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n terms of reputation, there is no doubt that the inaugural Airtel Grand Prix of India got Formula One in the country off to a flying start. Now Indian motor sport has both the opportunity and the challenge of building on that success.

Official TV viewing figures take some time to collate and are often hard to get. However I am pretty sure, as a personal opinion that viewing figures will break all records. I have even heard rumours of a global live TV audience of more than 130 million and in India itself, there are probably many millions of people who saw, heard or read about this exciting new sport for the first time, that maybe would like a little taste of the action.

At this point of course, we have to manage expectation. Many European countries which have a history of motor racing stretching back decades, don’t have a single driver on the starting grid.

Germany leads the way, thanks to the Schumacher effect which spawned interest a decade ago, with five drivers; Vettel, Schumacher, Rosberg, Sutil and Glock. Then equal on three are the UK with Button, Hamilton, Di Resta and Brazil; Barrichello, Massa and Senna.  

Italy, for many the heart of motor racing has just two drivers; Trulli and Liuzzi, both in the twilight of their careers. Meanwhile France, the country where the words ‘Grand Prix’ were born, has not had a driver on the Formula One starting grid since Romain Grosjean’s chequered performance for Renault in 2009.

So can India build on its Grand Prix success and add to its lineup of Karthikeyan and Chandhok? The contrasting success of the two drivers in achieving the race start in India perhaps tells its own story.

Narain Karthikeyan has had for many years a well-established management team, and from the moment that the Indian GP was mooted, quietly and diligently worked behind the scenes for raise money from Indian corporates to secure his seat at HRT this season. He was able to attract first Tata to fund his early season efforts, then Hero Honda to raise the funds to get him onto the starting grid.

At 34 years-old, Karthikeyan must know his future as a Formula One driver is limited. Even if he doesn’t start a Grand Prix ever again, he will be recorded in history as in 2005, the first Indian driver to become a Formula One driver and as the first Indian to race in a home Grand Prix. That is something to be very proud of.

While Karun Chandhok experienced the frustration of not being granted a race start with Team Lotus last weekend, I think that in the short-term he clearly represents the future of the sport in India.

Frankly I am mystified why Tony Fernandes (and more likely Mike Gascoigne) felt that Chandhok wasn’t a better bet than the lackluster Jarno Trulli, who while personable and experienced, simply seems to be ‘going through the motions’ each race weekend. Perhaps Chandhok’s quiet persistence will be better rewarded (maybe with another team?) next season.

Ironically it is Chandhok’s father, Vicky, who is at the forefront of finding his son’s eventual successor. As President of Federation of Motor Sports Clubs of India, he has pledged to nurture new talent such as the young racers discovered by Force India’s ‘One From a Billion’ competition.

“The winners of One From a Billion hunt are young kart drivers who are being sent to Silverstone and there are more in the pipeline.” said Chandhok. “It is too much to expect that now that Formula One is here, 1000 professional drivers will be up and running tomorrow. Motorsport is an expensive sport, but now there is the opportunity for the motorsport team managements across the country to raise sponsorship deals with companies that can now see the sport’s potential.”

Steve Slater is an F1 race commentator on STAR Sports’ coverage of the Formula One. Catch the action live in high-definition on ESPN HD