India's up-and-coming driver Karun Chandhok will compete in the GP2 series this season.

The 23-year-old Chennai racer, winner of last year's Asian Formula Renault V6 championship, will drive for Italy-based former race winners Durango in the 11-race event which kicks off in Bahrain this weekend.

"The drivers competing all come with a massive pedigree behind them with a lot of them bringing Formula 1 experience which will undoubtedly be beneficial," Chandhok said in a statement.

"My aim for the season is certainly to score the odd points in the first half of the season and then aim to be a regular point scorer by the end."

Formula One supremo Bernie Ecclestone wished the Indian driver good luck.

"I have been guiding and supporting Karun in his quest to compete in GP2 as he progresses towards Formula One. This is an exciting time for him and I wish him all the success for the season ahead," said Ecclestone, also the chief of GP2, in a statement.

He also hoped that India would host a Formula One race in the near future. Interest in motor racing rose dramatically in the country after Narain Karthikeyan became India's Formula One driver in 2005. Karthikeyan, who raced for Jordan that year, is now a Williams test driver.

"India is a destination that we at Formula One Management are looking at seriously and I am personally enthusiastic about the prospects of having a round of the Formula One World Championships there," said Ecclestone.