After having to cope up with high temperatures in Asia, unfamiliar tracks in North America and a heartbreaking gearbox failure in the French Grand Prix at Magny-Cours, Narain Karthikeyan now has only one aim -- not to disappoint Jordan fans on their home track this Sunday.
The rookie Indian driver, who is still struggling to make a mark in the Formula One circuit, is once again at a familiar track, where he tasted his first success in Formula 3.
"I have good memories of Silverstone, as it was here that I had my first podium when I was racing in Formula 3. Usually I always go well at Silverstone and this is a circuit I know quite well," he said.
Karthikeyan has a special liking for the track where he says he can really feel the speed of the machine.
"I like Silverstone, especially the Becketts complex, where the car goes so fast you can really feel the speed of the car. At that special corner you go as fast as 220 kmph, so there is a lot of g-force. I hope we will be able to finish the race, particularly there in front of Jordan Grand Prix home crowd," he said.
Following another positive two-car finish in Magny-Cours last weekend, Jordan Grand Prix is looking forward to racing at Silverstone, its home race circuit, with its factory just across the road.
Although the track is familiar to the three drivers from experience before entering F1 and from several test sessions, it still remains a challenge for them and the car due to the mix of high and low speed corners with some long straights making it quite physically demanding.
Robert Doornbos will again be driving the new EJ15B car on Friday for further development and adding mileage.
The second Jordan driver Tiago Monteiro is also keen to impress the well-wishers of his team although he said the circuit would be the toughest for the Jordan cars.
"Silverstone is a very important race for the Jordan Grand Prix because of the proximity of its factory. A lot of guests will be there and we will need to perform well. It is a very demanding and difficult track," he said.
"It will probably be one of the hardest for our car. We are also starting a very long month so we should stay in good shape and focused on everything. I am definitely looking forward to the weekend."
Sporting Director Adrian Burgess urged the team to do really well in their home Grand Prix.
"We are all looking forward to racing at Silverstone, our home Grand Prix. We would like to do especially well here with the presence of our factory-based staff, sponsors, guests and fans, who will support us throughout the weekend," he said.
"Silverstone is a track familiar to our three drivers and it requires the car to be good aerodynamically, mechanically, and in terms of power, so it is challenging in every respect for engineers and designers."
