Narain Karthikeyan in 2013

Narain Karthikeyan in 2013

Narain Karthikeyan who was racing for HRT in 2012 is not in the F1 grid in 2013 as HRT became bankrupt. Narain Karthikeyan was then in talks with Force India, however, Force India just wanted Narain Karthikeyan's money and wanted him to be the test driver which he refused. Vijay Mallya of Force India is never interested in sharing the limelight with another Indian. So he has never given Narain Karthikeyan even a test drive, but continually berates him as a bad driver. Same case with Karun Chandhok.

Narain Karthikeyan now has decided to race in the Auto GP world series. The first race of this series is in Monza, Italy on this saturday. Narain said "I have decided to accept the invitation of Michael Zele (team owner), as it keeps me driving a high powered single seater. " Narain further added ,"I have worked with Zele racing before, and known Michael for a long time. I am looking forward to the first race, as I know this track very well."

The cars in this are similar and are powered by Zytek engines with Lola providing the chassis. Wish Narain all the best!

Vettel leads Redbull to 1-2 in Indian Grand Prix Qualifying

Vettel leads RedBull 1-2 in Indian Grand Prix 2012

Sebastian Vettel continued with his dominant run and scored the pole position which was barely 0.044 seconds than his team mate Mark Webber.

The second row is occupied by the McLaren drivers lead by Lewis Hamilton.

The third row now belongs to Ferrari drivers lead by Fernando Alonso.
Kimi Raikkonen of Lotus was seventh followed by Sergio Perez of Sauber. Amul would be very happy sponsoring the Sauber team. Pastor Maldonado of Williams was 9th followed by Nico Rosberg who didn’t choose to make a run in Q3.

Michael Schumacher was the big casualty as he could not qualify for the Q3 and was only 14th fastest with a time of 1:26.574. He was more than half a second slower than his team mate Nico Rosberg. We are not sure why there was a such a big gap between the two. In the last few grand prix races it was Michael who was generally faster than Nico Rosberg. We hope tomorrow will be better for Michael Schumacher as this will be his last Indian Grand Prix.

A late run from Pastor Maldonado resulted in him going to the top spot in Q1. The Williams team gave a strong performance in the Indian Grand Prix.

Heikki Kovalainen breached his Caterham in the dying minutes of Q1. He was eliminated in the Q1 along with Jean-Eric Vergne 1:27.525, Vitaly Petrov 1:28.756, Timo Glock 1:29.613, Pedro de la Rosa (1:30.592), Narain Karthikeyan (1:30.593) and Charles Pic (1:30:662). The 107% time was 1:32.071 and hence all drivers qualified and we will see a full grid tomorrow.

Narain Karthikeyan excelled in the Indian Grand Prix and was just one thousandth of a second slower than his team mate. He qualified at P23 followed by Charles Pic of Marussia.

Qualifying results of Indian Grand Prix 2012

1. Sebastian Vettel Redbull
2. Mark Webber Redbull
3. Lewis Hamilton McLaren
4. Jenson Button McLaren
5. Fernando Alonso Ferrari
6. Felipe Massa Ferrari
7. Kimi Raikkonen Lotus
8. Sergio Perez Sauber
9. Pastor Maldonado Williams
10. Nico Rosberg Mercedes
11. Romain Grosjean Lotus
12. Nico Hulkenberg Force India
13. Bruno Senna Williams
14. Michael Schumacher Mercedes
15. Daniel Ricciardo Toro Rosso
16. Paul di Resta Force India
17. Kamui Kobayashi Sauber
18. Jean-Eric Vergne Toro Rosso
19. Vitaly Petrov Caterham
20. Heikki Kovalainen Caterham
21. Timo Glock Marussia
22. Pedro de la Rosa HRT
23. Narain Karthikeyan HRT
24. Charles Pic Marussia

Spanish Grand Prix Final Practice: Vettel on Top

Sebastian Vettel topped the third and final practice in the Spanish Grand Prix on Saturday. Considering that Vettel only drove for 13laps, it shows ominous signs of Vettel dominating again. Narain Karthikeyan of India who was frustrated yesterday due to lack of track time, finally could drive. He drove 24 laps in his HRT car compared to the 13 laps of his team mate Pedro de la Rosa and was faster than him. This should surely give the much needed confidence to Narain.

