English
The NEC series is expected to get underway in April and that alone costs around 300,000 pounds a season, clearly suggesting that one can't just survive on skills in the expensive world of motorsport. The 16-year-old from Mumbai is aware that the required transition from karts to junior single seaters could pave the way for bigger things including his 'dream' Formula 1 drive with Force India.
“This could be the beginning of something big but I am just thinking about performance like I did in karting. Anyway, I think I will have to do a bigger series after this (Formula Renault 2.0) to have a shot at Formula 1. I can't think of anyone else other than Kimi Raikkonen, who has made it to F1 straight after 2.0,” Daruvala told PTI from Mumbai.
He secured the Fortec seat after 16 days of testing across Nurburgring, Spa, Barcelona and Jerez. “Next I will head back to the UK to some simulator time and by first race of the season, I would have done another 12 days of testing,” said Daruvala. He claimed that he was only two tenths of a second slower than reigning NEC champion Ben Barnicoat during testing, giving him confidence ahead of his debut.
When asked how was it like to drive a Formula car after karts, he replied, “The biggest change I found is that you feel stuck in the car and because of that your vision is blocked. It is also very physical on the neck so I have to work out more and on the key areas. I am sure by the time season starts, I will fully get used to the car.”
Mallya, who has backed Daruvala ever since he became part of the Force India Academy, has already said the teenager has a good chance of being the next Indian in F1 provided he does well in the junior formula. Narain Karthikeyan and Karun Chandhok are only ones from the country to have reached the pinnacle of motorsport.
(PTI)
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