Fast cars & life outside that | India’s first F1 Racer | Narain Karthikeyan

[@DK-ry8fo]

It's easy to criticize Narain Karthikeyan's performance in Formula One without understanding the significant disadvantages he faced compared to other drivers. Unlike most F1 drivers who began with extensive go-karting experience and were supported by top academies like Red Bull, Ferrari, or McLaren, Narain came from India, which didn't even have a karting track when he started. He moved straight into single seater racing and moved continents alone, driven purely by grit and determination, without the backing of a young driver program or substantial sponsorship. He didn't have the privilege of racing for a front-line team like Ferrari, McLaren, or Red Bull, which greatly impacts results in F1. Given these circumstances, Narain's achievement of completing full seasons in Formula One is remarkable. Instead of undermining his accomplishments, we should appreciate what he achieved against the odds, paving the way for future Indian drivers.

[@FUNNYVIDSMV]

Well most of your points are correct but he did have a sponsor tata motors and it was because of tata that he was able to get into f1

[@LTJ22]

So he wasn’t good enough. Ex Malaysian GP when more than half of the cars were DNF ,, he still came last

[@BabyIshii]

Dude he was rich that's y he got shot in F1 We got proper drivers now in f2 n DTM

[@suchithsuresan]

he was a very very good driver in f1.. wish he got more chances and a better car..

[@suchithsuresan]

he out qualified his team mate in most every race, what more can do you need him to do with the limited chances he got..

[@prasannabaruah3732]

I was in school in 2005... I remember i had to do a segment in the daily morning assembly one day where kids has to speak about their FAVOURITE INDIAN...😅😅 Unsurprisingly everyone spoke of Tendulkar, Ganguly and the regular cricketers and bollywood personalities... I was the one who named Narain Karthikeyan and i gave a detailed description of what he achieved and how he has scripted history by becoming the first F1 driver from India... None of the people in the Assembly didn't know how to react, my class teacher hadn't even heard of the term Formula 1, my maths teacher thought it had to do something with calculus and my friends could hardly pronounce his name and my principal looked at me perplexed not knowing what to do...😂😂 I was a kid from a small town in Assam but i remember it was a huge news in India back then and my general knowledge on f1 was helped thanks to the autocar magazine for which i was a regular subscriber.... Coming from a country where we hardly respect sports other than cricket and getting to do a full season and scoring points in the process deserves only respect.. sadly even today people hardly know or speak about him...

[@VarunKumar-dm5qd]

An interesting fact: Narain Karthikeyan was one of the early drivers for Carlin Motorsport, playing a key role in establishing the team’s presence in British Formula 3. He was one of the drivers who got the first podiums in British F3 for Carlin which helped lay the foundation for Carlin’s future success in developing young talent. Since then, Carlin has become a major force in nurturing drivers, with over 30 graduates reaching Formula 1, including stars like Lando Norris, Sebastian Vettel, Daniel Ricciardo, and Carlos Sainz.

[@Thepc425]

The guy is from my town in Coimbatore, as kids he put f1 on the map for everyone in India. And he did it with absolutely no support from the government or any huge teams from Europe. His family is rich that’s the only reason they were able to support his pure talent.

[@RahulKapoor9992]

Im happy to see Narain doing interviews. Having interviewed him in the past, and seeing him at the race track, he does not like the camera and attention.

[@sakinsat1]

Narain Karthikeyan is a true pioneer in Indian motorsport. As India’s FIRST Formula 1 driver, he broke barriers with pure talent and determination. From winning the Formula Asia series and the Formula Ford Winter Series to earning multiple podiums in British F3, Narain’s journey has been inspiring. He competed in F1 for several years, scoring points with extremely challenging teams that were not front runners. Beyond F1, his podium finishes in A1GP and Super Formula showcased his skill on the global stage. Despite all these achievements, Narain remains humble and down-to-earth, proving that with perseverance, an Indian driver can compete with the best. Today, he stands as a motorsport icon and an inspiration to aspiring racers everywhere

[@DavidEmmanuelJoseph7009]

Hey Narain, I have been following f1 for decades, and what you're saying makes sense to me, and yea hindsight is common in f1, it's fine thanks for representing our country.bcoz of struggles you had the next gen of Indians would get better chance. And yes MIKA looks epic...❤

[@ArchanaHome-l8j]

Wish he got the podium in indianapolis!

