After being riddled with errors, both pit stop and mechanical, former India F1 driver Narain Karthikeyan clinched his maiden win in the Auto GP World Series single seater racing at the Silverstone Circuit last week.
“It was my first outright victory,” said Narain. “The last time I did well here was in 1999. I won a F3 race in October.”
The 36-year-old from Coimbatore was quite pleased with the victory. “Every win is precious, but this one reconfirms my personal satisfaction. To be able to come out on top among youngsters is a good feeling.”
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Smooth transition
Narain, who switched from Zele Racing to Super Nova (the 2012 champion) after the first three rounds, said the mid-season change was risky. “It is very hard to adjust to a change, but I came out quickest in practice and the transition was smooth.”
About the switch, he said: “I had no other option but to change teams because the errors cost me two podiums and a certain win. I felt something had to be done quickly.” That’s when Super Nova opened the doors for the Indian. “Switching from one team to another is not an easy affair but I was lucky. I also parted with Zele on good terms,” he said.
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With 59 points from four rounds in his kitty, Narain has his eyes firmly set on the championship. “We have had a huge point deficit in the first three rounds. So, it’s not going to be that easy but we will have to go ahead and try and win the championship,” he said.
Narain plans to carry on the good work in Italy next month. “I am not familiar with the Mugello circuit and it’s going to be the most challenging. If we score some decent points there, the rest will come easy.”
The last three rounds will be held in Germany, United Kingdom and the Czech Republic.