F1 rookie gets drivers' backing despite inexperience

Narain Karthikeyan shrugged off question-marks over his inexperience as he prepares for this weekend's season-opening Australian Grand Prix.

India's Formula One pioneer Narain Karthikeyan shrugged off question-marks over his inexperience here Thursday as he prepares for this weekend's season-opening Australian Grand Prix.

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Karthikeyan, 28, was only confirmed last month as India's first F1 driver and he has had only a few days testing his Jordan race car ahead of the 19-race season opposed to a heavy schedule of northern winter testing by the big teams.

India's latest sporting hero has captivated millions in his homeland and television executives believe Karthikeyan will rake in huge amounts in sponsorship revenues.

But the Indian traiblazer dismissed suggestions that he would struggle to keep pace with the elite, brushing aside the idea that he owed his drive to commercial considerations alone.

"People have said I'm here because of commercial reasons but what I would like to say is that in British Formula Three I was a race winner and also in the World Series, so speed-wise I'm not bad, I think," Karthikeyan said.

"I'm very excited. It's my first grand prix, my first drive in Formula One, so lots of eyes are watching me and I'm here to do the best I can. India is very happy to see my first drive and there's a lot of support back home.

"It's going to be quite good. It's new and it's very different to what I'm used to, but I'm quite excited to be here and hopefully I can do a good job."

Karthikeyan failed to make the grade when he tested with both Jaguar and Jordan in 2001.

He was again offered a F1 drive by Minardi in 2003, but failed to secure the sponsorship needed by the cash-strapped team to secure his place.

This time, however, the sponsors did not disappoint.

Karthikeyan's three main sponsors - the Tata Group, India's second largest business conglomerate, state-run refiner Bharat Petroleum Corp and JK Tyres - reportedly coughed up close to 30 million dollars to get Jordan to hire him.

Jordan's new backers Midland Group, owned by Canadian businessman Alex Shnaider, plan to invest in heavy industry in India over the next few years and hope to get a headstart by backing Karthikeyan.

Though Karthikeyan's contemporaries in the Formula One paddock acknowledged his inexperience, all were broadly supportive of the Indian.

"Narain has done many years in Europe, so that's healthy," Australian Mark Webber said. "But what frightens me is that someone comes in very quickly with really limited running in Formula One, but I suppose he knows where his mirrors are and he's sensible about how he goes about his business.

"He's a good little driver and he'll do his best with what he's got."

Seven-times world champion Michael Schumacher believes Karthikeyan is capable of making the big adjustment to Formula One.

"Obviously, Narain would have wished to have had more running in the car, but that's not the case," the Ferrari ace said.

"I'm pretty sure from what I saw of him in Barcelona during the tests that he did a good job there.

"With the speed of the car he obviously had to watch his mirrors quite a bit, and he did so and he respected everything and I think he's capable of doing so.

"The race situation and tests are slightly different. But I believe he's doing a good job, don't you?"