To be racing in the world's top form of motor sport would be the ideal situation for Narain Karthikeyan. But the Coimbatore resident's dreams of making a return to to Formula One racing may not be on track at the present moment.

However, with not many options left now, Karthikeyan is not ruing the fact. Instead, he is making the most of his time in the A1 Grand Prix or the World Cup of Motor sport as it has been dubbed. And he is certainly enjoying it.

There were a few talks about Karthikeyan getting back into Super Aguri or even the Vijay Mallya-owned Force India team that will make its debut this year. Sadly, nothing worked out.

"There was some talks about me driving for Super Aguri but nothing has happened so far. I will have to wait and see. If it happens, it happens but otherwise there is nothing I can do," he said on the sidelines of the A1 GP event held in Durban last weekend. "As far as Force India is concerned, it is up to the team to use my services or not."

The Formula One season is all set to begin in Melbourne on March 16 and Karthikeyan obviously cannot get a drive now. So, if he has to get back into the racing cockpit, it has to be for next year.

In the meanwhile, Karthikeyan is savouring his time being the main driver for A1 Team India. There have been some encouraging results like the feature race win in Zhuhai. Moreover, the Indian team has shown notable improvement over the last three seasons.

"A1 GP is an eye-opener really. The competition is tough. There is a healthy mix of youngsters and drivers who have raced in Formula One. I am enjoying driving in A1," he said.

"Unlike Formula One, A1 is accessible to all drivers. The media coverage is there. It is a good concept. No one really goes from A1 to F1 because the two run on two different concepts. But if you can drive in A1, you can do F1 also," Karthikeyan, who drove for Jordan Toyota in the 2005 F1 season, added.

"There are some good drivers in the country who could do well for India in the future. The key here is that they must be guided well. There are a lot of things that can be done," he felt.

As the third season of the A1 GP draws to a close, there is a growing interest and something that is eagerly awaited by all concerned with the series - the entry of Ferrari to supply cars.

A big boost

"Ferrari coming in will give a boost to the series. The popularity will go up. The speeds will be higher. I would certainly like to drive a Ferrari," said the former Williams team test driver.

The arrival of Ferrari in A1 GP will give a further boost to the series and will also generate more interest among viewers. Besides, motor sport scene in India will certainly look up. Karthikeyan too agreed. "Motorsport in India is on the rise. There are a lot of sponsors coming in now and the situation is a lot better than five years ago. This growth needs to be sustained," he explained.

"There is massive coverage of motorsport in the media. Naturally, the kids will follow it and would want to become race drivers. That is good."

Karthikeyan's achievement to become the first Indian Formula One driver made a huge impact and set the ball rolling for motorsport to grow. It is all left to the Who's Who of racing in India to take that forward.