In the quick turn 8 and 9 chicane at the vast Nurburgring circuit in Germany stands the marooned Karun Chandhok.
A difficult weekend for the Indian has seen him lock up and / or spin on numerous occasions as he struggles to get used to brakes that simply won’t get used to him.
Although Chandhok has a team of engineers and mechanics willing him on in the Team Lotus garage, the 27-year-old stands stricken and alone.
For this race weekend only, Chandhok will be replacing Lotus regular Jarno Trulli, yet the need to prove himself, is itself, proving to be difficult, as the harsh reality of Formula 1 continues to press home hard.
With each passing session, the weight of the sport grows and it comes not only from his own team, but also from the attention of those in Delhi.
This October, the lights will go out for the inaugural Indian Grand Prix and Chandhok is expected, not only to be there, but also to be racing. The German Grand Prix is not just a simple race for the Indian – it is also a proving ground to see whether he has what it takes to be India’s first motor racing star.
How fitting that the Renault of Vitaly Petrov – sponsored by bitter rivals Group Lotus – pulls into view, just as Chandhok distances himself from his stranded Team Lotus machine.
The Indian’s position was certainly not helped by the surprisingly low temperatures in the Eiffel region – one would struggle to realise it was late July amidst the cool conditions.
However that is an excuse that will wear thin quickly – the Indian will need to run a great race, but one should not be quick to judge; Chandhok proved in Bahrain last year that he can perform in the toughest of conditions when he ran his Hispania car in qualifying, having not even given it a shake down.
Chandhok starts today’s German Grand Prix from 20th position with a time some eight-tenths slower than teammate Heikki Kovalainen, who starts 18th.
