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Category: F2
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Jak Crawford claims maiden F2 win; Maini 12th, Daruvala DNF
Jak Crawford claimed his first FIA Formula 2 victory in the Spielberg Sprint Race. Starting on the slick tyres in changeable conditions, the Hitech Pulse-Eight driver lost out at the start but looked untroubled once he returned to the front of the field on Lap 6.
Victor Martins made his way through the pack from 10th on the grid to take second, as Clément Novalak turned a P20 start into his first podium of the 2023 season.
Indian driver Kush Maini of Campos Racing finished outside the points in 12th while Jehan Daruvala, the other Indian had a DNF. “The race result is irrelevant today. Absolutely gutted to hear about the tragic passing of Dilano, one of our own at MP. My thoughts are with his family, friends, and everyone at Spa. #RIP,” said Daruvala, as MP Motorsports, his team paid condolences to Dilano.
“MP Motorsport is deeply saddened to confirm that our driver, Dilano van ’t Hoff has passed away as a result of a crash during the second race of the Formula Regional European Championship by Alpine at Spa Francorchamps.”
“Formula Regional European Championship by Alpine sadly announces the death of MP Motorsport driver Dilano Van ‘t Hoff,” a statement from the championship read.
AS IT HAPPENED
Light rain ahead of the race meant half the field opted to start on the wet tyres. Utilising the dry soft tyres, reverse polesitter Crawford held the lead through the opening corners but it was Arthur Leclerc who made the most of his choice to start on wets. The DAMS driver went from third to the lead of the race by Turn 4 after the Hitech Pulse-Eight ran wide.
Jehan Daruvala spinning off into the gravel at Turn 7 brought out an early Safety Car at the start of Lap 2. This gave the wet tyre runners a chance to switch to slicks, with Théo Pourchaire, Frederik Vesti and Dennis Hauger all stopping, having run inside the top five.
Out front, Leclerc opted to stay out held the lead at the restart on Lap 4. Second-place Richard Verschoor dropped a wheel over the sausage kerb and spun off at the exit of Turn 1, necessitating another Safety Car. Leclerc chose to pit, handing the lead back to Crawford ahead of Juan Manuel Correa.
Back to racing on Lap 8, Kush Maini, Zane Maloney and Enzo Fittipaldi went three-wide up the hill into Turn 3. Diving to the inside, Maloney was through on both, but soon dropped down the order as the track dried and softs became the tyre of choice.
Their battle allowed Martins through into third and he quickly closed on Correa. Late on the brakes, the ART Grand Prix driver went up the inside of Turn 3 to pass the #23 Van Amersfoort Racing car.
Another beneficiary of the soft tyres, Novalak had already made up 16 places after dispatching Isack Hadjar for fourth and soon caught Correa. On Lap 18, the Trident driver was through on the inside to take third, allowing Hadjar the room to follow his compatriot through to take fourth.
A spin for Fittipaldi between Turns 3 and 4 after catching the grass led to the Virtual Safety Car being deployed for two laps.
Having fought his way back up into the points, Oliver Bearman couldn’t hold onto a scoring finish. After overtaking Hauger earlier in the race, the MP Motorsport driver repaid the favour to take eighth. With the benefit of the switchback, the Norwegian was then able to get the run on Jack Doohan to take seventh on the final lap.
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Kush Maini highest ranked rookie as he garners 8 valuable points: F2
Monaco, 28 May 2023: Indian racing star Kush Maini of Campos Racing who garnered eight valuable points in the Feature Race finishing sixth is currently standing fourth in the FIA F2 championship ans the Indian champion is the highest ranked Rookie. Meanwhile, compatriot Jehan Daruvala, who came 2nd in the Sprint Race earlier on Saturday took eight points and remain on 40 as he failed to get into points on Sunday in the Feature race and is behind Kush Maini, who has 49 points.
Kush Maini got lucky with the safety car period and finished sixth after a poor starting position. Jehan Daruvala came 13th.
Vesti wins Feature Race
Frederik Vesti claimed a commanding Feature Race victory in Monte Carlo and the lead of the Drivers’ Championship with it. The Prema Racing driver led every lap of Sunday’s event after a Safety Car and Red Flag to take his second victory of the 2023 season.
Théo Pourchaire crossed the line second after teammate Victor Martins was handed a mid-race drive-through penalty. Zane Maloney rounded out the podium in third position for Rodin Carlin, his second podium of the year.