Michael Schumacher chose to drive 17 laps and was 17th in the timesheets with a time of 1:24.825. I don't think he would be bothered that his team mate Nico Rosberg drove for 24 laps and scored a faster time of 1:24.070.

Fernando Alonso, who had topped the FP1 times was 6th with a time of 1:23.807 while his team mate Felipe Massa was 11th with a time of 1:24.179.

With Qualifying scheduled in the afternoon, it is to be seen who wins the important qualifying battle.


Time Sheet for Third Practice

	Third Practice
Sl.	Driver	Team	Time	Gap	Laps
1	Sebastian Vettel	Red Bull	1:23.168		13 laps
2	Pastor Maldonado	Williams	1:23.336	0.168	19 laps
3	Kamui Kobayashi	Sauber	1:23.350	0.182	19 laps
4	Mark Webber	Red Bull	1:23.578	0.410	16 laps
5	Sergio Perez	Sauber	1:23.742	0.574	22 laps
6	Fernando Alonso	Ferrari	1:23.807	0.639	15 laps
7	Jean-Eric Vergne	Toro Rosso	1:23.833	0.665	14 laps
8	Jenson Button	McLaren	1:23.909	0.741	13 laps
9	Kimi Raikkonen	Lotus	1:23.936	0.768	16 laps
10	Nico Rosberg	Mercedes	1:24.070	0.902	24 laps
11	Felipe Massa	Ferrari	1:24.179	1.011	16 laps
12	Nico Hulkenberg	Force India	1:24.323	1.155	17 laps
13	Daniel Ricciardo	Toro Rosso	1:24.3331	1.163	15 laps
14	Bruno Senna	Williams	1:24.409	1.241	18 laps
15	Paul de Resta	Force India	1:24.599	1.431	15 laps
16	Lewis Hamilton	McLaren	1:24.778	1.610	15 laps
17	Michael Schumacher	Mercedes	1.24.825	1.657	17 laps
18	Vitaly Petrov	Caterham	1:25.911	2.743	20 laps
19	Heikki Kovalainen	Caterham	1:26.587	3.419	20 laps
20	Charles Pic	Marussia	1:27.469	4.301	18 laps
21	Timo Glock	Marussia	1:27.689	4.521	16 laps
22	Narain Karthikeyan	HRT	1:28.207	5.039	24 laps
23	Pedro de la Rosa	HRT	1:28.373	5.205	13 laps
24	Romain Grosjean	Lotus			2 laps

Spanish Grand Prix: Glory lap by Alonso

It was a bitter and sweet afternoon for the Spanish crowd watching the Friday practice session of the Spanish Grand Prix 2012.

Fernando Alonso who is adored by many of his fellow countrymen, didn't fail to charm the friday crowd in the Spanish Grand Prix and scored the P1 position at a time of 1:24.430. This was achieved in Ferrari's B- specd car. Alonso was 0.378 seconds faster than Sebastian Vettel of Redbul. Alonso's team mate in the other Ferrari, was down in 12th place a massive 1:003 seconds adrift.Michael Schumacher was 6th with a timing of 1:25.187 and his team mate Nico Rosberg was 14th with a timing of 1:25.607.

However, in the second practice Fernando Alonso could only score at 14th fastest lap time and his team mate who is generally struggling for the past two years scored a 11th fastest time. Jenson Button scored the P1 in the second practice followed by Sebastian Vettel. Nico Rosberg was third, Hamilton fourth, Raikkonen fifth, Grosjean sixth, Webber 7th followed by Schumacher at 8th position. Interestingly Schumacher drove 36 laps whereas his team mate Nico Rosberg drove 41laps ie. 5 laps more than him. With tyre degradation to become a major factor, it is important to see how the drivers cope up tomorrow as well as in the race day on Sunday.

The Indian fans were disappointed, as in the morning session Narain Karthikeyan didn't drive as Dani Clos - a spanish driver was given the drive to have an all spanish drive - as per earlier plan. In the second practice Narain Karthikeyan's car had developed an electrical problem and when he ventured very late in the second practice his car promptly stopped in turn three. We have to watch the impact of this lack of driving on Narain tomorrow. For the record, Dani Clos was a massive 2.511 seconds slower than his team mate Pedro de la Rosa, both of them driving 19 laps each.



