With his prospects for returning to Formula 1 apparently closed following the demise of the HRT team, India's Narain Karthikeyan says in this week's AUTOSPORT magazine that he is considering a switch to the IZOD IndyCar Series.
Karthikeyan, 36, is a race winner in British F3, A1GP, Superleague and the Dallara-Nissan World Series who has had F1 stints with Jordan (2005) and HRT (2011-12). He told AUTOSPORT he would prefer to stay in open-wheel racing, despite having tested the NASCAR waters with a limited run in the Camping World Truck Series in 2010.
"Up until now, the focus has been on F1, but now is the time to look seriously at alternatives," he said. "I want to continue to race single-seaters and, outside of F1, IndyCar is the best option."
Karthikeyan, who AUTOSPORT reports has a partial budget to bring from longtime backer Tata, said key to any deal would be an opportunity that would provide sufficient preparation.
"After spending the last two years with HRT in F1, I want the chance to do something properly," he said. "Getting a test would be a good first step and a chance to adapt to the car and see where we are.
"I know there aren't dozens of paid IndyCar drives, but it's a big series and it's growing, so there's the chance to race professionally after the first year. We're still just talking for now."