AS IT HAPPENED
Vesti maintained the lead from lights out, but Pourchaire had to defend third from a fast-starting Jack Doohan into Turn 1. Isack Hadjar squeezed his way past Jehan Daruvala for P9 on the way up the hill to make up a place in the initial phase.
Starting on the option tyres, Oliver Bearman made great progress in the first few corners from 16th on the grid. A move at the Turn 6 hairpin earned him 13th position from Clément Novalak and he wasn’t done there. Into Turn 12, a dive to the inside of Amaury Cordeel gave him P12 on a busy opening lap for the PREMA Racing man.
Daruvala was the first from the top 10 to make their mandatory stop, swapping supersofts for softs and rejoining in 16th place. Juan Manuel Correa also pitted, releasing Bearman who had been cooped up behind the Van Amersfoort Racing #23.
Iwasa and Hadjar were in from P8 and P9 on Lap 13 for their stops, while Bearman pitted on Lap 15 and rejoined the circuit ahead of Iwasa. The DAMS was right on his gearbox though and into the Turn 5 hairpin, the Japanese driver dived to the inside to make a crucial pass.
Enzo Fittipaldi’s race came to an end on Lap 19, with the Rodin Carlin pulling to the side of the track at Turn 12, bringing out the Virtual Safety Car. The VSC was withdrawn on Lap 21 to get back to racing with Vesti leading Martins by 5.2s.
That advantage was swiftly wiped away after Doohan hit the barriers at Turn 4 on Lap 22, resulting in a Safety Car. That brought the leaders in for their mandatory stops. Vesti rejoined in the lead with Martins second and Pourchaire third. Maloney managed to narrowly avoid Doohan’s stricken car on the racing line and made his mandatory stop along with Verschoor in fourth and fifth places.
Dennis Hauger was a big winner, making his mandatory stop and serving a five-second time penalty for gaining an advantage on the opening lap by cutting the track. The Norwegian rejoined in P6. Kush Maini, Roman Stanek, Jak Crawford and Iwasa completed the top 10 just as the Red Flag was thrown on Lap 24 in order to complete barrier repairs.
The race got back underway with a rolling restart entering Lap 27 as Vesti held the lead from the pair of battling ARTs behind. That battle was changed entirely after Martins was assigned a drive-through penalty for failing to slow under yellow flags behind the Safety Car. He was in to serve the sanction on Lap 31, coming back out in P8.
Following the Red Flag, the race went to time and Vesti completed Lap 33 to win the Monte Carlo Feature Race by 2.5s from Pourchaire.
Maloney finished a lonely third on the road ahead of Richard Verschoor in fourth, with Hauger an impressive fifth having started from 17th on the grid. Maini secured more points in P6 ahead of Stanek, who made up 15 places for Trident. Martins, Crawford and Iwasa in rounded out the top 10.
KEY QUOTE – Frederik Vesti, PREMA Racing
“P1 in the Feature Race in Monaco. What a day this is and what a weekend, pole position as well which is nice! We are leading the Championship as well, which is also nice. I want to thank Mercedes and PREMA for the support, the car is mega. Now, it’s time to keep pushing, we have a race weekend already next week in Barcelona. Let’s continue the form and continue pushing.”
THE CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS
Vesti’s victory moves him to the top of the Drivers’ Championship, rising to 89 points. Pourchaire stays within touching distance, now on 84 points in second. Iwasa falls to third having led the standings ahead of the Feature Race. The DAMS driver now has 69 points. Kush Maini remains as the highest-placed rookie so far this year, climbing to 49 points, one ahead of Dennis Hauger who is now fifth.
PREMA Racing extends its lead in the Teams’ Standings, now on 130 points. ART Grand Prix moves up to second with 108 points while DAMS is now third on 103.
UP NEXT
FIA Formula 2 returns right away with Round 7 from the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya in Spain from 2-4 June.
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Indian racing star Jehan Daruvala takes 2nd place at Monaco again: F2
Monaco (Monte Carlo), 27 May 2023: Indian racing star Jehan Daruvala of Mumbai secured another well-deserved podium in the Sprint Race of the FIA Formula 2 World Championship here on Saturday.
“The pace was good all race but it’s very difficult to overtake here in Monaco. I had a tyre pressure issue after the last safety car restart so happy to bring it home,” said Jehan Daruvala, the Mumbai native.
Ayumu Iwasa got his Championship fight back on track with Sprint Race victory on the streets of Monte Carlo. The DAMS driver inherited the lead of the race early on and never let it go, managing two Safety Car restarts to take the win by over six seconds.
