karthikeyan raced with HRT from the start of the season in Australia until the European Grand Prix in Valencia, after which he was replaced by Red Bull Junior driver Ricciardo; because of this, the Australian was expected to take a spectator role in Greater Noida, although it is now official that Liuzzi will not be racing.
“Driving in front of the home crowd cheering on is going to be a surreal experience,” says Karthikeyan, who is set to be the only Indian in the race. “A once in a lifetime experience and I feel extremely fortunate. There is a huge buzz around the Grand Prix already and I’m sure that it’ll be a resounding success that will motivate more youngsters towards the sport and give us the future F1 drivers.
“Making it into F1 at the time I did was a seriously uphill task and the thought of being able to compete in the inaugural Indian Grand Prix was non-existent, but it is finally here and I’ll be on the grid. It is going to be one of the most challenging circuits on the calendar.
Despite losing a regular HRT race seat, Karthikeyan’s drive in India has never been in doubt due to the deal between his prime sponsor and the Spanish team.
“I’ll race hard and try to get a good result for myself and the team,” he continues. “I would like to express my gratitude towards Tata Group and the rest of sponsors for their continued support and belief throughout my career.”
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