Ricciardo to replace Karthikeyan??

[PNSD]

So Karkeys is definitely under the microscope and he is coming up short then. Imagine this man taking his sweet time qualifying 1 second behind his mate and finishing dead last every race when not only his welfare but the welfare of the team HEAVILY depends on that sponsorhip agreement!! 4.5 million when you can get 21:!: Wow.. now I totally see Narain in a different light! He should to be thrown out like yesterdays garbage!

You've gotta be kidding me right?!

He hadn't raced in F1 since 2005, and tbh, he faired pretty well against Luizzi IMO! He was in the worst handling car, yet was not that far off, at least not as far as you'd expect.

You think he wanted to be as slow? You think he wanted to finish last?

It really is not a case of, 'Oh, well the team need the money, why don't I go win?!'

The guy was doing his best ffs. What does your post even mean? At first glance it seems an immature reaction to a situation you clearly do not understand.

[wesley123]

anyone find it pretty cool that this is announced on Riccardio's birthday?

[n_anirudh]

Yeah..initially didnt believe it from PF1...

Good luck to the Perth boy ...and yes a perfect b'day present.

NK will be at the Indian GP..hopefullly along with Chandhok in a Lotus..

[Traction]

I'm just hoping that he turns out to be another stunning find, a driving protege if you will and lights up the circus...would be great to see a newbie ripping up the circuits breaking records...

In an HRT?! I wish him well, but . . . Well, we all have to start somewhere.

no...but if he proves himself quickly he will snapped up by a top team....

[PlatinumZealot]

So Karkeys is definitely under the microscope and he is coming up short then. Imagine this man taking his sweet time qualifying 1 second behind his mate and finishing dead last every race when not only his welfare but the welfare of the team HEAVILY depends on that sponsorhip agreement!! 4.5 million when you can get 21:!: Wow.. now I totally see Narain in a different light! He should to be thrown out like yesterdays garbage!

You've gotta be kidding me right?!

He hadn't raced in F1 since 2005, and tbh, he faired pretty well against Luizzi IMO! He was in the worst handling car, yet was not that far off, at least not as far as you'd expect.

You think he wanted to be as slow? You think he wanted to finish last?

It really is not a case of, 'Oh, well the team need the money, why don't I go win?!'

The guy was doing his best ffs. What does your post even mean? At first glance it seems an immature reaction to a situation you clearly do not understand.

He is slow when HRT want him to be going fast so he can bring in more money. That is the situation. :-"

Got some news by the way:

Deal confirmed by HRT

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/92740

Hispania team chairman Jose Ramon Carabante is optimistic that the deal to run Ricciardo could be the start of a greater collaboration between his squad and Red Bull.

"This agreement is a reward for all the hard work Hispania Racing has shown since we started in Formula 1 last year," he said. "We're proud that the Formula 1 world champion team has trusted us in their effort of developing their drivers. Let's hope that this is just the start of a fruitful relationship."

[snorri788]

It would be very difficult for HRT to drop Narain ,
1. For the TATA money
2. Sponsors like Speed(BP) & Base Batteries will not look into F1 if it was not for Narain.
4. It is also a fact that HRT were really struggling for cash bcoz, Narain was not intrested in f1 and rather doing well in NASCAR, it was HRT who went after NK in 2011 and 2010(Narain & Kolles had previously admitted). So even if HRT find a repsol,Telefonica patnership i guess Liuzzi would have to go and not Narain.

Looks like Narain has got the boot in favour of Ricciardo! Not surprised really as he has been beaten hands down by Liuzzi.

The STR drivers can relax about their seat security now too. At least until the end of the season

[PNSD]

He is slow when HRT want him to be going fast so he can bring in more money. That is the situation. :-"

Mclaren want Lewis and Jenson to win. Mclaren want Lewis to stop having incidents. Ferrari want Massa to up his pace, RBR want Webber to a hurry up.

Are you suggesting Narain could have gone faster?

If so, please tell the world because your saving driver careers here!

You over simply the situation. Narain does not have an extra boost button because HRT need him to be quick.

[munudeges]

The situation is very simple. Narain is simply not fast enough when compared with his team mate, and no even the amount of money that he is probably bringing is making up for it.

[donskar]

Narain is this year's Luca Badoer: nice man; in over his head.

I don't see Kolles being moved out as a positive move. Dilletantes throw out the F1 pro because they want the whole sandbox for themselves.

