INDIA’S Karun Chandhok was confident his Formula One career remained on track on Friday (July 17) despite being dropped by his Hispania (HRT) team for next week’s German Grand Prix.
 
The F1 newcomers said in a race preview that Japanese test driver Sakon Yamamoto would retain his place on the starting grid for the second grand prix in a row, partnering Brazilian Bruno Senna.
 
Senna, nephew of the late triple champion Ayrton, had to sit out last weekend’s British Grand Prix at Silverstone while Yamamoto raced with Chandhok.
 
“You want to drive every weekend so it’s not ideal,” Chandhok, who will still travel to Hockenheim as planned, told reporters when asked about the situation. “But it’s hardly the end of the world.
 
“At the end of the day, they gave me the chance to be in Formula One.”
 
The Indian, sole representative on the starting grid of the world’s second most populous nation and hoping to be the first Indian to race at home when the country hosts a grand prix next year, was confident he would be back in the car before long.
 
“By no means does this mean that I’m not back in the car in Budapest (the race after Germany),” he said.
 
“We will sit down in Hockenheim and the team will decide on a race by race basis.”
 
Spanish-based Hispania have four drivers on their books, with experienced Austrian Christian Klien their second test driver, and Chandhok said the team would pick and choose who raced in the second half of the season.
 
“There’s no reason to believe that I will be out for too long,” said the 26-year-old who competed in the first 10 races and is currently the second highest ranked of the drivers from the new teams with a best finish of 14th place.
 
“I’m not too worried.”