Karun Chandhok drove for the HRT team, and participated in practice for the Caterham outfit, but his real strengths came from his personality. He was popular in both paddock interviews and on the BBC commentary coverage, before making the switch to endurance racing in 2012. For 2016, Chandhok joined the Channel 4 coverage in the UK.

F1 biography

Karun Chandhok has racing running through his blood, as his father is a rallying champion and president of the automotive body in India. Karun made a name for himself in his home country, before moving to Formula 2000 Asia and then British Formula 3. It was GP2 that raised his profile, though, and he spent three years in the junior category.

With the arrival of the Force India team, Chandhok found himself talked about in F1 circles. The team were looking to boost the profile of motorsports in India, but Chandhok was eventually overlooked. Instead, he joined the Hispania Racing team for the 2010 season. It was a slow start to his career, as the team were barely ready to participate in the first race at Bahrain. Unfortunately for Chandhok, his reputation took a knock when he crashed out on the first lap of the race, after qualifying last on the grid.

Chandhok was confirmed as a reserve driver for Team Lotus in 2011, but once again crashed on his first lap. The team let him have another go in subsequent practice sessions, and Karun deputised for Jarno Trulli at the German Grand Prix that year. In 2012, there was no role for Chandhok at the team, and he turned his attention to other forms of motorsport instead.

For the 2016 Formula One season, Chandhok put on his broadcasting hat and joined the commentary and pundit team for the Channel 4 coverage.