Adam Khan has been preparing for this year all his life.

The 23-year-old was unveiled in January as the demonstration driver for Renault's F1 team – a role that, in this era of reduced testing, will provide the professed petrolhead with invaluable experience behind the wheel of a Formula One car.

And while the Briton of Pakistani descent is determined to one day dominate racing's grandest stage, it is difficult to deny he deserves his driver's seat.

At Donington Park in 2000, Khan won a wager allowing him the opportunity to test-drive a Porsche Le Mans; the Yorkshireman has never looked in his rear-view mirror since.

"It was a 'Guess the Car' competition," says Khan of the life-changing day at Donington. "But what they didn't know is that I had collected car magazines since I was a youngster.

"The car was under a cover and I could see it was a GT3 body, but what gave it away was the vents at the side. I knew what it was so that's what I guessed."

There was one requirement before Khan could finally press on the Porsche pedal, but he managed to negotiate his way around it with the ease he soon showed on a regular basis on tracks around Europe.

"The guy told me: 'You can only have a go if you have some experience in karting.' I said I had driven go-karts and, while he of course meant the professional ones, what I meant was round haystacks at the fairground.

"But that's what got me into racing."

Within three years he was competing in Formula Three and by 2005 he was representing Pakistan on the A1 circuit – despite having to balance his race schedule with his schooling.

Khan graduated last year from King's College, London with a degree in Economics – an achievement that was as much to do with racing as it was to do with furthering his education.

"I always believed that my studies would help me understand the racing potential in terms of the motor sports business," says Khan.

"Because, at the end of the day, it is a business and once I could grasp that, it obviously helped me professionally and personally.

"It helps attract sponsors because sponsors want someone who can portray the image they want to portray and the sportsman involved has to be able to understand that niche they are trying to attract."

His decision to remain at university, while rivals battled for lucrative seats on various race teams, is not the first time Khan has used academics to stand apart in front of potential sponsors.

In the early days when funding was a problem and his career was at threat of stalling, a sponsor proposed he appeal to the Asian market.

"Somebody said to me: 'If you learn Mandarin, we'll give you a budget and you can go race Formula Three'," reveals Khan. 'So I did.

"I learnt it by myself – through books. I had a good grasp of the language within six weeks."

Renault now intend to use Khan's linguistic skills when the team travel to Shanghai for next week's Chinese Grand Prix, the third race of the 2009 season.

It will be Khan's second official outing with the two-time constructors' champions after he debuted at this weekend's ongoing Renault Roadshow at Downtown Burj Dubai.

The Brit is joined by second and third drivers Nelson Piquet Jr and Romain Grosjean as they showcase the F1 R29 as well as the French car manufacturer's first 4x4, the Renault Koleos.

And the demonstration driver – who also speaks fluent Spanish, Italian and French, as well as English – aims for his partnership with the Oxfordshire-based team to be beneficial for both parties involved.

"Hopefully there will be some mutual crossover there whereby they can gain something from me and I can gain something from being with Renault Formula One.

"It's an immense privilege to be involved and driving for them, especially in this period of reduced testing.

"To have a two-time World Champion [Fernando Alonso] who you can say is one of your team-mates is quite amazing really. I'm sure there are a lot of young drivers who would love to be in my place."

Adam Khan: Exactly where he wants to be in 2009.

 

Keep up with the latest business news from the region with the Emirates Business 24|7 daily newsletter. To subscribe to the newsletter, please click here.