Marshals congratulate Jehan Daruvala for his P2 on 27 May 2023 at Monaco. Jehan Daruvala shadowed the DAMS driver throughout the 30 laps but couldn’t make a move for victory, while Jak Crawford held off Richard Verschoor for the final podium position.
AS IT HAPPENED
Isack Hadjar got the launch he needed to retain the lead at Turn 1 ahead of Iwasa and Daruvala. It was a clean opening lap until Turn 10. Whilst battling with Amaury Cordeel, Kush Maini was pitched into a spin after contact with Clément Novalak from behind, blocking the track and several drivers behind him.
The Virtual Safety Car was deployed as a result, but Roy Nissany and Ralph Boschung were out after getting caught up in the incident, unable to get going again. Novalak was later handed a 10-second time penalty. The full Safety Car was deployed on Lap 2 in order to remove the stricken cars.
Back to racing conditions on Lap 6 and Hadjar kept the lead initially but into Turn 1, the Hitech Pulse-Eight driver slowed with a mechanical issue, handing the lead to Iwasa. The DAMS man quickly moved two seconds clear of Daruvala after two laps out in front, while Hadjar was forced into early retirement.
Jehan Daruvala, left, poses with the winner after taking a 2nd place in Monaco Sprint. Twitter photo of MP Motorsport. At the halfway stage, the MP Motorsport driver was within touching distance of the race leader, 0.7s back but well within DRS range. The top two had dropped Crawford by seven seconds as the American kept Richard Verschoor at bay in the fight for the final podium place.
Enzo Fittipaldi proved that overtaking was a possibility in Monte Carlo, passing Cordeel on Lap 22 into Turn 1 with DRS assistance. The Belgian’s day was quickly made worse after contact with Juan Manuel Correa left the Invicta Virtuosi Racing driver in the barriers, requiring another Safety Car.
Iwasa got the field back underway entering Lap 24, opting to go ahead of the penultimate corner and establishing breathing room to Daruvala behind. He launched into a three second lead by the end of the lap.
The DAMS was six seconds clear entering the final tour and brought it home for his third race win of the season. Daruvala stayed second ahead of Crawford despite Verschoor’s best efforts to find a route past from fourth.
Zane Maloney finished fifth for Rodin Carlin ahead of Jack Doohan in sixth. The ART Grand Prix pair followed in the final points paying positions with Victor Martins heading home Théo Pourchaire in seventh and eighth places respectively.
THE CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS
Iwasa’s win moves him to the top of the Drivers’ Championship on 68 points, two ahead of Théo Pourchaire in second. Frederik Vesti is third on 64 points heading into Sunday’s Feature Race, starting from pole position. Oliver Bearman and Kush Maini remain fourth and fifth, still on 41 points apiece. And Jehan Daruvala with this podium is just a point behind compatriot Maini in Sixth position with 40 points.
In the Teams’ Standings, PREMA Racing still leads with 105 points, but DAMS close the gap, climbing to 102 points in second. ART Grand Prix remains third with 85 points.
UP NEXT
The Formula 2 Monte Carlo Feature Race gets underway on Sunday at 09:40 local time. Frederik Vesti starts from pole alongside Martins with Pourchaire going from third.
Thoughts from Iwasa, Daruvala and Crawford
FIA Formula 2: Many congratulations to the top three finishers of the FIA Formula 2 Sprint Race here in Monte Carlo. In third place, Jak Crawford for Hitech Pulse-Eight, in second place Jehan Daruvala for MP Motorsport and taking his third win of the 2023 season, our winner Ayumu Iwasa for DAMS. Ayu, what an impressive race by you, well done. After the tough weekend you had out in Baku how important was it to bounce back with a win here?
Ayumu Iwasa: I think it’s quite a positive, unfortunately I missed a result again in Qualifying yesterday even though I had the speed that’s why I could take the P1 in Free Practice yesterday. I think this is the minimum recovery as a driver. Anyway I’m quite happy about this result and speed in the race. I think this will be quite positive for tomorrow’s race.
FIA Formula 2: How good was the car today?
Iwasa: Actually it was quite ok, it was quite similar to Qualifying and Free Practice. The driving was not so difficult I was just trying to manage the speed and pace and the tyre. The pace wasn’t perfect, but also not too bad so I should try to analyse a bit my driving today because I was missing the pace a little bit in the middle of the race. I think tha’s the only point from today’s race.
FIA Formula 2: You say you were missing a little bit of pace in the middle of the race but do you think you could have challenged and maybe overtake Isack Hadjar had he not had to retire after that first Safety Car?