The timings in First Practice:

	First Practice
Sl.	Driver	Team	Time	Gap	Laps
1	Fernando Alonso	Ferrari	1:24.430		20 laps
2	Sebastian Vettel	Red Bull	1:24.808	0.378	18 laps
3	Kamui Kobayashi	Sauber	1:24.912	0.482	28 laps
4	Jenson Button	McLaren	1:24.996	0.566	24 laps
5	Valtteri Bottas	Williams	1:25.120	0.690	24 laps
6	Michael Schumacher	Mercedes	1.25.187	0.757	15 laps
7	Romain Grosjean	Lotus	1:25.217	0.787	16 laps
8	Lewis Hamilton	McLaren	1:25.252	0.822	20 laps
9	Kimi Raikkonen	Lotus	1:25.285	0.855	29 laps
10	Nico Hulkenberg	Force India	1:25.339	0.909	24 laps
11	Jean-Eric Vergne	Toro Rosso	1:25.367	0.937	22 laps
12	Felipe Massa	Ferrari	1:25.433	1.003	21 laps
13	Mark Webber	Red Bull	1:25.539	1.109	23 laps
14	Nico Rosberg	Mercedes	1:25.607	1.177	20 laps
15	Sergio Perez	Sauber	1:25.918	1.488	19 laps
16	Daniel Ricciardo	Toro Rosso	1:26.226	1.796	24 laps
17	Pastor Maldonado	Williams	1:26.297	1.867	18 laps
18	Jules Bianchi	Force India	1:26.630	2.200	21 laps
19	Vitaly Petrov	Caterham	1:27.475	3.045	20 laps
20	Timo Glock	Marussia	1:28.267	3.837	21 laps
21	Alexander Rossi	Caterham	1:28.448	4.018	25 laps
22	Charles Pic	Marussia	1:28.633	4.203	22 laps
23	Pedro de la Rosa	HRT	1:29.107	4.677	19 laps
24	Dani Clos	HRT	1:31.618	7.188	19 laps

The Timings in Second Practice:

Second Practice Sl. Driver Team Time Gap Laps 1 Jenson Button McLaren  1:23.399 38 laps 2 Sebastian Vettel Red Bull  1:23.563 0.164 38 laps 3 Nico Rosberg Mercedes  1:23.771 0.372 41 laps 4 Lewis Hamilton McLaren  1:23.909 0.510 32 laps 5 Kimi Raikkonen Lotus  1:23.918 0.519 32 laps 6 Romain Grosjean Lotus  1:23.964 0.565 37 laps 7 Mark Webber Red Bull  1:24.065 0.666 34 laps 8 Michael Schumacher Mercedes 1.24.080 0.681 36 laps 9 Kamui Kobayashi Sauber  1:24.214 0.815 41 laps 10 Nico Hulkenberg Force India  1:24.365 0.966 22 laps 11 Felipe Massa Ferrari  1:24.418 1.019 35 laps 12 Sergio Perez Sauber  1:24.422  1.023 32 laps 13 Pastor Maldonado Williams   1:24.468 1.069 40 laps 14 Fernando Alonso Ferrari  1:24.600 1.201 33 laps 15 Paul DiResta Force India  1:24.688 1.289 30 laps 16 Jean-Eric Vergne Toro Rosso  1:24.733 1.334 34 laps 17 Daniel Ricciardo Toro Rosso  1:24.769 1.370 37 laps 18 Bruno Senna Williams   1:25.047 1.648  42 laps 19 Heikki Kovalainen Caterham  1:26.296 2.897 36 laps 20 Vitaly Petrov Caterham  1:26.740 3.341 35 laps 21 Timo Glock Marussia  1:27.314 3.915 27 laps 22 Charles Pic Marussia  1:27.664 4.265 30 laps 23 Pedro de la Rosa HRT  1:28.235 4.836 26 laps 24 Narain Karthikeyan HRT 2 laps

Incredible India logo in HRT car?

Narain Karthikeyan is in talks with the Tourism department for conducting demo runs of the HRT's Formula One car in chennai and the deal will involve placing the Incredible India logo on the HRT cars. If this happens, then it will be good.

Narain Karthikeyan will get much needed sponsorships for the HRT team which is currently struggling due to lack of sponsors. Due to the high viewership of Formula One throughout the world, placing the "Incredible India" logo

All Spanish Driver Lineup for HRT in FP1

HRT which is a Spanish team, has decided to opt for an all Spanish driver lineup in the First Practice in Spanish Grand Prix.

