Narain eyeing test driver's spot with Williams Wednesday, September 13 2006 12:20 Hrs (IST) - World Time -
New Delhi:
Narain Karthikeyan says he is keen to make the most of the big shake-up in the offing in Formula 1 but would prefer a more prominent role with Williams in the next season.
Motorsports' elite event is set for a reshuffle with Kimi Raikkonen set to take Michael Schumacher's seat at Ferrari and defending champion Fernando Alonso in turn filling the Finn's slot at McLaren in 2007.
That would give enough scope for manoeuvring for other drivers, but the Fastest Indian on Wheels is content to aim at the official test driver's slot at the British team.
"That (racing) will be the ideal thing, But I would like to take Alex Wurz's position," the 29-year-old tells sources over phone from Coimbatore.
Austrian Wurz, Williams' current test driver, will be promoted as one of the two race drivers following Mark Webber's decision to depart.
Karthikeyan's preference to stay with Williams is a sign of growing maturity.
A test driver's role with a leading team will give him better opportunity to learn the nuances of driving an advanced car.
More importantly, it will give him visibilty on racing weekends, which he doesn't get as the second test driver, and thus more mileage for his sponsors.