[PlatinumZealot]

In my opinion, If I were Kolles I wouldn't really mind Narains slowness if he is bringing in a substantial and guaranteed sum of money throughout the year. I mean I would let him race till his heart's content! But considering that the money he brings in is dependent on his own performance - and Narain isn't even making excuses for his slowness, I would believe that he just does not have it in him to bring me even half of the maximum 21 million in the agreement. I would even feel his "dead last all the time" Performance is making my team look like a joke. Why then should I keep him? Is he really worth the 10 million?

Let's face it, the man has had his time. He is old and tired, and slow. He has no future in Formula 1. I mean don't get me wrong, he is nice guy, but nice guys finish last!

[ESPImperium]

It would be nice to see the HRT with nice shiny new rear wing end plates for the rest of the season with red Bull Sugar Free on the for instance. Its a colour scheme id like to see in F1 is light blue, silver and red.

Id recon that Red Bull are gonna be giving Hispania €750,000 a race for Riccardo, which for the 9 or 10 races he will be in the car he will bring €6.75m to €7.5m, which is better for the team than another €6m that id recon was possible if NK was to stay in the car.

Hispania are in a state of flux at present, the need money and good money. They are changing the entire structure of the team, and with the probable appointment of Kolles to Williams and the new structure of the team. However the fact the team is a rumoured €30m in the red, could see the team still on the grid in 2012 with a new name. The entry could be sold for around €20m by the banks to a company/team that has the facilities and finance for F1, Epsilon Eskudai.

The Hispania struggle carries on, its just entering another chapter right now.

[Trailer23]

Narain 'Get out of his way' Karthikeyan.

That guy on the track is as useful as a fart in a spacecraft. One would get the impression that he were resurrected from the F1 Dead.

But you gotta give him some credit, I mean afterall - he is the acclaimed Michael Schumacher...of India.

His official website's slogan is "Narain Karthikeyan - The Fastest Indian in the World". They forgot to add, "...& the weakest driver of the lot."

Hell, even Karun Chandhok is better than him.

Oh & by the way, DR got the call a day before his B'day.

Has anyone even considered that maybe TATA may have pulled out of HRT leading to Karthikeyan removal.

Rumor has it that Karthikeyan will be in HRT cockpit for the Indian GP.

[PNSD]

In my opinion, If I were Kolles I wouldn't really mind Narains slowness if he is bringing in a substantial and guaranteed sum of money throughout the year. I mean I would let him race till his heart's content! But considering that the money he brings in is dependent on his own performance - and Narain isn't even making excuses for his slowness, I would believe that he just does not have it in him to bring me even half of the maximum 21 million in the agreement. I would even feel his "dead last all the time" Performance is making my team look like a joke. Why then should I keep him? Is he really worth the 10 million?

Let's face it, the man has had his time. He is old and tired, and slow. He has no future in Formula 1. I mean don't get me wrong, he is nice guy, but nice guys finish last!

I dont protest that at all, but have the decency to reply to my post.

IMO Narain should have never got the drive in the first place! We saw how the great Schumacher struggled on return, why would Narain be any different? My point was you seemed to think he drove slow by choice. You said he is slow when HRT need him to be fast. Its like your suggesting he wanted to be slow. In your original post you treat Narain a pretty awful fashion. Again, it seems like you thought he was slow on purpose. What makes you think he could have gone any quicker? Like I said, he was 5 seasons past his best yet in 3 (or 4) races he still managed to qualify within 2 tenths of Luizzi. He performed how you would expect him to perform after 5 years out given that he probably is not the most talented guy out there.

So please tell me, what are you suggesting by your two previous posts. Like I said, I dont disagree that he was slow. But how is the team needing money going to change that? I would like a few million £'s but my car is suddenly going go turn into some racecar allowing me to compete and win cash prizes. I dont understand what point you were trying to make with your first two posts? I would appreciate some sort of reply maybe by PM if only for clarity for me to understand better.

Either way it was a mistake for HRT to take him on. It was a terrible idea but this is Kolles we are talking about!

[PlatinumZealot]

I missed the quote button sorry.

So please tell me, what are you suggesting by your two previous posts. Like I said, I dont disagree that he was slow. But how is the team needing money going to change that? I would like a few million £'s but my car is suddenly going go turn into some racecar allowing me to compete and win cash prizes. I dont understand what point you were trying to make with your first two posts? I would appreciate some sort of reply maybe by PM if only for clarity for me to understand better.

Either way it was a mistake for HRT to take him on. It was a terrible idea but this is Kolles we are talking about!

Yes, I have the feeling that he is not giving 100%. I do not have evidence to prove it though.

[Tim.Wright]

YES!!

tim