Dani Clos, a Spanish driver, who was earlier taken by HRT as a reserve driver, is given the opportunity

Narain Karthikeyan qualifies for Malaysia F1 race

Narain Karthikeyan has qualified for the Formula 1 race in Sepang, Malaysia which is to be held on Sunday. He and his HRT teammate Pedro de la Rosa could not qualify for the season opening race in Melbourne, Australia last week. So this qualification has come as a welcome relief.

Unfortunately, Narain Karthikeyan has qualified at 24th place as he was slower than his team mate by a massive 0.741 seconds. Narain Karthikeyan's best effort was timed at 1.43.655 vis-a-vis the best laptime of 1:42.914 by Pedro de la Rosa.

However, Narain Karthikeyan will not start at 24th on the grid because Heikki Kovalainen who qualified at 19th position had earlier been handed a 5 slot grid penalty.

The 107% time was 1:43.974. I am sure the HRT team will start improving with more testing. Narain's ability to give feedback was highly rated by his engineers in Williams team and Pedro de la Rosso is a proven ability in developing the car. So I am sure the HRTteam and Narain Karthikeyan start becoming competitive soon and beat their nearest competitors Marussia and reduce the gap with other teams. 

HRT Apply for permission to race in Melbourne

HRT team whose both cars failed to qualify within the 107% rule have now sought permission from the stewards to race in Melbourne. The 107% rule states that all the cars have to qualify within the 107% time of the time set by the car in first position in that session. However, cars can be allowed to race at the discretion of the stewards.

HRT team has completed a total of 45 laps. They could not take part in the pre-season testing. They could only do a filming run after the barcelona testing was over. The filming run was for 10 laps at reduced pace using demo tyres.

It would be pertinent to mention that HRT was in a similar situation in the previous year and was not allowed to race by the Stewards. I don't believe the Stewards will allow them to race. It would be good for the HRT team if they can get permission to race. It would be a miracle and will help them to test the car and fine tune. Else, they have to do modifications based on whatever limited running they had in melbourne and fine tune the car before next week's Malaysia race.

Politics on Resource Restriction Agreement

The Formula One Teams Association (FOTA) has collapsed due to disagreement over the voluntary Resource Restriction Agreement that was agreed upon by the FOTA members. It was reported that Red Bull had spent much more than other teams in order to be competitive and win the championship.

There was no unanimity among the FOTA members on this issue as Red Bull and its sister firm Scuderia Torro Rosso didn't agree to the Resource Restriction Agreement (RRA). So barring Red Bull and Torro Rosso, other momembers of the now defunct FOTA have written to the FIA to implement it. They have asked for implenting penalty to teams who violate this agreement by either docking points or deducting grid places ie. pushing them down the starting grid in races. This move is seen to put pressure on Red Bull.

It would be pertinent to mention that HRT had pulled out of FOTA as it didn't want to even pay the membership fees of FOTA and also because it thought FOTA is for the interests of big teams.

When smaller teams are struggling to cobble together the required finances, it becomes difficult for them to compete with other teams who spend much more than them. Naturally, the successful teams attract much more sponsorships than the smaller teams. So it is a vicious cycle as well.

Let us wait for FIA to respond to this request for implementing the RRA. 

Disappointment for India's Only F1 driver

The season opener in Melbourne came as a big disappointment for India's only F1 driver Narain Karthikeyan, as the two HRT cars came last and beyond the minimum 107% time of 1.32.214 seconds. Both the HRT cars were over one second slower than the minimum 107% of the fastest time required to qualify. So like last year, this year too both the HRT cars won't be able to participate.

One had hoped that this year the HRT team would do better. However, despite the ownership changing hands, the team is struggling for fiances. A majority of the previous team members have left. So no wonder the team is really struggling to even build the car.

Narain Karthikeyan's car was ready for a day after the barcelona testing. So the HRT team missed the entire pre season testing. They got about 10 laps for a filming day which had severe restrictions of using demo tyres and slow speeds.

The HRT team struggled to put together Pedro de La Roa's car for the mandatory inspection before the First Practice. Unfortunately, Narain only got 3 laps in the First Practice on friday and his engine blew out.

In the qualifying they could get only 6 laps. No idea why the team only ran for 6 laps. Given this performance, it would be virtually impossible for the team to even qualify for the race in Malaysia.

I think it is time before Ratan Tata steps in and buys this HRT team so that the much needed finances can be brought in and the entire team is revamped. If not Tata Motors, Ratan Tata can put in his personal stake. This would be a way for Indian companies to get into F1 and really evolving in terms of competitiveness and getting the global coverage.

