“We've just had a lot of bad luck with that sort of stuff happening to us, like in the first round in Dubai as well, when I qualified on the front row and we had a problem with the clutch. It bogged down and I dropped down to seventh off the line – okay, I climbed back to third, but it's not been a great experience in terms of luck overall. I'm never really one to believe in superstitions or things like that, but I really do think I've upset somebody somewhere now!”
The speed, though, was irrefutably there, with the 24-year-old impressively achieving the third-best qualifying record of any of the 26 drivers in the series, laying down a strong marker as he headed into the first meeting on the ‘main' championship calendar, at Barcelona just over a week ago.
“The plus side was that we showed we were quick,” he affirmed. “I think Bruno [Senna – team-mate] and I are very evenly-matched. At the moment, including Barcelona, we are three-all in qualifying, and we've always been within a tenth. I think in Asia, outside of [Romain] Grosjean we were the next two quickest for sure. Results-wise ultimately it didn't work out the way we wanted, but there's plenty of potential there.”
The former Formula Asia V6 by Renault Champion was also effusive about the utility of the Asia Series in keeping those who participated in it ‘race fresh' over the pre-season period, as well as the strong relationship he has already built up with both iSport and team-mate Senna.
“The Asia Series was good for me to be able to build a relationship with iSport,” he underlined. “We then were able to go to Barcelona as effectively just one long season and carry on working together.
![iSport International ace Karun Chandhok celebrates on the GP2 Asia Series podium in Dubai [pic credit: Karun Chandhok]](http://pix.crash.net/thumbs/429652.jpg)
