India didn’t capitalise on F1: Chandhok

Karun Chandhok knew the question was coming, he was prepared for it even after all these years. ‘Will Formula One return to India?’

He wanted to put an end to the misery with an emphatic ‘NO!’, but hope wouldn’t allow him, though, seven years have passed since the last Grand Prix here. Instead, he reluctantly offered a solution, one which is not likely not bear fruit. He knew this well.

DH caught up with the driver turned commentator as he spoke about the upcoming season, Sebastian Vettel’s future, financial implications of Covid-19, Indian racing, and more. Excerpts:

On the upcoming season

It is going to be different, but the whole world is different. Honestly, I did not think we would be back racing until the end of August. You think of the complications of organising an F1 race - the number of people, equipment that needs to be moved past international borders... There’s a 74-page document on the dos and donts (SOPs) that we have all been sent. Hats off to them.

On Sebastian Vettel’s future

He will either retire or take a sabbatical. I can’t see him (driving for a small team)… he’s a four-time world champion. He has driven for some of the best teams, in the best cars since 2009. That’s a decade of driving in the top three cars in F1. I don’t see what his motivation is in this stage of his life.

On the financial implications of Covid on F1

Everyone has and will continue to take a hit, barring perhaps Amazon (laughs). From a financial standpoint, it’s a sizeable loss for Liberty (Media Corporation). I would say 35-40 per cent (loss) by the end of this, and that’s not insignificant. Teams themselves are going through problems with fewer sponsors.

On F1 in India

Fundamentally, it comes down to who’s going to pay for it. People forget that Jaypee Group foot the bill for the three races in India, they underwrote the cost of the race with no support from the government. They put in about 500 million dollars in three years. Ultimately, no private organisation is going to sustain that. You look at Singapore, they used F1 as a tourism exercise. We could have done that. India never saw the benefit of F1 because the government didn’t get behind it. Unless you get a government willing to financially support it, F1 isn’t coming back.

On the future of Indian drivers in F1

You’ve got Jehan (Daruvala) racing in F2 and he’s doing well. He keeps his feet on the ground and he’s realistic. He knows what he needs to do and he’s serious about racing. He has all the tools available to deliver. Arjun and Kush (the Mainis) lost a lot of ground because they didn’t have the financial backing, I’m not sure they’ll be able to recover.

On Black Lives Matter

Some of the stuff Lewis has talked about is something I can’t relate to. I didn’t grow up as a black kid in the UK in the 90s, I don’t know what it was like. To be honest, he has helped me learn more about racism. The fact that the board of Mercedes, despite being quite a conservative team, have painted the car black for the season is fantastic. I have a massive amount of respect for him. He’s willing to go out there and speak about issues when other people are reluctant to do so. That makes him a very good ambassador for F1.