The system is flawed, says Narain Karthikeyan

“The system itself is flawed. There are many factions, no one is coming together. There needs to be a huge change,” Narain told the Hindu. In his opinion, factionalism and egoistic behaviour of the officials is hampering the development of the sport and is narrowing any future possibilities for Indian racers. “When I drove, the system was much more unified. We did everything in a constructive manner,” he added.

Narain, who made his debut in 2005, has come a long way now and is currently helping MRF develop machines and tyres for their F2000 car. He slammed the FMSCI president in an indirect manner by urging him to take responsibility for the racing conditions in India.

“The guy who is leading the show should take responsibility in making sure that everything comes together,” he said as quoted by The Hindu.

When questioned regarding the Indian GP, he seemed to be pessimistic about its return. “I don’t think it (GP) will happen again. The involvement of F1 promoters is also not there. The government has to show its interest in hosting F1. Without government support it is impossible. Most of the GPs around the world have government support,” said Narain.

Narain, who also worked with Williams F1 as a test driver in 2006 and 2007, believes the talent in the country is not being used valuably. The absence of support is a huge contributing factor for the lack of Indian drivers making it to the grand stage.

“The problem is we have not seen a really fast Indian driver graduating to the next level. Not that we don’t have talent, but it is about the support,” he told the Hindu.

The deficiency in support for the sport is widely evident, and it’s time the board and the government joined hands to take serious action, and to re-kindle the dying flames of motor racing in the country.