Karthikeyan to start 11th in second A1 GP race

Narain Karthikeyan will stand a good chance of winning morale-boosting points for Team India when he revs up from the 11th spot on the starting grid for Sunday's Feature Race in the second A1 GP race of the season.

In the qualification for Feature Race, Karthikeyan clocked 1:45.918 to finish 11th, with 1.269 seconds separating him from the Dutch car that won the pole position.

Accordingly, the Team India driver will start 11th on the starting grid for Sunday's Feature Race and 12th in Sprint.

Team India Chief Operating Officer Yohan Setna said that the team was banking on Karthikeyan's vast experience to win points in the Feature Race on Sunday.

"We are happy with today's result and it's not as bad as it looks," Setna said.

"Sprint being a short race, you actually have little scope to improve on your position. But in Feature, we stand good chance," he said.

"The weather promises to be fine tomorrow and race craft would come into play in the Feature Race. Narain has vast experience and he can pace it well. Strategy would play an important role and Narain's experience would count a lot tomorrow," he said.

The Indian team won a point at Zandvoort, the Netherlands after finishing 10th in the Sprint race.