He will replace regular driver Karun Chandhok in Friday's first practice session at the Circuit de Catalunya.

BBC: Hispania sign Austrian Christian Klien as test driver

Karun Chandhok lasted only one lap before crashing while his HRT teammate Bruno Senna managed 17 before his engine gave out.

CNN: STORY HIGHLIGHTS

Vicky Chandhok - the father of F1 racer Karun - is heavily involved in the organisation of the Delhi F1 race.

BBC: F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone calm over Delhi race

The new teams again trailed at the bottom, with the Lotus duo of Jarno Trulli and Heikki Kovalainen ahead of Virgin's Lucas di Grassi, HRT's Karun Chandhok and Bruno Senna .

CNN: STORY HIGHLIGHTS

After his short-lived debut at Bahrain, Karun Chandhok's Hispania had to be pushed back to the pit lane by the marshals after a suspected gearbox failure left it stranded on the track.

BBC: Lewis Hamilton fastest in Friday Australian GP practice

The decision to sign Karthikeyan, 33, also dashed the immediate hopes of compatriot Karun Chandhok, who started 10 races for Hispania last year before being replaced by better-funded drivers at the Spanish-owned outfit.

BBC: Bruno Senna out of the running for Hispania second seat

With my third novel, "The City of Devi, " it seemed natural to return to second-person, in which my lovelorn heroine Sarita could address her missing husband Karun, whom she sets out to find in the desolate streets of war-ravaged Mumbai.

WSJ: Manil Suri, Author of The Death of Vishnu, on Narrators | Word Craft