As the season-opening Melbourne Grand Prix draws near, Narain Karthikeyan [Images] is gearing up for a dream race against defending champion Michael Schumacher [Images] and other top drivers in the F-1 circuit.

"You know, he's my hero," Karthikeyan said. "Suddenly, I'm driving against him, he's my equal. I can't tell you how that makes me feel," said the Indian.

The 28-year-old has two objectives for the upcoming race -- one is to qualify, the other is to meet Michael Schumacher.

Also Read Pix: Narain Karthikeyan earns his Jordan colours Formula One - Complete coverage

Karthikeyan's only brush with the German legend was four years ago when he met him during an unsuccessful testing session for Jaguar.

"Don't expect me to beat him (Schumacher). There's no way I can manage even a podium in Melbourne," he was quoted as saying by a F-1 website.

Narain is also struggling to get accustomed to the flood of requests for interviews following his historic feat earlier this month.

Asked if he was enjoying the media glare, Narain said: "Not really, but I understand what's expected of me now. If I could, I'd just drive all the time."

• Formula One coverage