Narain Karthikeyan has played down reports he could lose his seat at HRT because of a lack of sponsorship. An Indian newspaper this week said the 35-year-old is a million euros short of guaranteeing his place at the struggling Spanish team through November's Brazil finale.
"Right now, everything is as it should be," he is quoted by France's autohebdo.fr. "Early in the season, (team boss) Luis (Perez Sala) said that if I was not close enough to my teammate, there is a chance I will not finish the season. That was put into my contract, but for now I respect all the conditions. There is no reason that I will not be driving (the rest of) this season," added Karthikeyan.
He admits, however, to some frustration about HRT's continuing rear-of-the-field position. "To be honest I wasn't expecting the start of 2012 to be on the same lines as last year," the Indian driver told the Hindustan Times newspaper. "Yes I expected teething problems but not to this extent."
He also admits he expected the team to test at Mugello last week. "Personally speaking, I would've preferred some seat time at Mugello since I didn't get any pre-season testing compared to my teammate who did the Jerez test with the old car," said Karthikeyan. "I was originally told that we would do the Mugello test but we decided to focus on putting the car together instead." (GMM)
Karthikeyan admits frustration with HRT situation
- Published on 11 May 2012 14:43
-
0
- By: Rob Veenstra
.
Trending news
-
What Verstappen really said about his Red Bull futureMax Verstappen has acknowledged his Red Bull contract extension through 2030 comes with a sobering reality: the next ...
28 Aug 2026 16:54 -
Racing Bulls join the macarena wing race with Imola testRacing Bulls are testing their own variant of the rotating rear wing design at Imola during a filmday on Tuesday, acc...
28 Aug 2026 15:51 -
Nico Rosberg issues stark warning to former team MercedesNico Rosberg has warned Mercedes that McLaren has become Formula 1's team to beat, delivering a stark assessment ...
28 Aug 2026 14:50 -
Why Alonso credited himself after Zandvoort chargeFernando Alonso delivered a blunt self-assessment after driving from 18th on the grid to ninth at the Dutch Grand Pri...
28 Aug 2026 13:48 -
Why Max Verstappen's 2030 Red Bull contract might not be finalMax Verstappen's new Red Bull contract through 2030 may not be the career-defining commitment it appears, accordi...
28 Aug 2026 12:47
Dutch Grand Prix
Local time
-
Friday
Saturday
Sunday
Dutch Grand Prix
Local time
-
Friday
-
Saturday
-
Sunday
-
Friday
-
Saturday
-
Sunday
Test calendar
Circuit de Catalunya - Winter testing
-
Jan 26
I. Hadjar
- 1:18.159
-
-
-
Jan 27
M. Verstappen
- 1:19.578
-
-
-
Jan 28
A. Antonelli
- 1:17.362
-
-
-
Jan 29
G. Russell
- 1:16.445
-
-
-
Jan 30
L. Hamilton
- 1:16.348
-
-
Bahrain International Circuit - Winter testing
-
Feb 11
L. Norris
- 1:34.669
-
-
-
Feb 12
C. Leclerc
- 1:34.273
-
-
-
Feb 13
A. Antonelli
- 1:33.669
-
-
Bahrain International Circuit - Winter testing
-
Feb 18
G. Russell
- 1:33.459
-
-
Feb 19
A. Antonelli
- 1:32.803
-
-
Feb 20
C. Leclerc
- 1:31.992
-
-
World Championship standings 2026
Pos
Driver
Team
Points
Pos
Team
Points
Related news
Give your opinion!
Formula 1 Calendar - 2026
Date
Grand Prix
Circuit
-
Spain
-
Bahrain
-
Bahrain
Formula 1 Calendar - 2026
Date
Grand Prix & Circuit
-
Spain
Circuit de Catalunya
-
Bahrain
Bahrain International Circuit
-
Bahrain
Bahrain International Circuit
6 - Mar 8
Australia
Albert Park
13 - Mar 15
27 - Mar 29
Japan
Circuit Suzuka
10 - Apr 12
Bahrain
Bahrain International Circuit
17 - Apr 19
Saudi Arabia
Jeddah Street Circuit
1 - May 3
United States of America
Miami International Autodrome
22 - May 24
Canada
Gilles Villeneuve
5 - Jun 7
Monaco
Monte Carlo
12 - Jun 14
Spain
Circuit de Catalunya
26 - Jun 28
Austria
Red Bull Ring
3 - Jul 5
United Kingdom
Silverstone
17 - Jul 19
Belgium
Spa-Francorchamps
24 - Jul 26
Hungary
Hungaroring
21 - Aug 23
Netherlands
Circuit Zandvoort
Team profile
- Team name HRT
- Base Madrid, Spain
- Daniel Ricciardo 22
- 12,655 comments on HRT
0 members have this team as their favourite
Tweets about HRT
Replies (0)
Login to reply