Karthikeyan still biding his time

Narain Karthikeyan, the first Indian to race in F1, is unsure about the long-term prospects of the i1 series, which had a soft-launch here on Friday. The 33-year-old was approached to be a part of the series, but has put his commitment on hold for now.

Narain Karthikeyan, the first Indian to race in F1, is unsure about the long-term prospects of the i1 series, which had a soft-launch here on Friday. The 33-year-old was approached to be a part of the series, but has put his commitment on hold for now.

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"I was contacted by Enrico Zanarini (who is recruiting drivers for the promoters and is the manager of Eddie Irvine and HRT driver Vitantonio Liuzzi)," confirmed Karthikeyan when quizzed if the biggest name in Indian motorsport had been approached. "I listened to their offer. It's all a bit fluid right now and the calendar is strange for a series that is based on Indian city franchises. After all this is not cricket and you need more local races for people to connect," said Karthikeyan.

The pioneering Indian race driver has the experience of A1 GP, which still owes him money, to be wary of signing on the dotted line with alacrity. "I burnt my fingers with A1 and would like to know the long-term plans of the series and only then will I lend my name to this."

Karthikeyan was also taken by surprise at Sachin Tendulkar's involvement. "I know Sachin well and we talk about motor sport often. I don't know what exactly his role is. I will certainly get back to him to figure the extent of his involvement before I commit myself," he added.