Even though the Indian driver will continue his testing duties for Williams, he also hopes to drive in the European Le Mans series.
NEW DELHI: For Narain Karthikeyan, 2007 will be much busier than last year as he looks to branch off from just testing duties and get some more races under his belt.
The rumours about a possible F1 drive with Toro Rosso have finally been scuttled and Narain looks set to stay on with Williams as test driver. Apart from that, Narain is also looking to finish off the A1 season with the Indian team by doing the last five races and may well drive in the European Le Mans Series.
The figures for Toro Rosso made little economic sense as that team is learnt to have upped its demand from $7 million to 10 for a place on the grid. With Vitantonio Liuzzi on a very strong contract and Scott Speed essential for F1 to make inroads into the American market, Narain’s chances of getting in that team were anyway limited.
For now he will settle for the $3 million sponsorship deal that Tata has with WiIliams which also allows him a favourable edge for the first tester spot.
The New Zealand outing in an A1 car and a creditable seventh place apart from second fastest lap has got Narain’s competitive juices flowing. He also figures that it makes more sense to stay in the limelight astride his performance in lesser series than solely on account of being a test driver for an F1 team.
Narain has subsequently requested Williams to allow him to race in A1 by scheduling his testing duties in such a manner that they do not conflict with the A1 calendar.
It has also been learnt that his A1 performance first time around in that car has elicited an offer from him to drive in the Le Man Series by Mike Earle the owner of Arena Motorsports — the outfit that runs the Indian A1 team.
The proposed salary for the same hovers in the six-figure range. Narain is looking to do some races in the European series and the final two in the American one.
The logic in Narain’s camp now is that the more he races, the better are his chances for an F1 drive next year. Also shaking off the rust from lack of competition is essential for the Indian if he hopes to make a strong comeback in 2008. Podium finishes in A1 and Le Mans will add to his profile and get him back on the radar of those who matter.
As only a test driver, Narain is getting limited mileage even for his sponsors.
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