Spyker ends Narain's F1 comeback hopes

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New Delhi, July 26: Narain Karthikeyan's hopes of a Formula One comeback this season were dashed with Spyker today signing up Japanese Sakon Yamamoto as its second driver for the remaining seven races of the season.

Karthikeyan, currently a test driver for Williams, was one of the favourites to go behind the wheel for Spyker after Christijan Albers' contract was terminated.

Besides the Indian driver, Honda's Austrian reserve driver Christian Klien and German Markus Winkelhock, who raced for the team at European GP in Nurburgring, were also in the race.

The 30-year-old from Chennai may now return to the A1GP where he had produced some good performance for the A1 Team India earlier this year.

Yamamoto, Karthikeyen's former team mate at Jordan, made his Formula One debut at his home Grand Prix in Suzuka with the Spyker's predecessors in 2005.

The following year Sakon joined the Super Aguri F1 Team as test and third driver before stepping up to race in the last seven rounds of the 2006 season. After securing three consecutive finishes in China, Japan and Brazil, Sakon moved to the GP2 series with BCN Competition at the beginning of 2007.

UNI