As a frustrating weekend for HRT continues, Narain Karthikeyan unfortunately failed to complete a time within the 107% rule during Q1. This meant the Indian driver would have to request permission to take part in the race, or risk not starting the Spanish Grand Prix.
The 107% rule is a requirement whereby drivers must complete a lap within 107% of the qualifying time at the end of each qualifying session. For yesterday’s qualifying session, the 107% time was a 01:28.363 which left only the HRT of Narain Karthikeyan outside the limit. The Indian driver only completed one timed run, and was therefore woefully off the pace over eight seconds off the leaders.
However, after successfully setting faster times throughout the first three practice sessions of the weekend, the race stewards have permitted Karthikeyan to race in the Spanish Grand Prix.
"It’s been a very unlucky weekend for me so far.” Explained a disconsolate Narain Karthikeyan, “We were going to go on the second set of tyres but we discovered some problems and due to safety concerns, not only for myself but the others, we decided that the best thing was to not go back out. It seems like my bad luck continues to follow me this weekend and, although I’m disappointed about that, there’s nothing else I can do but keep giving it my best shot.”
In a bizarre turn of events, the Indian driver will actually line-up 23rd on the grid, after Lewis Hamilton’s controversial grid penalty. This means Karthikeyan and Lewis Hamilton will line-up alongside each other on the last row of the grid.
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