Narain Karthikeyan, who made his Formula One debutin Melbourne last week, says his true potential will surface only after thefirst seven races where he'll be aiming for the chequered flag.
Happy with his 15th place finish in the seasonopener, the 28-year-old Karthikeyan says he has made people sit up and watch himperform.
"It (debut in Melbourne) was a case of drivingalongside high profile names. I want to establish myself as a good driver. Afterthe first race in Melbourne, a lot of people in the business are recognisingthat," Karthikeyan said over phone from Kuala Lumpur, where the Indian willcompete in his second F1 race on March 20.
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Excerpts from the interview in which Karthikeyan,who stood sixth overall in the Nissan World Series 2004 (unofficial Formula Twoof Motor Sport racing), dealt with his debut event in Australia and what is instore for his growing number of fans in India at the Sepang Circuit (Malaysia)next Sunday:
Q. It was creditable that you set the bestlap time among the rookies in Melbourne despite a bad start. How were you ableto achieve it?
A. I had a bad start alright but picked upduring the second part of the race and my car worked well enough for me to setthe best lap time amongst the rookies.
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Q. Did you push the limit during the 57-lap race?
A. Obviously you were pushing the car to thelimit in every lap. When the fuel load goes down, that is the time one tries andgets the best out of the situation. That is how the whole thing went. I wasquite happy. The only real moment in which I was in a dangerous position waswhen I came in to the pits. I locked all the four wheels and the car went a bitsideways on entry. It was not such a big risk and it was all controlled rathervery quickly.
Q. How do you feel about the 2005 season andyour prospects?
A. Obviously, my aim is to establish myself as agood driver. After the first race in Melbourne, a lot of people are recognisingthat. I just need to continue the good job that I have done. In that way, 2005is going to be a challenge for me but I am up to it. I will give it my best shotand put in 110 per cent to perform better and better.
Q. How confident are you of improving on your15th spot finish to go up in the order of merit in Sepang?
A. I am aiming to finish the race whether it isthe 15th or 16th place. At this point of time, we are not in an ideal position.When the opportunity comes to score points, we will do that. It is very hard topredict as to when we will get better finishes. I am not going to put pressureon myself because Formula One is a speed learning curve and one has to learn asit comes. If you rush things, you may not achieve anything at all.
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PTI