Iwasa: Honestly, it’s really difficult to say because we didn’t run that many laps before the Safety Car so it’s difficult to know. It should have been difficult because it’s Monaco, maybe the pace was a little bit better than him, but maybe the overtake would have been a bit more difficult.
FIA Formula 2: Very well done to you. Jehan let’s come to you now. You were second at the Sprint Race in Monaco last year, second in the Sprint Race again this year. Great consistency by you. How does this podium compare to last year?
Jehan Daruvala: I would say it’s a bit better, in a way it was more challenging, especially in the middle of the race. Of course it’s very difficult to overtake, so my goal was just to put as much pressure as I could on Ayu but he didn’t make any mistakes. After the Safety Car I got a bit of scare because I had a puncture warning on my dash so I was taking it really easy because I didn’t want to have a slow puncture and put it in the wall so I was breaking really early everywhere which is why he opened a four or five seconds gap within a couple of laps so by then I just decided to bring it home.
FIA Formula 2: What did you learn today that will help you in the Feature Race?
Daruvala: I think I learnt that when I get a bit too close for too many laps the car balance has changes quite a lot and it does get difficult. Apart from that we can take a lot of positives from today’s race. I felt like we had good pace, even though I wasn’t over driving. Of course I was pushing close to the limits but it was nothing out of control and the car was always good and we had good pace.
FIA Formula 2: Well done. Jak coming to you now, high pressure race, Richard Verschoor never very far from your gearbox. How tough was it from your point of view?
Jak Crawford: It was really tough, I actually had the same issue as Jehan at the beginning of the race. I was also taking it easy the first two laps because I had a puncture warning. After that I pushed a lot and distroyed the tyres a bit and after that it became really difficult and Richard was quite quick, especially in Sector 2, in Turn 10 he was quite close but I was just quick enough in the right places to keep him behind.
FIA Formula 2: After what happened to your teammate did you have any reliability concerns?
Crawford: For me, no I didn’t have any concerns. I’m sorry for him, but I wasn’t worried.
FIA Formula 2: Jak this is your third podium in Formula 2, it feels like you’ve got your feet firmly under the F2 table. Do you feel fully confident in these cars now?
Crawford: I feel up to speed, obviously the Qualifying has been decent this year, that’s why we have had three podiums in the last three Sprint Races. Obviously we need to improve on the race pace on my side and fight for the Feature Race which is where the big points are.
FIA Formula 2: Very well done to all three of you.
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Kush Maini misses podium: Baku F2 race; Daruvala 14th
Baku, 29 April 2023: Kush Maini, the Indian racing star, a rookie in the F2, finished just outside the podium taking fourth place in the FIA Formula 2 Sprint here on Saturday.
Meanwhile, the other Indian veteran in F2, Jehan Daruvala, who was running third at one point after starting from P5 ended up 14th in the Sprint race.
Oliver Bearman demonstrated that to finish first in Baku – first, you have to finish, as the British rookie claimed his first Formula 2 victory in a dramatic Sprint Race.
Off the back of his maiden pole position, he lined up 9th on the grid and carved his way through the field to snatch the win from Prema Racingteammate Frederik Vesti.
A late restart with only three laps to go brought drama, as race leader Dennis Hauger and second-placed Victor Martins crashed out. The PREMA pair were there to pick up the pieces as the race concluded behind the third and final Safety Car. Hitech Pulse-Eight’s Jak Crawford also kept himself out of trouble to take his second podium in third.
AS IT HAPPENED
As the five lights went out, Victor Martins attempted to split the front-row starters, Richard Verschoor and Zane Maloney. However, there was no room for the ART Grand Prix driver as he banged wheels with Maloney.
Reverse pole-sitter Verschoor didn’t hold the lead for long. Contact with the wall at Turn 1 left the Van Amersfoort Racing driver with damage and forced his early retirement. Maloney momentarily assumed the front of the field, but the contact with Martins had caused a right rear puncture. Hauger capitalised to seize the lead from sixth on the grid.
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F2: Jehan Daruvala eyeing Azerbaijan podium hat-trick
Mumbai, 27 April 2023: India’s Jehan Daruvala will be eyeing his third consecutive Azerbaijan podium, as Formula 2 returns to action at the Baku city circuit after a month-long break.
The 24-year-old, who races for Dutch team MP Motorsport, finished third around the fearsomely fast, 6-km long street track on his first visit to the venue in 2021.
He followed that up with a second-place finish last year, crossing the line less than half a second behind the race winner. Now, batteries recharged, he is aiming to go one better to not only win but also make it three podiums from three races.
