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Karthikeyan slams Mallya, Force India

Narain Karthikeyan has criticised Force India owner Vijay Mallya and has denied that he wants to join Mallya’s team.

Mallya was recently said that Karthikeyan, who became the first Indian to drive in Formula One when he turned out for Jordan in 2005, and rising star Karun Chandhok were not good enough to drive for Force India, something Karthikeyan claims he wouldn’t even want to do.

“I spent a frustrating time with Jordan, where I had a car that just could not perform. I have no desire to be with another pedestrian team that’s low on performance and loud on talk,” Karthikeyan told the Hindustan Times. “I never even approached Mallya. The vibes from the camp have been extremely negative and I want to make it clear that I am not interested in driving for Force India,” he added.

After his stint with Jordan, the 31-year-old served as a test driver for Williams in 2006 and 2007.

“Spyker offered me a drive in August 2007. I declined as the team was going nowhere,” he said. “Except in F1, where machine matters more than man, I have won races in every championship that I have participated in.”

Karthikeyan currently represents the Indian team on the A1 circuit.

Tags: Force India, Narain Karthikeyan, Vijay Mallya