India's Karun Chandhok will have a two-day test with the Red Bull Formula One team in Barcelona next week, the driver said in a statement on Tuesday.
Chandhok, who scored his first victory at Formula One's GP2 support series at Spa in Belgium earlier this year, is aiming to follow in the footsteps of Narain Karthikeyan, who became the first Indian to drive in F1 in 2005 when he raced for Jordan. Karthikeyan is currently a test driver with Williams,
"It really is a dream come true for me," Chennai-born Chandhok said.
Red Bull team boss Christian Horner said in the statement that Chandhok had shown steady improvement. "His progress in GP2 this year has been clearly evident, culminating in a win at Spa," said Horner.
"Barcelona presents a good opportunity to put Karun in one of the cars, as our regular test driver Sebastien Buemi will be competing in the Macau F3 race," he added.
Chandhok said this was the day he was waiting for. “Ever since I was about four years old, I’ve dreamt of being behind the wheel of a Formula One car and this is a day that not just myself, but my family and everyone who has supported me over the years, has thought about for a long time.
The youngster said the Red Bull call up was the icing on the cake in a very productive year. “This year has been very good for me in GP2 in that I was able to re-establish myself in Europe,” he said.”
The test session will be held over three days in Barcelona. All the other ten F1 teams are also expected to attend, providing plenty of big names as company for Karun.
Prior to the test, Karun will get a chance to spend some time at the team’s factory in the UK, getting acquainted with the personnel and using the team’s simulator which will allow him a chance to understand the controls and electronics on board a F1 car. “These early F1 tests are mainly about getting things reliable for next year with the new regulations. So rather than the ultimate lap times, it will be important for me to be able to assist the team with information for their development of the new car and electronics,” Chandok said.