Karun chandhok to test for Team Lotus

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India's Karun Chandhok will test for Team Lotus in Spain next week as a potential reserve for the Formula One outfit, principal Tony Fernandes said on Sunday.

Karun Chandhok has been looking for a new role in Formula One after starting 10 races with struggling newcomers HRT (Hispania) last year.

He attended last week's first pre-season test in Valencia as a guest of Team Lotus and Fernandes said he would now have some time in the car.

"We would like him to be reserve driver but we've got to see whether it all works out, that's the plan," Fernandes said in a telephone conversation from Malaysia.

"He is going to get a couple of slots in the testing now in Jerez and Barcelona," added the AirAsia airline boss. "And then we'll decide after that.

"(Technical head) Mike (Gascoyne) and (team CEO) Riad (Asmat) and everyone else feel he's the right guy to add value to the team."

Fernandes, whose team is locked in a legal dispute with Renault sponsors Group Lotus over the use of the brand in Formula One, was speaking after being appointed Commander of the British Empire (CBE) by Britain's Queen Elizabeth.

Karun Chandhok said last month that he was interested in the third driver role as a stepping stone to his full return to the starting grid in 2012.

Team Lotus were the best of the three new teams last year and, now with Renault engines and a far more aggressively-designed car, are hoping for a step up this season.