I was surprised that Pedro de La Rosa was faster than Narain. In an untested car, this would not be of much significance. However, Narain had matched the pace of Daniel Ricciardo and was also faster than him. So I am surprised that this time Pedro was faster than Narain. I am sure, with the passage of time, HRT will get more funds, more mileage and Narain will shine.

The Qualifying times in Melbourne GP:
Times
01. Lewis Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes 1m24.922
02. Jenson Button McLaren-Mercedes 1m25.074 + 0.152
03. Romain Grosjean Lotus-Renault 1m25.302 + 0.380
04. Michael Schumacher Mercedes 1m25.336 + 0.414
05. Mark Webber Red Bull-Renault 1m25.651 + 0.729
06. Sebastian Vettel Red Bull-Renault 1m25.668 + 0.746
07. Nico Rosberg Mercedes 1m25.686 + 0.764
08. Pastor Maldonado Williams-Renault 1m25.908 + 0.986
09. Nico Hulkenberg Force India-Mercedes 1m26.451 + 1.529
10. Daniel Ricciardo Toro Rosso-Ferrari No time
11. Jean-Eric Vergne Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1m26.429 + 0.960
12. Fernando Alonso Ferrari 1m26.494 + 1.025
13. Kamui Kobayashi Sauber-Ferrari 1m26.590 + 1.121
14. Bruno Senna Williams-Renault 1m26.663 + 1.194
15. Paul di Resta Force India-Mercedes 1m27.086 + 1.617
16. Felipe Massa Ferrari 1m27.497 + 2.028
17. Sergio Perez Sauber-Ferrari No time
18. Kimi Raikkonen Lotus-Renault 1m27.758 + 1.576
19. Heikki Kovalainen Caterham-Renault 1m28.679 + 2.497
20. Vitaly Petrov Caterham-Renault 1m29.018 + 2.836
21. Timo Glock Marussia-Cosworth 1m30.923 + 4.741
22. Charles Pic Marussia-Cosworth 1m31.670 + 5.488
23. Pedro de la Rosa HRT-Cosworth 1m33.495 + 7.313
24. Narain Karthikeyan HRT-Cosworth 1m33.643 + 7.461 

An Indian Driver in F1 in 2012

Good news for the motorsports fans in India. Narain Karthikeyan will be driving for HRT team in 2012 in Formula 1. In the inaugural F1 Grand Prix in Delhi in 2011, Narain Karthikeyan had made an impression.

Despite not driving for more than four months, Narain came back to the HRT team and was immediately on pace and beat his highly rated team mate and redbull protegee Daniel Ricciardo in the race and finished 17th in the process. This has swung the HRT decision  in Narain's favour.

In a Media release, HRT Team Principal Luis Perex-Sala said "I am pleased to count on Narain for this season, as he will contribute continuity and stability. He is quick, intuitive and secure driver who met his expectations despite lack of continuity last year. Of the eight Grand Prix he contested in 2011, he only failed on one occasion and had a great performance in the last race he took part in." 

Narain said "there are drivers with more resources and it would be wrong to say that I secured the drive just because of sponsorship". Narain is scheduled to get a first feel of the car during the second test in Feb 21. Pedro will be driving the car during the first tests. 

HRT with new funds and a completely revamped team personnel will hope to do well this year. Millions of Indians will be keenly following the progress of this team and Narain.

With this, the Forumla 1 Grid is complete. Here are the drivers:

Redbull: Sebastien Vettel, Mark Webber
Mclaren Mercedes: Jenson Button, Hamilton
Ferrari: Fernando Alonso, Felipe Massa
Mercedes: Michel Schumacher, Nico Rosberg
Lotus: Kimi Raikonnen, Roman Grosjean
Sahara Force India: Paul DiResta, Nico Hulkenberg
Williams: Bruno Senna, Pastor Maldonado
Sauber: Sergio Perez, Kamui Kobayashi
Torro Rosso: Daniel Ricciardo, J. Vergne
Caterham: Jarno Trulli, Heikki Kovalainen
HRT: Narain Karthikeyan, Pedro de la Rosa
Marrussia Racing: Timo Glock, Charles Pic

Formula 1 is all about Money Honey!

F1 is all about Money, Honey!

Formula One is all about money. First and foremost, Formula one is a business and then it is motorsports. 

