Karun Chandhok facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Karun Chandhok
கருண் சந்தோக்
Chandhok in 2019
Born	(1984-01-19) 19 January 1984 (age 41) Madras, Tamil Nadu, India
Spouse(s)	Akshara Kothari ​ (m. 2014)​
Children	2
Formula One World Championship career
Nationality	Indian
Active years	2010–2011
Teams	HRT, Team Lotus
Entries	11 (11 starts)
Championships	0
Wins	0
Podiums	0
Career points	0
Pole positions	0
Fastest laps	0
First entry	2010 Bahrain Grand Prix
Last entry	2011 German Grand Prix
Formula E career
Racing licence	FIA Gold
Years active	2014–15
Teams	Mahindra
Car no.	5
Starts	11
Championships	0
Wins	0
Poles	0
Fastest laps	0
Best finish	17th in 2014–15
24 Hours of Le Mans career
Years	2012–2015, 2017
Teams	JRM, Murphy, Ligier
Best finish	6th (2012)
Class wins	0

Karun Chandhok (Tamil: கருண் சந்தோக்; born on January 19, 1984) is a famous Indian former racing driver and a broadcaster. He competed in Formula One races, taking part in 11 Grands Prix between 2010 and 2011.

Chandhok also raced in Formula E for the Mahindra Racing team. Before that, he drove for Hispania Racing in Formula One in 2010. Even earlier, he spent three years in the GP2 Series, where he won two races. In 2013, Chandhok competed in the FIA GT Series.

Before his time in GP2, Chandhok won the Formula Asia championship in 2001. He was also the first champion of the Formula Asia V6 by Renault series in 2006. After leaving Formula One, Chandhok became a popular analyst, co-commentator, and pit-lane reporter for various British TV channels. Since 2019, he has been a key part of the Sky Sports F1 live coverage team.

Chandhok has also helped shape motorsport rules and organizations. Since 2021, he has been on the Board of Directors for Motorsport UK. He is also a member of the FIA Driver's Commission, which looks after drivers' interests.

Early Racing Days

Karun Chandhok was born in Madras, which is now known as Chennai, in Tamil Nadu, India. His father, Vicky Chandhok, was a multiple Indian rallying champion and has been the president of the Federation of Motor Sports Clubs of India since 2003. Karun's younger brother, Suhail Chandhok, is also involved in sports as a commentator for Star Sports India.

In 2000, Karun became the Indian National Racing Champion. He won seven out of ten races in the Formula Maruti series. He also achieved pole position (starting first) and the fastest lap in all ten races. In 2001, Chandhok won the Formula 2000 Asia championship, becoming the youngest Asian Formula Champion ever while driving for Team India Racing.

Chandhok tested with the British Formula 3 champion team Carlin Motorsport in 2001. He raced in the National class in 2002 for T-Sport, finishing sixth. He continued with T-Sport in 2003 and finished third in the class standings. In 2004, Chandhok moved up to the main British Formula 3 class with T-Sport, finishing 14th.

He quickly showed his talent in the World Series by Nissan in 2004. He partnered with fellow Indian driver Narain Karthikeyan at RC Motorsport for the final two races, often qualifying and finishing in the top five.

When Karthikeyan moved to Formula One in 2005, Chandhok raced part-time in the Formula Renault 3.5 Series with RC Motorsport. He was also the first driver to represent A1 Team India in A1 Grand Prix at the start of the 2005–06 season.

In 2006, he became the champion of the very first Formula Asia V6 by Renault Championship. He won seven races and took nine pole positions out of 12 races.

Racing in GP2 Series

Chandhok driving for iSport International at the Silverstone race in 2008.

Chandhok moved to the GP2 Series in 2007, driving for Durango. His first win in GP2 came in the sprint race at the Spa-Francorchamps circuit in Belgium. He also led a sprint race in Turkey from pole position, but another driver, Kazuki Nakajima, crashed into him. This crash forced Chandhok to retire from the race.

In November 2007, Chandhok got a big opportunity when the Red Bull Racing Formula One team invited him to test their car. He tested for two days at the Circuit de Catalunya in Barcelona.

Chandhok driving for Ocean Racing Technology at the Monaco race in 2009.

