Adam Khan

Adam Khan, 24, is a British racing driver of Pakistani descent. He has raced in the GP2, A1 and F3000 racing series and is currently mulling over offers for his services from two Formula One teams after a stint as a Renault F1 test driver in 2009. He was also nominated in the 2009 British Asian Sports Awards as ‘Most Up and Coming Personality of the Year.’

So where are you now and what exactly are you up to?

Well, basically, I did very well in Formula 3000, which used to be called the old Formula 2.  Guys like Schumacher, Montoya, Hakinnen and Alonso all came from Formula 3000. I finished 3rd in the championship in 2008 and that was despite having missed the first four rounds of the it.

Why did you miss those events?

Basically through lack of sponsorship. I had to get the funding together and the budget sorted first. I sort of thought it was my shot to get seen by the F1 stage. But after sponsorship was sorted I won pretty much all the races I was in, pole positions etc. etc. and that caught the eye of the Renault Formula One team, who of course took Fernando Alonso from Formula 3000 prior to that.

So I got signed up as test and demonstration driver in late 2008 and in 2009 I spent testing and driving their Formula One cars.

Is this a recognised stepping-stone to Formula One, them checking you out - how does it work?

Renault has a tradition of promoting their test drivers to race drivers. Once you’re a test driver, you are in that clique of formula one drivers, the next step is then to become a race driver. Unfortunately, or fortunately for me, Renault was sold a couple of weeks back so that put me out of my contract.

In 2010 I’m looking at two offers from other teams and I’m looking at signing for one of them very shortly. The good thing for me is that I’ve done my testing apprenticeship with Renault now and that is seen by other teams as quite a valuable thing to have done, so I’m quite happy.

Hopefully it will only be short period that you are left in limbo then?

It’s my choice which team I sign up for, so I’m just biding my time, see what happens and make sure it’s the right decision for me.

You’re 24 at the moment and only started driving at 16, so in many ways you’re a late starter- are you catching up quick and what are there advantages and disadvantages of this?

When you start that late it does go against you because it is a very elitist and cliquey club to break into and you’re not really accepted at first. People don’t believe you can succeed without the apprenticeship of go-karts and the various lower formulas. I went in at the deep end, was good at it, but people didn’t really want to give me the break I needed.Now it’s all different. I’ve established myself over the past eight years and now Formula One teams know my name- but it was hard.

Most guys on the F1 trail were spotted years ago, their progress has been tracked for years and then all of a sudden there’s this new guy on the scene, pushing into the party…

That’s right. When you have people like McLaren who have spent 12-15 million on getting Lewis Hamilton to Formula One and other drivers, like at Red Bull, you really are up against it. Why should they sacrifice their money getting an unknown into F1? I’ve had to sort out sponsorship since day one and it is kind of cart before the horse- if you haven’t done anything then you can’t get sponsorship but you can’t do anything without sponsorship.

What’s your overall plan- are we talking the F1 championship?

Absolutely. I’m adamant I will achieve that. It’s just getting in the right car at the right time. If you look at what happened this year it wasn’t the best driver necessarily that won the championship, if you put Button in the same car as Alonso, the latter would probably be faster.

Which kind of driver would you say you are, or is it not as easy to define as that?

Each driver has a different style- Alonso and Raikkonen are aggressive and fast, whereas Button and Hamilton are also fast but ultra-smooth. I’ve been told I’m good in the high-speed stuff, with long fast circuits my speciality.

You can have the raw talent but you also have to apply yourself. You have to be meticulous in every aspect of racing- fitness, engineering ability, discussing the data, analysing, along with raw talent itself.

Does your university education help you then?

Most definitely. It makes it so much easier for me. I managed multi-tasking university and racing at the same time, which people couldn’t believe, so now it’s a breeze- I know how to do it and I know how to simplify everything.

So, ride and team permitting, do you have a timeframe for your game-plan mapped out?

Let’s say three or four years, hopefully.

Back to the British Asian awards- you are half-British, half-Pakistani?

Yes, my father’s from Pakistan and I raced for them in the A1 series.I’m very proud of my Pakistani roots and I’m proud to be a Yorkshireman as well.

What do the British Asian Sports Awards mean to you? Is it a positive thing for promoting Asian sport in Britain?

I hope so. I’m very proud to be nominated and I hope other people will be encouraged to partake in motor sport, as it is not a widely accessible sport in the Asian community. But also setting a good example to young people as well, not necessarily just in racing.

What do you like most about your sport?

It’s a very primitive thing to say but I like the fact that I can earn a living through using my hands. When you are driving, you’re making the car do that- it’s almost artistic.

Who is your biggest inspiration in the sport?

Schumacher

And outside?

Probably my father- he’s been supporting all the way through. When the chips were down, he was there to pick me up and give me some encouragement ..

And finally- up to this point, what is the greatest experience of your career?

Probably my first Formula One test at the beginning of last year.