Narain Karthikeyan and Lewis Hamilton
Narain Karthikeyan was the first driver to represent India in F1 and drove for teams like Jordan and HRT – he recently brought up Lewis Hamilton when a fan asked about making it in F1 without being rich.
Former Indian F1 driver Narain Karthikeyan hosted a 60-minute ‘Ask Me Anything’ session on Reddit and questions poured in from fans and racing enthusiasts.
Karthikeyan answered some of the selected questions and the responses were pretty interesting. The Tamil Nadu-born driver is known for putting India on the F1 map thanks to his exploits with Jordan and HRT F1 teams in 2005 and 2011-12.
A very interesting question from a fan read: “Hi Narain, as we all have seen that the top formula 1 drivers all over the world come from Rich background as the resources they need are not cheap. What is your advise for a middle class boy/girl who wants to get into formula 1 and when should he/she start?”
Karthikeyan came up with a very subtle response. He stated: “Lewis Hamilton is certainly a good role model. he isn’t exactly from the richer background. All I would say is, showcase your talent, and if you’re lucky, you never know, you might end up getting promoted. But, in developing countries like India, I would certainly say, it’s a lot tougher.” Hamilton is indeed one of the exceptions in the sport, which is mainly dominated by drivers with wealthier backgrounds.
Lewis Hamilton was roped in by Mercedes as a 13-year-old and his F1 journey began in 2007. In an incredible span of 16 years so far, Hamilton holds the record of winning the most races in Formula 1 history. The Brit’s seven World Championship titles as a driver is the joint-highest along with Michael Schumacher. Hamilton has gone down into sporting folklore as one of the greatest motor racers ever and arguably the greatest-ever Formula 1 driver.
In his illustrious career till date, Lewis Hamilton has won the Drivers’ Championship 7 times and the Constructors’ Championship 8 times. Looking back at his career, it is indeed inspirational to see what a boy whose father had to do four jobs to support his son’s karting career, achieved in his career. Hamilton has come a long way from his humble beginnings and has undoubtedly made a name for himself as a sporting legend. So, a budding racer coming from a not-so-wealthy family doesn’t have to look beyond Hamilton for inspiration like Karthikeyan pointed out.
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