It may not be Formula One, but it is as close as it gets!

When Narain Karthikeyan takes his Super Formula car around for a spin at the Suzuka circuit on Saturday, he expects to go as fast as he has ever gone in his life. Japan’s premier single-seater series, formerly known as Formula Nippon, underwent a drastic revamp in the close-season and the new cars are as fast they come. The 37-year-old will race for Team Impul and is excited about his new toy.

“The new cars are the quickest on the planet and likely to match the 2014 F1 cars in terms of pace. With two-litre turbo engines, the technology is similar to F1 and there is a lot of down-force as well. At Suzuka, the Super Formula car is just three seconds slower compared to the 2013 F1 car, with similar tyre compounds. And with new F1 cars being around four seconds slower (compared to last year) at the moment, it is likely that Super Formula is the fastest series in the world at this point in time,” Narain says.

After a successful run in the Auto GP World Championship last year, where he was in the running for the drivers’ championship until the final weekend, Narain had a number of options to choose from. And until the call from Japan came, it looked like he was headed for the US-based IndyCar series. “I was considering Indycar until late last year but things didn’t come to fruition due to several reasons. Super Formula was a very straightforward choice in the end.”

Narain raced with Team Impul in Formula Nippon in 2001 and says that his familiarity with the team has helped him get used to the car. “I know the team extremely well and even though a lot has changed since 2001, things have been seamless so far.”

Five of the last 10 champions in Formula Nippon raced in Team Impul colours and Narain will start the season as one of the favourites. But the veteran knows the task will be hard.

“It will be very difficult to win the championship in the first attempt. Drivers of the calibre of André Lotterer and Loïc Duval (both WEC world champions) and even my teammate Joao Oliveira have been racing in Japan for a decade, so it is going to take a lot of work. Podium finishes will be my preliminary target followed by outright wins. It will also be challenging to drive in unknown circuits, as I haven’t competed at venues other than Suzuka recently.”

And while Narain is focused on Super Formula at the moment, it may not be the only series that he might race this season. “Formula E is an interesting concept — extremely advanced technologically and promises to engage a new motorsport fan-base with its street circuit concept. For sure I would love to be part of it, but where and how is something that isn’t very clear at the moment.”

Narain, who became India’s first F1 driver in 2005, has previously spoken of how the disparity between cars in F1 had reduced his desire to race there and says that the new regulation changes had done nothing to change his opinion.

“The changes have merely shuffled the protagonists up and down the grid. Mercedes have a massive advantage now, around two seconds a lap in terms of race pace — something which even Red Bull can’t come to terms with. Force India has leapfrogged several factory teams and is Mercedes’ closest challenger at the moment. Lotus has lost massive ground compared to last season when they were winning races.”

“F1 cannot be equalised. That’s how it has been throughout. The unpredictability and engineering is what makes F1 the pinnacle of the sport and that should never change. But for me, being in the slowest or second slowest on the grid, day in and day out is not something that I can accept anymore,” he says.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Sport / by Vishnu Prasad – Chennai / April 12th, 2014