The Hindu : Sport : Having shown he belongs, Narain will have to look to improve

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Apr 01, 2005

Sport

Sport

Having shown he belongs, Narain will have to look to improve

By Vijay Parthasarathy

MANAMA, MARCH 31. In the heart of the archipelago, the Sakhir International Formula One Circuit here in Bahrain stands severely aloof and somewhat forlorn; stuck as it is on the teetering edge of the capital port city of Manama, and trapped by the swirling desert sands in the middle of nowhere. It's an oasis with a serious identity crisis; it appears distinctly bewildered with its surroundings, like a hesitant five year-old on his first day at school. Or, for that matter, a supermarket store 20 miles from civilization.

But that was only to be expected. Bahrain is a heterogeneous mix of developed suburbs and barren wastelands, a country in no hurry to find a balance; although, admittedly, it is practically tripping over itself to try and raise its profile across the globe as quickly as possible — which is what it hopes to achieve through its entry in the F1 world.

Formula One, for its part, was always looking to break out of Europe and North America and had already spread to Asia and beyond. As far as circuits go, the one in Sakhir is spanking new, only a year old. And, in an inherently unfair sport, on that count at least practically every driver is on level terms. Michael Schumacher and David Coulthard are specimens from the dinosaur age as far as Formula One goes, with tons of experience and good engineers on their side; but here they are only a year ahead (as opposed to an entire generation) of a rookie like Narain Karthikeyan, and the circuit will pose the same challenges to everyone. For Narain, although it doesn't imply he will start out on equal terms with the seven-time world champion, that's an encouraging sign.

After a couple of good races in Melbourne and Malaysia, Narain will need to keep the momentum going. The fight to belong was seemingly won ages and ages ago; even the struggle to earn the right to finish was a smashing success — or a non-struggle, depending on how you choose to perceive it. Narain has so far managed to meet every long-term target he had set himself at the outset of the season; and these were no minor targets. He's done far better than he or anyone else expected him to perform, and he has also consistently managed to finish ahead of his fellow rookies at Jordan and Minardi.

And now, almost comically, by posting a significant improvement of four places in Malaysia (over Melbourne) — accidentally or otherwise — Narain has put himself in an awkward situation. He has to improve; simply finishing here won't be good enough. Bahrain is not as tough on the body as Sepang was, which means other drivers are likely to handle conditions better. Fortuitous crashes seem unlikely. How Narain's going to beat a 11th place finish remains a mystery; but he will have to find a way.

So, it's back to square one; only this time it's Narain turn to search for answers to philosophical conundrums of identity — except the question in his case is, am I the best among rookies, or the worst among the top pros?

It's a difficult question to answer. And, just now, he wouldn't mind a generous dollop of beginner's luck.

PTI adds

Brimming with confidence after completing his first two races at Melbourne and Sepang, Narain Karthikeyan is now looking to improve his performance in this Sunday's third Grand Prix here.

"I have acquired a bit more experience after the first two Grands Prix so I am hoping I will also finish the race and make a better result here in Bahrain," he said.

"I have been around the track and I have to say that it is fantastic. I am sure the race will be competitive, as there are at least three genuine overtaking opportunities," the 28-year-old Jordan driver was quoted as saying on the team's official website.

"The sand might make the circuit tricky but at least it will not be as hot and humid as in Malaysia," said Narain who arrived here on Monday.

"After the race in Sepang, I went straight to Bahrain for a one-day promotional visit before returning to India for a couple of days. I met about 4000 Indian school children, some Bahrain International Circuit officials and the Indian Ambassador.

``Although it was a very short stay, I have really enjoyed being in Bahrain and I am looking forward to the weekend,'' he said.

Live telecast

ESPN Star Sports is telecasting live the Bahrain Grand Prix. The schedule is as follows.

April 2: Qualifying round - 3:27 p.m.; April 3: Qualifying round - 12.57 p.m.; the race - 4.45 p.m.; Post-race programming: 7 p.m.

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