Narain Karthikeyan hopes that the inaugural Airtel Grand Prix of India, scheduled on October 30, will open up avenues for the Indian drivers.
Narain, who will drive for his team Hispania Racing in the Indian GP, said here on Thursday he had set a realistic target for the race.
“We are a small team. So, the objective will be to finish the race. Making statements like we will finish with points will be like going overboard,” Narain said at the launch of Base batteries, which will be used by HRT in its cars in the Indian GP.
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The 34-year-old driver was optimistic about the long-term benefits from the Indian GP.
“There has been attention and awareness (about F1 in India) which will help drivers like me and the young drivers.”
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Narain rated the Buddh International Circuit (BIC) as one of the top five race tracks in the world.
On the association of HRT with Base, Narain said the battery, which was put through some tests by the F1 team, had been performing brilliantly.
Base will be the first ever battery company from India to make its F-1 debut on October 30. This will be the only race for Base in 2011.
According to Aditya Arora, COO of the company, the company was in touch with a couple of F-1 teams to get more involved in the sport in the coming years.
The 900gm, 12volt battery has several special features like improved charge recovery capability from deeply discharged conditions, longer shelf life, improved life cycle performance and extreme vibration resistance.