Karun Chandhok
Racing driver who made his Formula One debut in the 2010 season racing for the HRT team
Karun is one of only two Indian drivers to compete in Formula 1 and one of the most respected broadcasters in the sport. Today he is an expert analyst for Sky Sports F1, broadcasting to 62 countries. As a result, he can speak about any aspect of this demanding sport and he is passionate about the use of data / technology for decision-making and performance, as well as diversity and inclusion within the sport.
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Karun Chandhok's 2025 biography
Meet Karun Chandhok
Karun Chandhok is one of only two Indian drivers to compete in Formula 1 and one of the most respected broadcasters in the sport today. Born into a family which was steeped in motor sport history, Karun rose through the ranks of junior formulae racing to become test driver for the Red Bull Racing Formula 1 team in 2007/8. He competed in the Formula 1 World Championship for Hispania Racing Team and Team Lotus in 2010 and 2011.
Today he is an expert analyst for Sky Sports F1, broadcasting to 62 countries. He previously broadcast for Star Sports in Asia, BeIN Sports in Qatar, BBC 5 Live Radio and Channel 4 TV in the UK. His deep insights and superb delivery make him one of the most popular presenters in Formula 1. As a result, he can speak about any aspect of this demanding sport, particularly given his wide range of experience from across the industry.
Karun sits on the Board of Motorsport UK, the national governing body of motorsport and one of the key members of the world’s governing body, the FIA. He is a member of Motorsport UK’s Equality, Diversity & Inclusion Committee and also devotes time to working on the development of junior single seater formulae.
In 2013 he became a member of the first ever FIA Driver’s Commission and continues to represent the rights and views of drivers from across the world. His work with the FIA includes being a member of the Single Seater Commission and Driver Grading Committee.
During his career Karun has worked closely with Formula 1 and its then-CEO Bernie Ecclestone to deliver the Indian Grand Prix. He also consulted for Nissan, managing the Indian cohort of its famed GT Academy programme. He also worked closely with Indian manufacturers Tata and Mahindra.
Born in Chennai, Karun first came to prominence in motor racing when he won the 2000 Indian National Championship in his debut season. The following year he won the Formula Asia Championship before moving into Formula 3, the Asian Renault V6 series and finally GP2 – the final step before Formula 1.
His two year experience of competing in Formula 1 with HRT and Team Lotus was followed by six years in sports car racing, including racing in the world famous Le Mans 24 Hours event. He also competed in Formula E with Mahindra, giving him a valuable insight into the fast-developing electric series.
Since 2016 Karun has worked closely with the Williams F1 Team’s Heritage division, testing and show-casing some of the team’s most famous World Championship-winning cars. He continues to compete in historic racing, notably at Goodwood, and his annual ‘Karun’s Karting Carnival’ event in the UK raises funds for underprivileged children in India.
Karun Chandhok's 2025 talks & topics
Leadership
The requirements of Formula One’s team leaders have changed significantly in recently years as teams have become larger, more complex, and the business model to which the sport operates has been transformed.  The leaders in F1 today are responsible for leading up to 1800 full time employees, creating a high-performance organisation which is fully aligned behind a strategy aimed at achieving a set of well defined, ambitious goals.
Competitive team leaders create a culture in which team personnel take responsibility and are happy to be held accountable for their performance.  Developing a high degree of psychological safety is key, requiring staff to speak up and speak out, with strong cross functional communications.  A relentless focus on continuous improvement is part of the F1 leaders mindset, and teams take a data-driven approach to measuring performance, highlighting issues and analysing developments. But whilst F1 is a technocentric sport, the successful leaders recognise that it is the people who make a difference. This is why so much effort is deployed to create an environment within which employees thrive, using their combined talents to problem solve and create highly innovative solutions in order to drive competitive advantage.
Teamwork/Collaboration
Competitive Formula One teams comprise 1800 staff, less than 10% of whom attend the race events, so teamwork requires complete alignment, shared purpose and close collaboration across the business.  The world championship includes 24 Grands Prix and these represent a series of non-negotiable deadlines which the entire organisation has to meet in terms of car development, hardware and software upgrades.  The ultimate, public example of high-performance teamwork comes in the form of the mandatory pit stops which have to be performed during a race – the record now stands at 1.8 seconds during which 22 staff carry out 36 tasks under extreme pressure. Alignment behind the team’s strategies and ambitious goals is vital, so too having the agility to flex the strategy in the face of constant changes in technology and the performance of competitors.
