Karthikeyan: F1 Drive a Dream Come True

Indian Narain Karthikeyan says racing in Formula One next season will be a dream come true after he claimed he had secured an offer from the team.

Karthikeyan, 28, will be the first Indian to take part in the F1 championship.

"In principle, I've agreed to drive for the Jordan F1 team for the 2005 season," he told a news conference. "We'll be signing the agreement in the next couple of days."

A spokesman for Jordan in London would not confirm a final deal had been reached and said an announcement by the team was expected sometime in the next two days. Jordan have yet to announce their drivers for the 2005 season, which starts next month. They finished ninth among 10 teams in 2004.

"It's a momentous day for me and it has indeed been a long journey," Karthikeyan said.

"Today, I can see my dream of becoming India's first F1 driver become a reality. The last 48 hours have been very tough and very hectic. We've had good news in the end, so it has eventually been worth all that."

Minardi offered Karthikeyan a drive in 2003, but he missed out as he was unable to raise the huge sums in sponsorship required to secure the offer with the cash-strapped team. His sponsors said there would be no such problem this time.

Karthikeyan's first task, before he gets on the track in the opening race of the season in Melbourne on March 6, will be to get the super licence he needs to drive in Formula One.

"The super licence is the most important thing right now. I've done well in other races but I still have to do about 300 kilometres ... over the next few weeks to get it. It won't be a problem though," he said.

Karthikeyan, who currently drives in the World Series Championship, said he was confident of his chances.

"I've raced with drivers such as Jenson Button and (Takuma) Sato before, and I've beaten them on my day," he said. "They're doing pretty well in Formula One, so that gives me confidence that I too can compete."

India's second-largest business conglomerate, the Tata Group, and state-run refiner Bharat Petroleum Corp will initially have their logos on the car by virtue of being his sponsors, Karthikeyan said.

Karthikeyan's Formula One hopes were boosted by last month's takeover of Jordan by the Midland Group, whose sporting director Trevor Carlin he raced for in British Formula Three.

"Trevor Carlin's presence was a big plus as he had always bet on Narain's capabilities," Karthikeyan's manager Sanjay Sharma told Reuters.