Formula 1 and India

Formula 1 has been gaining popularity in India for various reasons, including the recent Red Bull Racing showcase in Mumbai. Still, there hasn’t been any significant Indian involvement in the sport since the Vijaya Malaya-owned Sahara Force India F1 team wound down operations at the end of 2018.

Two Indian drivers on the road to Formula 1

Now, this scenario may change soon if the two Indian drivers competing in the 2023 Formula 2 championship can fend off 20 other drivers. Jehan Daruvala has returned for the fourth season in this series, having finished seventh overall in both 2021 and 2022, but this time he’s racing for MP Motorsport. The other Indian competing this year is rookie Kush Maini, racing for Campos Racing. The last Indian driver to race in a Formula 1 race was Narain Karthikeyan, who raced for HRT till 2012.

2023 Formula 2 season

The 2023 Formula 2 season will be held across 14 circuits around the world. Each weekend features a free practice session on Friday, followed by a qualifying session which determines the grid for both the ‘Sprint Race’ session on Saturday and the ‘Feature Race’ session on Sunday. The first weekend of action saw 22 drivers fight for glory at the Sakhir circuit in Bahrain.

2023 Sakhir FIA Formula 2 weekend report

Both Kush Maini and Jehan Daruvala showed their speed during free practice. Jehan would have been the third fastest in the session had he not lost the lap time due to exceeding track limits. Meanwhile, Kush Maini finished 10th fastest overall, thus showing promise as a rookie.

2023 Sakhir FIA Formula 2 qualifying

The qualifying session saw Kush Maini confirming his ability to be quick, even with limited experience with his machinery. He set a time good enough for second place at one point, though faster times set by competitors at the last minute of the session pushed him to the sixth position overall. Jehan couldn’t capitalise on the pace he showed during practice, finishing just outside the top 10. Hence, Maini would start fifth in the sprint race and sixth in the feature race, while Jehan would start 11th in both races.

2023 Sakhir FIA Formula 2 sprint race

The sprint race is a shorter 120km/45-minute race (whichever is achieved earlier) aimed at maximum entertainment. With no mandatory pit stops, a reversed grid (of the first 10 spots), and points for the top eight finishers, the format forces drivers to be aggressive from start to finish. The Sakhir sprint race saw Jehan go through the field, engaging in battles with the fastest qualifier Théo Pourchaire who started from 10th in the reverse grid, to finish sixth overall. Kush Maini’s rookie status had him slip through the field to finish in seventh spot overall, behind Jehan, scoring two points in his first-ever Formula 2 race. With his teammate Ralph Boschung winning the race with over 10 seconds gap, Maini helped Campos Racing take the lead in the championship with a total of 12 points added to their kitty.

2023 Sakhir FIA Formula 2 feature race

The main Grand Prix or ‘Feature Race’ on Sunday saw Maini experiencing better fortune than Jehan, even though Jehan was one of the first racers to adopt the same strategy used by many drivers who finished in the top ten positions at the end of the race. Unlike the sprint race, Maini showed a lot more racing prowess in the feature race. Starting sixth, he was in second by the time everyone crossed the first corner! Had the race not been slowed down by a safety car, Maini could have kept the momentum going, but he couldn’t keep the competition behind him at the restart and slipped to sixth again due to a combination of pit-stop strategies and on-track battles. Lap 16 saw Maini fighting Arthur Leclerc (brother of Ferrari Formula 1 driver Charles Leclerc) for fifth position and using his less tortured tyres to an advantage.

Lap 19 saw both Maini and Leclerc fight on track again, now vying for the coveted third position on the podium. Maini’s consistent pressure on the latter led to Leclerc making mistakes and not just losing the fight for third but also letting two other drivers by. One of these was Zane Maloney, driving the Carlin racecar on an impressive run from the 18th position on the grid. On the last lap, he caught up and overtook Maini, who was struggling with tyre degradation, thus putting an end to a dream debut for the Indian driver. Jehan, on the other hand, could not capitalise on the switch to an alternative strategy which would have utilised the faster soft compound tyre to slice through the field. After his only pit stop, Jehan joined the field in 17th and finished the race in the same position — frustrating him, considering many others on the same strategy finished in the top ten.

2023 FIA Formula 2 driver ranking

Kush Maini is now in fourth position overall in the Formula 2 championship with 14 points to his tally, while Jehan is currently in the 11th spot with three points to his name. The championship is 14 rounds long, so there is plenty to look forward to. Next, the championship heads to the fast Jeddah circuit in Saudi Arabia for round two, to be held from 17-19 March. We will be keeping a close eye and bring you a weekend review soon after, stay tuned!

Photos courtesy: FIA Formula 2, Campos Racing, MP Motorsport, Kush Maini on Instagram