India's new racing sensation Armaan Ebrahim does not have a licence to drive on Indian roads but seems to be headed for more laurels in the sport after having proved his critics wrong with his exploits in the FBMW (Asia) recently.

The 16-year-old Chennai boy, who was felicitated at a function here for ending the season with a runner-up finish at Shanghai on Sunday, said he had to choose amongst various options, including competing in F-3, for the coming season but it depended on the budget.

"I have proved the critics wrong with my performance in the FBMW season on my debut and have qualified for the WorldFinals to be held in Bahrain on Dec 16," he told the media.

He said he was leaving today for Portugal for the A1.

Talking about his role model Narain Karthikeyan, Ebrahim said, "I had spent the weekend with him. Everything said anddone, he is the best Indian. It was unfortunate that he met with an accident after being in the 12th spot in Shanghai."

Giving credit for his success to the lessons he learnt at the LGB Academy based in Coimbatore, Ebrahim said it wastougher to shift from bigger to smaller cars.

"The power ofcars in BMW (150hp) and A1 (550hp) GP are vast but I was ableto shift to the requirements of handling the car in Shanghai,where I finished the season on a bright note."

Asked whether he was not picked as the first driver in A1because his father (Akbar Ehrahim) is the Indian team manager, Ebrahim said, "we do not have the father son relation on the track. I have gained experience in the last two races. I amconfident that I will get my chance."