Chandhok content with 'small steps'

The 26-year-old's first foray into Formula One came in qualifying for the season opener in Bahrain and although his race ended with a first-lap retirement, he nursed the car through to an encouraging 14th place finish in Melbourne on Sunday.

The steep learning curve continues with the third round of the season in Malaysia this weekend but Chandhok is content to make the ascent a small step at a time as he gets to first understand his car as well as the motor racing's leading series.

"Finishing in Melbourne was an achievement in itself. The more miles we do the more we get out of the car. The other drivers could test in Valencia, Barcelona and Jerez but we didn't get that opportunity" Chandhok said on Thursday.

"Unfortunately we are testing in public... it's not easy but we are doing the best that we can."