[@venkats412]

Couldn’t manage that even in Indianapolis 😊

[@SathishKumar-ck2jn]

Fantastic interview. Very transparent 👍

[@harlyslamm2888]

I watched him race in Silverstone and met him also! Was a nice guy! but he was head and shoulders better then last F1 Indian driver, Kuran Chandok who was bankrolled by a very rich family!

[@senthilaaru]

Man it will hurt bad to think that you choose William over redbull but it was reverse in his times where Williams was a great team and redbull was new

[@saisatish526]

Mr. Ambani- You can do this 🔥

[@muhammadpk3851]

Very informative

[@RamanSingh-ob8jd]

People will hate me for this saying this he had zero fuckin mind presence during his F1 days. He was literally like Mazepin impeding everyone on their fast laps during qualifying

[@69moz]

Cuz you are mindless to say this cause you have no idea about racing . Just an excellent keyboard warrior

[@venkats412]

He holds a world record in F1 .. any guess

[@prasannabaruah3732]

The lowest finish by a driver in an F1 race...valencia 2011 Finished 24th in the race...

[@Hateman481]

I'm done but just wait

[@arthurteo8111]

Narain showed a lot of potential but was thwarted for reasons nothing to do with merit.

[@shubhamsaurabh3475]

F1 is not a sport it's a business of rich kids.

[@Raveendhana]

If you think that way , sorry to say it's not like that and please learn more

[@shubhamsaurabh3475]

@@Raveendhana why don't you educate me then and explain why Narayan kartikeyan failed to be in F1,I'm sure he didn't lacking in talent.

[@Raveendhana]

@@shubhamsaurabh3475 So answering to your first question regarding F1 is only for rich kids and its a business F1 is unique to the other categories like F2 , F3 etc , in F1 each team design's its own chassis and its ain't cheap The general aerodynamic development or the engine development and its tech costs money The mgu h , mgu k does not come cheap , Plus Why f1 is unique is because it does not go in like f2 or even indycar way for that matter where , you have a smilar or same chassis for all and even a single engine supplier means the lower category hugely depend on the mechanical setup to win races , the team that extracts the maximum performance wins the race So f1 is not about money alone, how you use that money matters, why Adrian newey is the most sought designer ?, its because he was able to break the design code successfully and win many contructors championship Just have huge amount of money wont win you championships best example is mclaren , they worked hard to win races now , and you know what is heppening to redbull now So in a nutshell f1 is not about money alone and its not cheap either Coming to our drivers , yes the structure was not defined before like it is now But i can confidently say Kush maini or even jehan for that matter are better drivers than narain Yes narain Karthikeyan could have done well maybe , but from what i saw of him and the present drives now , he didn't push the car much or even showed that edgy skill which even a sergio perez might show Kush maini is doing good in f2 now , and he might not get into f1 , but he is good enough to be memtored by mika hakkinen So these are my observations 😁

[@neo5973]

Exaclty. The history of F1 has always been spoilt brat and their “thrill for speed” club.. of course companies were involved because these people bankrolled them to have parts for the cars. Only recently the sport has gained traction “promoting talents” but most of them come from rich families with funding their “hobby.

[@Raveendhana]

@@neo5973 motorsport is aint cheap and you can say they have rich background, but you need talent too , If anyone can win races and champions, then with a great car Sergio perez should have won the championship now , but he didn't and its max verstappen who prevailed 😁😁😁😁😁😁

[@sagargudekote8131]

🚗 💨

[@Hateman481]

Yeah you have old cars and you smell like gas

[@Akr12144]

Ghareebo ka Drive to Survive

[@micsunday14]

The cast system means only a small percentage of people in Indian have access to go-karting

[@vinayakpai9675]

Caste system? I can't see how caste system affect racing opportunities. While economic situation would be one of the hurdles for pursuing motorsports as a career

[@SM12196]

How can ppl like you bring caste into every f-ing thing on earth? Grow up.

[@harsharip]

Can you explain? How caste system effected your racing driver dream ?

[@Thepc425]

Dumbest take, Pappu will be proud. I can bet this clown is from TN.

[@vaxan5126]

I want what he is on 😂

[@YeahMannnnnn]

lol bro he was so bad at racing and now finding reasons to stay relevant XD

[@sri2484]

It's very easy to criticise bro. Are you a racer? In 2005 how many Indians knew about F1 . Stop your big mouth, you perform and talk .