Narain Karthikeyan is “trying” to secure a seat for one of the three races leading up to next month’s Indian grand prix.
The Indian is still an official driver of the Spanish team HRT, but he was replaced in the racing role mid-season by Red Bull-sponsored Daniel Ricciardo.

Karthikeyan, however, will be back in the car in his native India thanks to a new long term sponsorship with the Hero automotive group, which is controlled by the Indian billionaire Munjal family.

And he told the Indo-Asian News Service: “I am trying hard to get myself a race before Delhi. It will be a good warm-up for me heading into the home race.”

HRT’s driver lineup has already been announced for Monza, but before the inaugural race at the new Buddh circuit F1 will travel to Singapore, Japan and Korea.

As well as his new deal with Hero, 34-year-old Karthikeyan is also still sponsored by Tata, India’s largest multinational.

“I want to drive in F1 as long as possible,” he is quoted as saying by Reuters. “How and when, that will come up in due course.”

According to Daniel Ricciardo’s team boss this year, the 21-year-old Australian is ready to move into formula one.

Currently the reserve driver for Red Bull’s two F1 teams, Ricciardo was replaced by David Coulthard for the Suzuka race last weekend as he contended for the Renault World Series title in Spain.

He ultimately lost out to Mikhail Aleshin, a 23-year-old Russian whose prize will be a Renault F1 test in Abu Dhabi next month.

But Ricciardo is also destined for formula one, his Tech 1 team boss Simon Abadi insists.

“We’re all convinced that not only will he get into F1, but above all he’ll win there.  It couldn’t be otherwise,” he said.

Red Bull-sponsored Ricciardo is now leaving the Tech 1 team, and is tipped for a seat in the GP2 championship for 2011.

“I should be taking part in the F1 rookies tests in Abu Dhabi,” he said.  “We’ll see in the coming weeks what Red Bull has in store for me.”

In Abu Dhabi, Red Bull’s sister F1 team Toro Rosso will be running Ricciardo’s Tech 1 teammate Jean-Eric Vergne.

Kimi Raikkonen insists he still has not decided whether or not to stay in the world rally championship next year.

The 2007 world champion left formula one at the end of last season despite remaining under lucrative contract to Ferrari, and has since been driving full time for Red Bull-sponsored Citroen.

But in recent days he has been linked with a return to F1 next year with Renault, and the WRC’s official website wrc.com said a sabbatical or a renewed tenure in rallying are also possibilities for the Finn in 2011.

“I’m enjoying it (rallying) so far,” he is quoted as saying on Friday, “but I’ve not made up my mind what I’m doing yet.

“Quite soon I hope I will know but there is no rush,” added the 30-year-old.

Jun.9 (GMM)  Jacques Villeneuve has become the latest pundit to comment on the crash between the Red Bull cars at the recent Turkish grand prix.

The aftermath of Sebastian Vettel’s clash with Mark Webber was highly controversial, as most outsiders initially blamed Vettel but Red Bull chiefs pointed the finger at Australian Webber.

It emerged that Webber’s engine was in a fuel-saving mode – although team figures initially refused to confirm that was the case – and that his engineer had declined to pass on a radio message advising him to let his young German teammate through.

Then, as the official line became more conciliatory, figures close to team owner Dietrich Mateschitz including Max Mosley and Gerhard Berger renewed the criticism of Webber, before the 33-year-old was re-signed for the 2011 season.

The latest twist is that Mateschitz’s right-hand man Dr Helmut Marko says the pair are still free to race, but must not stridently resist each other’s advances.

“Both cars were out in the lead, but drivers are drivers and it is always difficult for one to give 110 per cent while the other does not,” Villeneuve wrote in a column for rds.ca.

“After the race, the reaction of the team seemed strange — to assign fault to someone so quickly and categorically.

“But you never know what really happened when you’ve looked at the situation from the outside as I did,” added the 39-year-old French Canadian.

Meanwhile, 2007 world champion Kimi Raikkonen thinks the only lingering effect of the crash is that Vettel and Webber will from now on behave “a bit more carefully” when they are wheel-to-wheel.

“In a similar situation you would just behave a bit differently so that it doesn’t happen again,” the Red Bull-sponsored world rally driver told Austrian Servus TV.

“It was just an incident in the race and now it’s finished,” he added.

Red Bull Racing has played down suggestions Kimi Raikkonen was a serious contender for a seat in 2011.

As the team edges closer to re-signing Mark Webber for next year, boss Christian Horner was asked if there was any truth to recent reports linking Raikkonen with the Australian’s seat.

“No.  Kimi has committed himself to rallying and he seems to be enjoying that environment,” he is quoted by The Guardian.

Finn Raikkonen, 30, left Ferrari and formula one at the end of last year to drive a Red Bull-sponsored Citroen in the world rally championship.

The 2007 world champion took in the recent Monaco grand prix from his yacht ‘Iceman’ and attended several parties, but never once stepped into the F1 paddock.

The Telegraph quoted Horner as saying Webber, 33, is close to signing a new deal for 2011.

“We’re just dotting the i’s and crossing the t’s now,” he said.  “I would expect something will be announced within the next couple of weeks.”

Meanwhile, Felipe Massa sounded happy with the news that Ferrari is likely to retain him for next year.

“Let’s wait a bit to see what happens, but definitely I would like to stay here,” said the Brazilian.

Renault’s Robert Kubica admitted it is possible he will leave the Enstone team after just one year.

“There will be a time to think about whether I should stay or leave Renault,” said the Pole.