Karthikeyan has no interest in backmarker team
The 31-year-old raced for the Silverstone based outfit's former Jordan guise in 2005, but current owner Mallya suggested recently that Karthikeyan is not good enough to now come back and fly the flag for their country.
Hitting back, the A1 GP driver slammed Force India as little more than the remnants of his former uncompetitive employer.
"I spent a frustrating time with Jordan, where I had a car that just could not perform. I have no desire to be with another pedestrian team that is low on performance and loud on talk," Karthikeyan said.
"I have never even approached Mallya. The vibes from the camp have been extremely negative and I want to make it clear that I am not interested in driving for Force India."
Karthikeyan also made a jibe about formula one, claiming "machine matters more than man" at the pinnacle of single seater racing.
Asked to respond to Karthikeyan's outspokenness, billionaire Mallya said: "Everyone is welcome to their views."
12/24/08 Overlooked by the team, Indian driver Narain Karthikeyan, has said he was never interested in joining the Force India Formula One team. Karthikeyan was the Silverstone based team's driver in 2005 when the team was still called Jordan.
"I spent a frustrating time with Jordan, where I had a car that just could not perform. I have no desire to be with another pedestrian team that's low on performance and loud on talk," Karthikeyan told the Hindustan Times. "I never even approached Mallya. The vibes from the camp have been extremely negative and I want to make it clear that I am not interested in driving for Force India."
Karthikeyan furthermore revealed he was offered a chance to join the team again in 2007. "Spyker offered me a drive in August 2007. I declined as the team was going nowhere. Except in F1, where machine matters more than man, I have won races in every championship that I have participated in."