I am a big fan of Karthikeyan. He has opened the doors for India in F1 series. In past generations, nobody might have thought an Indian in F1 and he did it. Thats makes us proud. He was unfortunate not to get good team support but whatevery has achieved, is simply mindblowing. All the best to Karthikeyan.
Hi, I'm not a keen follower of F-1 but I think NK wasted his chances. Merely to complete a race is the ambition of no-hopers, not aspiring champions. I think NK took to long to come to grips with the F1 circuit and never really got the hang of it. His exit might have been unfortunate but I dont think he would have done any better the next season either. His columns in ToI were almost an embarrasment to the readers - how he spoke of his 'confidence', 'excitement' etc. after each mediocre performance. Maybe I've been too harsh in my judgement but I think NK must observe other newcomers like Kubica and learn from them.
RE:Mediocre F-1 driver.
by raj kiran on Jan 31, 2007 04:32 AM
Its good you acknowledged that you're not a keen follower of F1. It would've been even better if you refrained from making preposterous comments in the first place.
Formula 1 is the pinncale of technological advancement in terms of precision, research, effort and the consequences of failure, second only to space/nuclear research.
More often than not, the difference in qualifying between the 22 drivers is less than a second! As much as the driver's capabilities, its the engine, the tyres and the crew that play a big part in deciding the outcome of a race.
If you look at statistics on the number of F1 drivers till date, the number of races held and the number of cars that actually finished, you would realize that finishing races consistently is in fact an achievement!
Minnows like Minardi, Jordan and the like do not have enough 'dough' to compete with the Ferraris and Mclarens. Although their cars are a full second or two slower per lap than the better ones, they compete on other aspects such as reliability.
If you've seen any F1 pre-game show, it is obvious all the teams talk about how the span of the car has changed by 1/1000th of an inch, which would increase performace and how the new engine is reliable et al. All drivers, Michael The Great included, talk about 'excitement' and 'confidence'. Ask any F1 driver and he'll tell you how commendable it is take his car past the finish line! Thus, it should be no surprise to see NK talk about the opportunities he had. His performance, as a rookie in F1, far from being mediocre, is commendable.
He's been successful inspite of financial/ sponsorship problems, and a great ambassador for the country in F1 and world sport, in general.
Please 'think' before you scribble ludicrous comments (embarrassment, mediocre etc) on great sportsmen!
RE:Mediocre F-1 driver.
by Nagarjun none on Jan 30, 2007 08:53 PM
Relying on articles doesnt really help u as they wont give u the right picture... Even the likes of Micheal Schumacher and Fernando Alonso started thier careers with B grade teams like Jordan and Minardi... later they joined good teams like benneton as test drivers and slowly moved up and the rest is history...
So NK is moving in the right direction... He's a test driver for Williams team... there is no short cut to Success...
Hey do not forget he is our best in this sport, so lets give all moral support that we can, mind u this is one of the toughest sport. Also he did not fair that good in last season on F1 because the Jordon cars were not upto other car std as well. All the Best narain
