How to make a career in Formula One racing

Former race driver Karun Chandok demystifies Formula One for kids who are curious about the sport and its icons

- Arun Janardhan

One of the quirky questions former race driver Karun Chandhok got during the promotions of his book Drive To Victory: Incredible True Stories from the Fastest Sports in the World was whether one could drive the racetracks in reverse. "It is actually a very good question, which I have never thought about," he says over a video call from Chennai, adding that the answer is you can't because of the way the tracks and barriers are designed.

"I could answer that one, but the hardest one for me to try and explain to children is why we don't have a (F1) race in India anymore, because it's so difficult to explain to them how politics and governments work," he adds. The Indian F1 Grand Prix was held in Noida from 2011-2013 before a number of administrative and taxation issues led to its cancellation.