Chandhok stayed in GP2 for 2008, joining the iSport International team where his teammate was Bruno Senna. He won one race and finished tenth in the drivers' championship. He also raced for the team in the 2008 GP2 Asia Series season. Chandhok received the series' "Best Driving Style" award at the end of the season.

In November 2008, Chandhok became the first Indian driver to be asked to join the British Racing Drivers' Club. This club is for top British and Commonwealth racing drivers.

For the 2009 GP2 Series season, Chandhok signed with the Ocean Racing Technology team. He scored ten points in the championship, with his best finish being third place at Silverstone.

Formula One Journey

Force India Connections

Chandhok was often linked with the Force India team, which started in 2008. This was an Indian-registered team, previously owned by Vijay Mallya, a family friend. When Force India's driver, Giancarlo Fisichella, moved to Ferrari during the 2009 season, Chandhok was briefly considered for the spot. Bernie Ecclestone, a long-time supporter, backed him. However, the team's test driver, Vitantonio Liuzzi, was given the race seat instead.

In June 2010, Chandhok mentioned in Autosport that he hoped to join Force India for the 2011 season. He believed that having an Indian driver would bring many benefits to the team.

Racing for HRT (2010)

Chandhok achieved Hispania Racing's first finish in Australia and outpaced his teammate Bruno Senna in Malaysia.

Chandhok started the 2010 Formula One season driving for Hispania Racing (HRT) alongside his former GP2 teammate Bruno Senna. He became the second Indian driver to compete in Formula One, following Narain Karthikeyan in 2005.

At Chandhok's first race, the 2010 Bahrain Grand Prix, he faced challenges. His car was still being built, and then it had hydraulic problems, so he couldn't complete any practice laps. He used the qualifying session to drive his F110 for the first time. He qualified last and crashed out of the race on the first lap due to a bump on the track. Chandhok achieved the team's first official finish by coming in fourteenth in Australia. He finished 15th in Malaysia and 17th in China. Chandhok had to retire from the next three races due to car problems or accidents. He finished 18th in Canada and Valencia, and 19th at Silverstone. After the British Grand Prix, he was replaced by Sakon Yamamoto for the rest of the season. For the remaining races, he worked as a co-commentator for BBC Radio 5 Live.

Joining Lotus (2011)

Chandhok as Team Lotus's third driver at the 2011 Italian Grand Prix.

On March 22, 2011, Chandhok was confirmed as a reserve driver for Team Lotus for the 2011 season. He drove the car in free practice for the 2011 Australian Grand Prix, but crashed on the installation lap. He also continued his co-commentary role for BBC Radio 5 Live. After driving in three more free practice sessions, he replaced Jarno Trulli for the 2011 German Grand Prix. He finished 20th and last in that race.

Team Lotus let Chandhok go after the Japanese Grand Prix. This meant he could not take part in his home Grand Prix in India, which was three weeks later.

Endurance Racing: 2012

In 2012, Chandhok competed in the FIA World Endurance Championship for JRM Racing. He drove a Honda Performance Development ARX-03a car with co-drivers David Brabham and Peter Dumbreck. At the famous Le Mans 24 Hours race, Chandhok's team finished an impressive sixth overall out of 56 starting cars.

FIA GT Series: 2013

Chandhok raced in the FIA GT Series for the 2013 season. He joined Seyffarth Racing at the last minute, partnering with Jan Seyffarth. Chandhok joined Armaan Ebrahim, who was the first Indian driver confirmed in the series.

Formula E: 2014–2015

Chandhok racing in the 2014 Punta del Este ePrix.

From 2014 to 2015, Chandhok drove in the very first season of Formula E for Mahindra Racing. Formula E is a racing series that uses only electric cars.

Life as a Media Expert

Chandhok has worked with several British broadcasters, sharing his knowledge of Formula One. He has appeared on the BBC and Channel 4. As of 2021, he is a key analyst for Sky Sports, often co-commentating and reporting from the pit lane. He also appeared as a presenter and reporter on the Channel 5 show Fifth Gear.

Career Highlights

Racing Summary

See also

In Spanish: Karun Chandhok para niños