• Home
• /
• F1

India’s Chandhok set for Campos deal

NEW DELHI - Indian driver Karun Chandhok is close to signing a deal with new Formula One team Campos Meta to race in the 2010 season, a team official said on Friday.

Team principal Colin Kolles said they were in talks with Chandhok to be the team’s second driver alongside Bruno Senna, nephew of the late Brazilian F1 champion Ayrton Senna.

“We have been very impressed with Karun’s performance in GP2 and are close to finalizing a deal with him,” Kolles said in a statement emailed to AFP.

“India is a great country and it would be great for the sport to have an Indian driver on the grid. However we will be in a better position to comment on this over the next few days.

“My aim now is to make sure that we are there on the grid in Bahrain, which will be a huge achievement in itself.

“We are moving in the right direction and will do everything in our power to make sure we are running in Bahrain, with Karun in the car.”

The new season opens at the Sakhir circuit in Bahrain on March 14.

Campos Meta is a new Madrid-based team founded by ex-driver Adrian Campos and financed by Spanish investor Jose Ramon Carabante.

Chandhok’s father, Vicky, confirmed the talks with Colles, who was earlier with Force India, the team owned by Indian liquor baron Vijay Mallya.

“We hope to confirm a deal very soon,” said Vicky Chandhok. “We have known Colin for a number of years and we are absolutely amazed by his determination and passion to get the car on the grid in Bahrain.

“We have utmost faith in him and are hopeful to confirm things in the next few days.”

Chandhok, 26, has earned podium finishes in the GP2 series and had been a regular frontrunner in British Formula 3.

If the deal goes through, he will become the second Indian F1 driver after Narain Karthikeyan, who raced for Jordan in 2005.