Data-driven performance & Innovation
More than any other sport, Formula One has embraced a data-driven business culture, particularly with its near obsession with marginal gains and continuous improvement. F1 teams use data to enable drivers, engineers and HQ staff to determine precisely how the car and driver is behaving, diagnose issues, resolve problems and speed up decision making. As information flows seamlessly around the globe, linking car, team and factory, tech security is essential and robust systems ensure protection from multiple threats.
The use of simulators has transformed driver training, enabling systems to be learned, tested and developed in a virtual environment prior to real-world deployment. And with the advent of additive manufacturing, machine learning, AI and GenAI across F1, the sport’s use of technology to innovate and transform all aspects of its operations is set to accelerate further.
Safety & Risk Management
Safety is a first order priority in Formula One and the last 30 years have seen a profound change to the way in which the sport manages risk. Between 1950 and 1994, there were over 40 driver fatalities at races; there has been one since. This has been made possible by creating clear priorities as regards safety. Compliance is non-negotiable. Safety is not an area of competitive advantage. Safety systems, processes and technologies are shared so that F1 doesn’t have islands of excellence in oceans of mediocrity.
However, the risk averse teams never win in F1 – the teams which embrace and manage risk are more likely to try new things, innovate in ways both small and large, and ultimately drive competitive advantage. It’s the difference between participating and competing. The other factor is ‘fear of failure’. Teams that have a blame culture create such a degree of fear that everyone minimises their contribution and hides their mistakes, whereas those which thrive on creating a learning environment of continuous improvement have a degree of openness, honesty and transparency which promotes creativity and innovation, and taking risks, in a controlled way.
Change & Transformation
Every industry is witnessing change and Formula One is no different. One of the challenges facing F1 teams is that the sector is ever-changing – so change management and leading teams through periods of transformation is an essential part of the job.  Change comes in many forms; technology, compliance, competition, customer demands, environmental and social issues.  F1 has had to reinvent its business model, embrace digitalisations, adapt to a changing media and social landscape. Above all, F1’s leadership teams have had to communicate, manage and implement transformation strategies, bringing their teams with them and ensuring that they make the most from embracing change.
Diversity, Equality and Inclusion
Often perceived as a male-dominated sport, Formula One has invested heavily in gender diversity, also generating equal opportunities and inclusion for anyone from an under-represented group or background. That journey began over 20 years ago with initiatives including F1 In Schools and Formula Student seeking to motivate children of school age as well as undergraduates from every background to consider a career in Formula One.
The Formula 1 Academy , launched in 2023, is developing female talent across the sport, whether as future F1 drivers, engineers or management, The sport’s governing body, the FIA, operates the FIA Girls on Track programme, again providing young women and girls from around the world with opportunities across motorsport. Individual Formula 1 team are also running important, game-changing initiatives, including Mercedes F1’s ‘Accelerate ‘25’ programme which aims to ensure that 25% of all new employees are selected from under-represented cultural and socio-economic backgrounds.
Seven times World Champion Lewis Hamilton, the first black driver to compete in Formula 1, has worked with Mercedes to creative mentorship and educational programmes for girls’ schools in the London borough of Tower Hamlets. Hamilton’s Mission 44 organization has set about driving structural change with motorsport to ensure that anyone of colour can develop career opportunities in Formula 1. Meanwhile Race Pride charity has attracted widespread support from Formula 1 and its constituent teams, supporting the LGBTQIA+ community across the industry.
Unlocking Peak Performance & The Winning Mindset
The science behind enabling peak human performance, both physical and mental, has played a pivotal role in developing the way in which Formula One drivers and team personnel realise their potential in this enormously demanding sport. High performance coaches focus on aspects including physical training, nutrition, diet, hydration and optimising sleep patterns. All the teams now recognise that health and well-being is critical when building teams capable to delivering winning outcomes in a high-pressure environment.
This holistic approach to physical and mental health and well-being used to be confined to Formula One drivers but, over the last 20 years, teams expanded that to include the pit crews and travelling personnel. Today Formula One teams invest in the wellbeing of all personnel, whether factory based or travelling. Mental health has become a major focus as teams seek to help staff develop the focus, sustained performance and mental toughness to deal with the relentless challenge of this high-performance environment.