This principle has been proved time and again and the formula one teams make no effort to hide it.

Driver Contracts:

In the last few days, this adage has been proved once again by the HRT team. Narain Karthikeyan was the first driver to be signed by the HRT team and at that time Narain Karthikeyan was quoted as saying that his contract is for the entire season. However, just before Silverstone race, Narain Karthikeyan was dropped by HRT team and Daniel Ricciardo was brought in with sponsorship from Red Bull. At that time, it was known that Narain Karthikeyan will return to the HRT cockpit for the Indian Grand Prix.

Liuzzi had earlier mentioned that he has contract for the entire season so there was no question of Narain replacing him in the Indian Grand Prix. Daniel Ricciardo during his promotional demonstration for Red Bull in New Delhi had said that he expected to sit out for Narain as it is contractual and had said that he would take part in the first practice on Friday. However, HRT team has now issued a statement that it will be Liuzzi who will sit out in the Indian Grand Prix.

With so much of money riding in on Daniel Ricciardo - who is highly valued by the Red Bull team and is expected to replace one of their drivers from the Torro Rosso team – it is natural that Daniel Ricciardo gets to drive in Indian Grand Prix and Tonio Liuzzi is replaced by Narain. It is purely a case of money, and contracts are never a obstacle in Formula 1. In Cricket they say, Records are meant to be broken. Similarly, in Formula 1 they say, Contracts are meant to be broken.

Interestingly, Vintanio Liuzzi who was driving for Force India team in 2010 had a valid contract to drive in 2011. However, the Vijay Mallya led team decided to give chance to the Mercedes backed Paul DiResta and decided that it was lucrative to replace and compensate Vintanio Liuzzi.

Name change:

The formula one teams routinely try to interpret the clauses to get some extra amount of money. The formula one rules state that the Formula One teams can change their name subject to ratification by all the other teams. Though this clause was created to stop any team from infringing on the brand name of another, the teams routinely try to use this clause to stop other teams from changing their names. For example, even after BMW exited the sport, the Sauber team continued to use the BMW name else, they would have forfeited the prize money. Similarly, Renault exited the sport after the team was indicted of deliberately conspiring with its driver Nelso Piquet Jr. to crash in Singapore race. So though Genii capital became the majority shareholder, the team still bears the name Renault. Recently, the Mercedes Team Principal Ross Brawn also shared his view on this topic and said that a few teams want to derive benefit out of this issue.

Team orders aka Match Fixing:

Each team in formula one is allowed to have two drivers and team orders were banned. So technically one driver of a team cannot be asked to move aside to give way for his team mate. In the past, teams used to send coded messages to their driver to give room for their higher ranked fellow driver to pass. However, recently the team order controversy has been given a burial as FIA has legalized team orders saying that it is difficult to implement. So what amounts to match fixing in other sports, is a routine thing in formula 1. In the commercial world of Formula 1, money comes first and sport later. 

Base Batteries unveils battery for HRT Formula one car

Base batteries had earlier announced its tie up with HRT team due to Narain Karthikeyan driving for it. Today, in a glittering ceremony in New Delhi, Base battery finally launched its battery for Formula 1 Cars and it was unveiled by India's First Formula 1 driver Narain Karthikeyan. Base Batteries became the first Indian Battery manufacturer to become the official supplier of a Formula 1 Car.

The battery specs were listed as 114mm x 39mm x 87mm (LxWxH) at 12V, 2.3 amperes and weighing 0.9 kg. The batteries have got improved charge recovery capability from near or deeply discharged conditions. It has got a longer shelf life and as is expected the batteries can withstand extreme vibrations. The battery uses silver instead of lead and that is supposed to give higher performance and being better for the environment. The R&D budget for developing this battery is supposed to be to the tune of 3 million USD. It is to be seen whether this battery will be fitted to the HRT car during the coming Indian Grand Prix.

Colin Kolles, the HRT Team Principal said "We are confident that the innovative design and the world class technology that Base Batteries bring to the HRT race car is in sync with our ambitions to excel. We are looking forward to a long standing and wonderful partnership with Base Batteries in the coming years. "

With the sponsorship, albeit for one race by Hero Motors, if Narain Karthikeyan is able to do well in the Indian Grand Prix, then many sponsors will get convinced to sponsor HRT. Oct 30th is going to be a watershed day in the history of Indian Motor Sports.