Narain Karthikeyan
HRT Formula One driver Narain Karthikeyan arrives for the third practice session of the Singapore F1 Grand Prix at the Marina Bay street circuit in Singapore September 24, 2011. Reuters

Formula One driver Narain Karthikeyan will join Pedro de la Rosa to complete the HRT line-up for the 2012 Formula One World Championship, the Spanish team announced on Friday.

HRT Formula One driver Narain Karthikeyan arrives for the third practice session of the Singapore F1 Grand Prix at the Marina Bay street circuit in Singapore September 24, 2011.

This will be the 35-year-old Chennai-born driver's second season with the team. HRT replaced him with Red Bull-backed Australian rookie Daniel Ricciardo midway through last year.

Narain... will contribute continuity and stability, team principal Luis Perez-Sala was quoted as saying in a statement.

He is a quick, intuitive and secure driver who met his expectations despite a lack of continuity last year. Of the eight Grands Prix he contested in 2011, he only failed to finish on one occasion and had a great performance in the last race he took part in.