Karun Chandhok is an Indian former Formula One driver and motorsport broadcaster whose journey from national champion to Sky Sports F1 commentator has made him one of India’s most recognisable faces in racing. Known for his articulate insights and pioneering role in Indian motorsport, Chandhok’s career has spanned driving, analysis, and governance, underscoring both his talent on track and his impact off it.
Nationality | Indian |
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Born | Karun Chandhok 19 January 1984 Madras, Tamil Nadu, India |
Chandhok’s motorsport journey began with early success. In 2001, he won the Formula Asia Championship, followed by the inaugural Formula Asia V6 by Renault title in 2006, quickly establishing himself as one of India’s most promising young drivers.
He moved up to the GP2 Series, Formula One’s top feeder category, where he competed for three seasons and won two races.
Formula One
HRT: 2010
Chandhok became the second Indian driver to race in Formula One, following Narain Karthikeyan, when he joined Hispania Racing Team (HRT) in 2010 alongside Bruno Senna. The team, hampered by severe financial and technical limitations, was underprepared from the start. Chandhok didn’t complete a single lap before qualifying at his debut in Bahrain and crashed out after one lap due to a bump in the track surface.
Despite the team’s struggles, Chandhok managed to deliver its first classified race finish, coming home 14th in Australia. He followed up with respectable finishes in Malaysia (15th), China (17th), and a string of further finishes before technical retirements and team politics began to curtail his momentum. After the 2010 British Grand Prix, he was replaced by Sakon Yamamoto and would not race again in 2010, though he continued to contribute to coverage as a commentator for BBC Radio 5 Live.
Team Lotus: 2011
In 2011, Chandhok was named reserve driver for Team Lotus (not to be confused with the historic Team Lotus F1 team), and took part in several free practice sessions. At the 2011 German Grand Prix, he was given a one-off race opportunity, replacing Jarno Trulli. Despite a clean race, he finished 20th and last—two laps down on his teammate Heikki Kovalainen and four laps behind race winner Lewis Hamilton.
His hopes of racing at his home Grand Prix in India were dashed when he was dropped by the team before the event. A later financial settlement with Team Lotus was not finalised until 2013.
Beyond Formula One
After F1, Chandhok remained active in motorsport. He raced in Formula E for Mahindra Racing during the 2014–15 season, in the FIA GT Series in 2013 and the Le Mans 24 Hours, becoming one of the few Indian drivers to compete in the prestigious endurance race.
Chandhok moved seamlessly into broadcasting, earning a reputation as an insightful and knowledgeable commentator. Since 2019, he has been a core part of Sky Sports F1’s live coverage team, providing technical analysis and race insight with clarity and humour. Previously, he contributed to Channel 4 and BBC coverage.
In addition to media work, Chandhok has also taken on leadership roles within the sport from becoming a board member of Motorsport UK, contributing to policy and development. A founding member of its Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Committee and a member of the FIA Drivers’ Commission, advocating for the global driver community.
Karun Chandhok Formula One World Championship career
Active years | 2010–2011 |
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Teams | HRT, Lotus Racing (Team Lotus) |
Entries | 11 (11 starts) |
Championships | 0 |
Wins | 0 |
Podiums | 0 |
Career points | 0 |
Pole positions | 0 |
Fastest laps | 0 |
First entry | 2010 Bahrain Grand Prix |
Last entry | 2011 German Grand Prix |
Karun Chandhok Teammates
5 drivers | Involvement | First Year | Last Year |
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Bruno Senna | 9 | 2010 | |
Christian Klien | 2 | 2010 | |
Sakon Yamamoto | 2 | 2010 | |
Jarno Trulli | 9 | 2011 | |
Heikki Kovalainen | 10 | 2011 |
Karun Chandhok Complete Formula One Results
Year | Entrant | Chassis | Engine | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | WDC | Points |
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2010 | Hispania Racing F1 Team | Hispania F110 | Cosworth CA2010 2.4 V8 | BHR Ret | AUS 14 | MAL 15 | CHN 17 | ESP Ret | MON 14† | TUR 20† | CAN 18 | EUR 18 | GBR 19 | GER | HUN | BEL | ITA | SIN | JPN | KOR | BRA | ABU | 22nd | 0 |
2011 | Team Lotus | Lotus T128 | Renault RS27 2.4 V8 | AUS TD | MAL | CHN | TUR TD | ESP | MON | CAN | EUR TD | GBR TD | GER 20 | HUN | BEL TD | ITA TD | SIN | JPN TD | KOR TD | IND TD | ABU | BRA | 28th | 0 |
† Did not finish, but was classified as he had completed more than 90% of the race distance.