Karun Chandhok has seen Components E develop from scratch, having been a part of the primary ever season again in 2014-15. 9 years down the road, the 39-year-old is commentating on the all-electric collection that can make its India debut with the Hyderabad E-Prix on Saturday. The one Indian to have raced in Components E, the previous Components 1 driver will likely be travelling to Hyderabad for the race the place he may even be attempting out the brand new Gen3 automotive that’s raced in Components E.
In an interview simply earlier than taking his flight to India from London, Chandhok mentioned about India internet hosting a motorsport World Championship race after a decade, the way forward for Components E in India, the business viability of the game amongst different matters. Excerpts:
India will likely be internet hosting a World Championship motorsport race after a decade. What does this imply for the nation or Indian motorsport?
It is all the time a privilege to host a spherical of the World Championship. It’s been a very long time as a rustic we’ve been on this place. That is what folks don’t perceive. To host a spherical of a World Championship like Components E or Components 1 is a large funding. In Delhi’s case with F1, I don’t assume (Indian Grand Prix promoters) Jaypee (Group) obtained the credit score they deserved. A personal firm with out authorities funding… they spent a lot cash to carry the occasion to India. With out them there is not any method the occasion would have occurred. Equally, right here (Hyderabad E-Prix promoters) Greenko as a personal firm funding the occasion. The Telangana authorities is supportive of them however finally the funds are coming from Greenko. Credit score and hats off to them for taking a daring step to host the occasion.
In what methods do you assume Components E can succeed the place Components 1 failed?
I don’t assume F1 was a failure. Within the three occasions we had in India, the primary yr there have been a 110,000 folks. If you happen to depend within the novelty issue, the following two years we nonetheless had 65,000-70,000. Folks can say it was lower than earlier than. However you solely get the true followers from Yr 2 and three. 65,000 was nonetheless akin to most cricket matches you get in India. I don’t deem what occurred with F1 as a failure. I see it as a chance misplaced that the federal government didn’t recognise the advantages {that a} sport like F1 can carry to the nation. I journey with F1 to all of the races. I see after I go to all these totally different international locations. Singapore, for instance, use the game to showcase their nation. Now right here is a chance which wasn’t there with F1 (Indian GP) as a result of the (state) authorities is behind the race. The federal government will be capable of realise and recognise that they can promote town of Hyderabad by way of the medium of motorsport. And that’s a case within the long-term backing of the occasion.
Do you assume Components E can draw Indian audiences, be it on TV or on monitor?
At this second I don’t know what the viewership for Components E in India is. However on the monitor hopefully we are going to get just a few thousand. Having a crowd on the occasion makes the environment so significantly better. If it will probably regenerate among the curiosity that we misplaced for motorsport in India that will likely be nice.
Holding the race in the course of town to much less rights charges compared to F1. Do you assume occasions like Components E and MotoGP may also help set up a foothold for motorsports in India?
I hope so however a lot relies on the business success. Until the federal government desires to again it. From Jaypee’s standpoint it wasn’t commercially viable. They had been dropping cash yearly. At a while, you assume ‘we’re a personal firm we are able to’t preserve dropping cash’. Any enterprise will assume that method. Components E business angles are totally different. You don’t have excessive rights charges like F1 so it’s obtained extra of an opportunity in that respect. Related in MotoGP the place the business deal just isn’t that costly. If the promoters are capable of make it commercially viable and never lose cash on the deal then completely, it can keep right here for long run. The curiosity is there from MotoGP and Components E. Even F1. Each quarter I’ve a dialog with F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali. They preserve saying ‘we actually wish to go to India, discover a promoter, there have to be anyone who desires to place the cash up for it’. They’re all very eager to do it however they’re all working companies and numbers need to make sense.
Jehan Daruvala is a reserve for Mahindra. Will having an Indian driver on the grid assist?
If I look again, the curiosity in F1 between late 2008 and 2013 was at its peak as a result of we had two Indian drivers (Chandhok and Narain Karthikeyan), an Indian group (Drive India) and the Indian GP. There was curiosity in all of us. No query about it. Is it sufficient to propel Components E to the mainstream. I don’t know. We’ll need to see. Components E has a distinct segment viewers in India whereas F1 will nonetheless have mainstream significance.
You raced within the first season of Components E in 2014-15. Now we’re within the ninth with India about to make its debut.
From a technical standpoint, the automobiles have improved by an enormous quantity. The primary era of automobiles, I keep in mind how quick the vary was, the velocity and all of it was a good distance behind from the present era. The third era (Gen3) now has taken this to a different degree when it comes to braking regeneration (of electrical power). An increasing number of folks in India who will begin utilizing electrical automobiles will start to know what an enormous a part of electrical driving is recharging whilst you drive. That’s one thing you may’t see so it is laborious for folks to know. However that has improved by 4X in Gen3 automobiles. That may be a large quantity of power being regenerated. The expertise has improved by an enormous quantity, the extent of groups has gone up, the extent of professionalism has gone up, the standard of groups, dimension of operations has turn into vital. However it’s nonetheless a good distance. They’re nonetheless spending most likely one-Fifteenth or one-Twentieth of what a Components 1 group spends. However they’re delivering a superb present on monitor, the racing is fairly shut, they get good overtaking, they get a superb combination of various folks successful on a regular basis which is fascinating.
You needed to change automobiles in between a race through the Gen1 period. Your ideas on the Gen3 automobiles?
I’m really purported to be driving it on Friday. It will likely be the primary time. I went to the primary three races in Mexico and Saudi Arabia. The automobiles are positively sooner and the racing is shut. You possibly can see the facility supply is considerably extra. The drivers are actually having to work fairly laborious to handle the extent of torque. That may be a large factor with electrical automobiles. So it is about the way you handle that energy. It is a large a part of the problem.