Nov.25 (GMM) Indian hopeful Karun Chandhok insists he is “not disappointed” after being left out of Force India’s plans for the forthcoming young driver test at Jerez.
Amid speculation that Chandhok and the part-Indian Swiss national Neel Jani might be lined up to drive in early December, team boss Vijay Mallya on Tuesday said “nationality isn’t the primary selection criteria” while confirming Jerez testers Paul di Resta, a Mercedes-contracted Scot, and American rookie JR Hildebrand.
Either di Resta or 21-year-old Hildebrand are expected to be named as Force India’s test and reserve driver for 2010.
But Chandhok, 25, and Jani were recently commissioned by Force India for tests in McLaren’s driver simulator, and Chandhok’s father Vicky is close to Mallya due to their roles in the Federation of Motor Sports Clubs of India (FMSCI).
But Karun Chandhok insists he is not disappointed to have missed out on the Force India test.
“We talked about it and I expressed my ambitions to do something with Force India. But they opted to go with other drivers. That’s their decision but I’m not disappointed,” he is quoted as saying by DNA India.
