'Offers have been pouring in from all directions', Indian reveals, as he considers future in IndyCar Series or World Touring Car Championship - or even a return to F1...
Narain Karthikeyan has insisted that he has unfinished business in Formula 1, despite pledging his future to A1GP for the forthcoming campaign.
The Indian registered his nation's greatest international motor racing success when he triumphed in the World Cup of Motorsport's feature race in Zhuhai last December, and added to that with victory in the 2007/08 finale at Brands Hatch earlier this month to ensure India finished inside the top ten in the final standings for the first time.
No stranger to making history, the 31-year-old similarly became the first of his countrymen ever to race in the top flight when he competed for Jordan Grand Prix back in 2005, achieving a best finish of fourth place in the largely-boycotted US Grand Prix at Indianapolis.
He subsequently spent a couple of seasons test driving for Williams, only to walk away from the multiple championship-winning Grove-based outfit at the end of last year, but he hopes that by performing well on the international stage in A1GP - allied to the growing allure of the sport in his homeland, particularly since the arrival of Force India on the F1 grid - he may re-attract the attention of team bosses in the uppermost echelon.
"I'll continue doing A1GP," Karthikeyan told international news agency Reuters, "but I want to have another crack at Formula 1, which is the pinnacle of motorsport.
"If you do well at this level (A1GP), somebody is bound to notice. I have the backing from the right companies in India and, unlike other countries, there are not many drivers from India trying to get into Formula 1. At least for the next three to four years I am in a very strong position."
"Representing your country in A1GP is special," he added in an interview with the Howrah News Service, "but growing up, my dream was to drive an F1 car. The first half of my F1 rookie season went according to plan, but the second was a rough ride as I had problems with the team management.
"I still feel I have some business left in F1. People may call my passage from F1 to A1GP a demotion, but my career in A1GP has been more than satisfying. I am happy that I am contributing for Team India, and the team has come a long way.
"Any victory at this stage of my career holds a big significance, and offers have been pouring in from all directions. I have an opening in the World Touring Car Championship, and a test offer from the IndyCar Series.
"Now I have a three-month break to prepare for the 2008-09 [A1GP] season, and I am planning to test IndyCars next month before having a first taste of the Ferrari-powered A1GP car in June."
India is world cricket's commercial hub and the fastest-growing economy after China, and as such represents a significant draw for other sports hoping to tap into its burgeoning economy. Not only has Vijay Mallya injected a good deal of cash into the former back-of-the-grid Spyker outfit, but India is also set to host its first-ever grand prix in 2010, with A1GP looking to visit the country in 2009.
Karthikeyan is clearly eager to see what the future will bring for both his nation and A1GP, particularly with Maranello set to design and build the nation vs nation series' cars and engines from next season.
"With Ferrari coming into A1GP, it gives it that much more credibility," the man from Chennai told Reuters. "There are some talented drivers who possibly are struggling to get into Formula 1 as there are only a limited number of seats. This will practically be a Formula 1 car - with carbon brakes, better tyres [and] more downforce, it is going to help me do better than what I did this season.
"It makes it competitive, and to beat developed nations and put India on the top step of the podium is satisfying. In A1GP you go to every race and you have a chance to win. In Formula 1, unless you are in the top three teams, it's very, very difficult."
