Force India will give Karun Chandhok an opportunity to prove his F1 mettle but team owner Vijay Mallya is bemused by the romanticism that the Chennai driver deserves a seat in the outfit just because he is an Indian.
"The entire issue has got too dramatised. I have been discussing the issue with Karun Chandhok and have already agreed to put him in the driver simulator to see how he handles the F1 car," Mallya told PTI over phone.
"At the end of the day, Karun must win some GP 2 races and come out good in F1 simulator in which I put him in. And if he is competitive in the simulator, I would be the first one to offer him a position in Force India," Mallya said.
After Giancarlo Fisichella joined Ferrari, Force India promoted reserve Italian driver Vitantonio Liuzzi to the race seat, a decision that drew criticism from some quarters with F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone saying that the team should have roped in Karun to give motorsports a boost in the country.
Mallya didn't find fault with Ecclestone but pointed out Force India had a contract with Liuzzi which made the Italian the obvious occupant of the vacant race seat.
{{/usCountry}}Mallya didn't find fault with Ecclestone but pointed out Force India had a contract with Liuzzi which made the Italian the obvious occupant of the vacant race seat.
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