Narain Karthikeyan Biography: Personal Life, Career, Age, Height, Facts & Networth

Narain Karthikeyan Biography

On January 14, of the year 1977, Indian race car driver Kumar Ram Narain Karthikeyan was born. He entered Formula One as the first Indian driver to do so. Karthikeyan has won multiple races in various series, including A1GP, British F3, World Series by Nissan, Auto GP, Formula Asia, British Formula Ford & Opel series, and World Nissan series. Narain Karthikeyan made his Formula One debut in the year 2005 with the Jordan team and was a Williams F1 test driver in the years 2006 and 2007.

In the year 2011, Narain Karthikeyan returned to F1 with the HRT team but was not included in the FIA’s 2013 entry list. From 2014-2018, Narain Karthikeyan raced in the Japanese Super Formula series, and in the year 2019, he joined the SuperGT series in Japan. Karthikeyan was awarded the fourth highest civilian honour of Padma Shri by the Government of India in the year 2010.

Early Life and Career

Narain Karthikeyan, born in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, was an early motorsport enthusiast. Karthikeyan aimed to become India’s first Formula One driver and finished on the podium in his first race at Sriperumpudur. Narain Karthikeyan attended the Elf Winfield Racing School in France and returned to India in the year 1993 to race in Formula Maruti and compete in the Formula Vauxhall Junior championship.

In the year 1994, Narain Karthikeyan became the first Indian driver to win any championship in Europe. In the year 1995, Narain Karthikeyan graduated to the Formula Asia Championship and won the Formula Asia International series. In the year 1998, Narain Karthikeyan made his debut in the British Formula 3 Championship and continued to win the championship. In the year 2004, Narain Karthikeyan continued in the Nissan World Series, taking wins in Valencia and Magny-Cours.

Formula One (F1) Career

In the year 2005, Karthikeyan signed a preliminary deal with the Jordan Formula One team, becoming India’s first Formula One racing driver. Narain Karthikeyan completed 300 km of testing at Silverstone Circuit. Karthikeyan qualified in 12th position at the Australian Grand Prix and finished 15th at the United States Grand Prix.

Narain Karthikeyan achieved his only points at the Japanese Grand Prix and 15th at the Chinese Grand Prix. In the year 2006, the Jordan team was renamed Midland, leading to doubts about Karthikeyan’s future. Narain Karthikeyan announced he would not drive for Midland the following year due to demands of up to $11.7 million. Karthikeyan tested for Williams in Spain and was confirmed as their fourth driver in the year 2006.

Karthikeyan was linked with the Spyker team in the year 2007 after Christijan Albers was fired. Narain Karthikeyan was later linked with a drive with the Force India Formula One team in 2008 but did not test for them. He continued to drive for A1 Team India until the 2010 season when Karun Chandhok signed for the Hispania Racing F1 Team.

In the year 2011, Karthikeyan announced his decision to drive for the Hispania team, following five years away from active involvement in the championship. Narain Karthikeyan set the record for the lowest-placed finisher in a Formula 1 event twice, first during the Chinese Grand Prix and again in the European Grand Prix.

In the year 2012, Karthikeyan signed for the HRT team, partnering Pedro de la Rosa. In the Australian Grand Prix, Narain Karthikeyan and his teammate Pedro de la Rosa were unable to qualify. However, in Malaysia, they managed to qualify, and Karthikeyan finished 23rd due to a 5-place gearbox penalty for Heikki Kovalainen.

Kartikeyan faced criticism from Red Bull boss Christian Horner and Red Bull boss Christian Horner, who called him an “idiot.” He eventually called a truce with Vettel, stating his respect for Vettel’s abilities and stating that they should deal with it maturely.

Kartikeyan qualified last for the following five races, starting 24th and last twice in Bahrain and Canada. Narain Karthikeyan finished 22nd in China, 21st in Bahrain, and 15th in Monaco.

Karthikeyan qualified 22nd at the European Grand Prix, ahead of Charles Pic and Timo Glock due to illness. Narain Karthikeyan finished 18th, behind Pic and de la Rosa, but classified ahead of Lewis Hamilton. Narain Karthikeyan qualified last in Belgium and out-qualified his teammate de la Rosa at Monza and Singapore. Narain Karthikeyan qualified in 24th at Suzuka, 24th in Korea, 20th in India, and last in Abu Dhabi.

Narain Karthikeyan qualified 24th in Austin, 23rd in Brazil, and finished last in the season with zero points. Narain Karthikeyan was accused of holding him up during laps and allowing Lewis Hamilton to take the lead.

Other Events and Races

In the year 2005, Karthikeyan tested an Indy Racing League (IRL) car for the Red Bull Cheever Racing team, but the deal was not completed. In the year 2007, he drove for A1 Team India, where he won the A1GP of Zhuhai and played in the feature race in Brands Hatch. However, the team lost its title sponsor, resulting in financial constraints.

In the year 2009, Karthikeyan tested for the Kolles Le Mans Team, partnering Charles Zwolsman, Jr. and Andrew Meyrick. The team had a successful racing history with three Le Mans 24h victories and 22 individual race wins. In the year 2010, Karthikeyan made his NASCAR debut at Martinsville Speedway, driving in the Kroger 250 Camping World Truck Series for Wyler Racing. He finished in 13th place and won the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Most Popular Driver Award for the 2010 season.

In the year 2014, Narain Karthikeyan returned to the Japanese Top Formula series Super Formula for the first time since the year 2001 with the same Team IMPUL. In the year 2015, Narain Karthikeyan moved to Honda-powered Docomo Team Dandelion and Sunoco Team LeMans. In the year 2019, Karthikeyan raced with Nakajima Racing and Modulo Epson NSX-GT Team, gaining one podium.

Bio Data

Full Name: Kumar Ram Narain Karthikeyan

Nationality: Indian

Born: 14 January 1977

Age: 46 Years

Birth Place: Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India

Years active: 1992 – present