Taking a deep breath, Narain Karthikeyan walked amongst the legends of Formula One with his head held high, almost as if to say 'I told you we'd get there'.
There was, however, genuine emotion when he took of his glasses and cast a glance at the Buddh International Circuit. “It's a very emotional moment for me. Even two years ago I didn't think we would have a track in India. It's breathtaking that we got it done.” said the Chennai-born HRT driver.
After Team Lotus reduced Chandhok's stint at the Indian GP with only the free-practice run, Karthikeyan will be the only Indian on the track, and expectedly there is a lot of pressure on the 34-year-old.
“It has been an anxious few weeks. I have spent a lot of time thinking about this but when it begins, I will just got out there and have fun. We are just going to try and take the cars back to the garage after the race, that's our goal for the moment,” said the former Jordan driver, who is the only Indian to have scored points at a race.
“My family and everyone is coming to the track. It's a huge moment for Indian motor sport, and the first few laps will be very, very special,” he added.
Deccan Herald is on WhatsApp Channels| Join now for Breaking News & Editor's Picks