On February 1, 2005, Karthikeyan signed a preliminary contract with the Jordan F1 team, becoming the first Indian to be the main driver on the F1 grid

Indian motorsports have come a long way, with Sanjay Takale racking podiums at the Dakar Rally, Aishwarya Pissay winning the BP Ultimate Rally-Raid Portugal 2025, Kush Maini winning the F2 sprint race, and so on. However, the country still needs to make significant progress before it can establish itself as a dominant force in the motorsports world.

The credit for India’s slow but steady growth can be given to several Indian personalities, and one of them is Narain Karthikeyan, India’s first F1 driver, who turns 49 on the 14th of January, 2026.

On Karthikeyan's birthday, let's reflect on how he introduced India to the F1 circuit during a time when the country had little interest in motorsports.

Racing genes

(Credit- The Statesman)

Born in 1977 in Coimbatore, his father, Kakarla Karthikeyan Naidu, was an Indian national rally champion, and therefore, racing was in Karthikeyan’s genes. He was inspired to become a racer since childhood, benefiting from the environment and support needed to succeed in a sport that still receives little government backing.

Early milestones

Karthikeyan attended the Elf Winfield Racing School in France, and in 1992, he ended up as a semi-finalist in the Pilote Elf Competition for Formula Renault. By the age of 15, he had returned to the Indian race in Formula Maruti. By 1995, Karthikeyan was racing around the world in tournaments such as the British Formula Ford Winter Series, Formula Asia Championship, and British Formula Opel Championship.

Road to F1

(Credit- The Hindu)

Karthikeyan’s speed and milestones got noticed in the world of Formula One, especially after he finished in the top 10 in the 2001 Formula Nippon F3000 Championship. In the same year, the Jaguar F1 team invited him to test their Jordan-Honda EJ11 F1 car at Silverstone. In 2004, he again got the chance to test another F1 car for Team Minardi.

Finally, the Jordan Formula One team gave him a seat in F1 in 2005.

Not cut out for the top battle

Given the competitive nature of F1, it was incredibly hard for Narain to churn out great results, especially with lower- or mid-table teams. His only memorable race was a fourth-placed finish at the 2005 United States Grand Prix, during which he scored his only F1 career points.

(Credit- The Hindu Sporstar)

Karthikeyan had to leave F1 in 2006 after Jordan was sold to Midland, who demanded that the Indian racer pay $11.7 million for a seat on the team. The Coimbatore-based driver moved to Williams as their fourth test driver but stayed away from the grid for five years before returning with HRT Racing. However, once again, the results were not in his favour, and he was replaced.

Despite poor results, we as motorsports fans are forever proud of everything Narain Karthikeyan achieved. In a nation like India, where motorsport is still not followed enough, Karthikeyan did enough to get a seat on the F1 grid, which only comprises 10–12 races from around the world.

As the racing legend turns a year older and wiser, we hope he will continue to guide young Indian racers who are eyeing the F1 glory.