New Delhi, July 21: India's leading hope for Formula One, Narain Karthikeyan, finished fourth in the Nissan championships at Lausitz, Germany, but garnered enough points to consolidate his overall second place in the world series. Starting on the front row alongwith pole position holder and eventual winner Heikki Kovalainen, Karthikeyan was doing fine yesterday until his car was hit from behind by championship leader Franck Montagny, a press release said today.

Karthikeyan's car went into a spin and cost him six seconds, which proved crucial in the final analysis. Surprisingly no action was taken against Montagny.

Karthikeyan now has 80 points in the drivers' championship, and is a distant second to Montagny who has 168 points after yesterday's second-place finish. Karthikeyan's next race is at the a-1 ring in Austria on September 21.

Bureau Report