Team Lotus on Tuesday confirmed that Indian driver Karun Chandhok would not be racing for the side in the inaugural Formula One race in India on October 30. Regular drivers Jarno Trulli and Heikki Kovalainen would race for the side.
Lotus Group CEO Tony Fernandes said, “From the team's perspective, the key goal for us this weekend is to maintain the performance levels we saw in the last two races. While I am sure there will be fans in India who want to see Karun race for us on Sunday, we had to make the best decision for the future of the team.”
Fernandes said Chandhok could not drive for most part of the season as poor weather conditions hit most of his free practice sessions.
Pressure
He said though Chandhok had improved his performance the pressure of driving his first home race would have been too much for him.
In his response, Chandhok said, “I am very excited about driving at the new Buddh International Circuit (BIC) in free practice one in front of my home crowd. While I am obviously disappointed that I won't have the chance to race on Sunday, I accept the team's decision to opt for the experience and talent they have at their disposal with Jarno and Heikki.”