Jehan said, “Baku has been something of a happy hunting ground for me. With the exception of the narrow, tight section that runs through the old city, the layout is quite similar to Jeddah, which plays to the strengths of my driving style. I’ve got a bit of unfinished business as I very nearly won here last year and I’m feeling relaxed, recharged and confident heading into the weekend.”
The Baku street track, with its fast layout and unforgiving barriers, has served up plenty of thrills and spills over the years. Last year’s Formula 2 round was packed with incidents, with the Feature race even finishing behind the safety car.
The championship will once again act as a support series to the Formula One Grand Prix. Track action will kick-off on Friday, April 28th, with practice and qualifying. The shorter Sprint race will take place on Saturday with the main Feature race to be held on Sunday ahead of the Formula One race.
About Jehan Daruvala
Jehan Daruvala is a racing driver from Mumbai, India. He began karting at the age of 10 in 2009. Two years later, he finished among the top-three I Force India’s ‘One From a Billion’ talent hunt. In 2013, he became the first Asian to win the British KF3 karting championship. A proven winner, Jehan has won in every category he has competed in. He is currently racing in the FIA Formula 2 Championship, which is a feeder series to Formula 1 and takes place on the same weekends. He is eligible for a Formula 1 superlicence and also serves as Formula E reserve for Indian manufacturer Mahindra Racing.
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Late heart-brake for Kush Maini, after stunning debut
Sakhir, 5 March 2023: Indian racing star Kush Maini made a stunning debut in the F2 Feature Race but after a strong performance, the Bengaluru driver was forced to concede a podium place into the first corner of the last lap in the FIA Formula 2 World Championship first round here on Sunday.
The other Indian Jehan Daruvala could not get a desired result as he suffered a five-second penalty and finished 17 after running in top-10 for sometime.
Ralph Boschung secured his second podium of the weekend after winning the Sprint Race for Campos Racing. Zane Maloney pulled off a stunning drive, rising from 18th on the grid to take the final podium spot in what was an overtake-filled Feature Race in Bahrain.
AS IT HAPPENED
Pole man Pourchaire got a clean launch to retain the lead while teammate Victor Martins slipped down to fourth by Turn 1. Kush Maini got a great start and climbed to second from sixth on the grid into the first corner.
Up at Turn 4, push came to shove as Richard Verschoor was tapped into a spin as the field bunched up for the right-hander. Roman Stanek, Victor Martins and Frederik Vesti were all involved, and the trio were left out of the running as a result. Verschoor got going again but was last as the Safety Car was deployed. Oliver Bearman profited massively, avoiding the chaos and reaching fourth having been P12 on the grid.
Racing resumed on Lap 4 and Pourchaire moved clear once again ahead of Maini, Ralph Boschung and Bearman. Campos Racing opted to split its strategy with Boschung on softs and he put a move on the hard-shod Maini at Turn 1 to take second from his teammate.
The first pitstops were made on Lap 11. Arthur Leclerc pitted from 10th and was followed in by Jack Doohan and Jehan Daruvala just behind him. All three switched from the hard compound to softs and rejoined 15th, 16th and 17th following their early stops.
Fifth-placed Bearman, Ayumu Iwasa and Fittipaldi responded on the following lap. The PREMA Racing driver came out alongside Leclerc, getting his elbows out to keep the Monégasque behind. Pourchaire and Maini were the next in, but Bearman and Leclerc were able to clear the Indian driver with their rubber up to temperature.
Boschung inherited the lead until Lap 14, when he was in for his mandatory pitstop. The Campos driver came out between Pourchaire and Bearman, fourth on the road. Leclerc fought back against Bearman on Lap 16, making a late dive down the inside at Turn 1 to take fifth from the Briton. Maini followed through later on the same lap with DRS at Turn 11.
At the halfway point, Pourchaire led the pack by twelve seconds from Boschung, Leclerc, Maini and Bearman. Leclerc was under pressure from Maini which told on Lap 19. The DAMS driver went deep under braking for Turn 10, giving Maini the momentum on the subsequent DRS straight to take third. Bearman and Iwasa piled on the pain, relegating Leclerc to 6th on Lap 20.
Rodin Carlin teammates Fittipaldi and Maloney went wheel-to-wheel on Lap 22. The Barbadian driver took 8th into Turn 6, setting off in pursuit of a recovering Jack Doohan ahead. It didn’t take him long to get by, surging around the outside of the Invicta Virtuosi Racing driver at Turn 4 on Lap 24.
Fittipaldi was through on the next lap courtesy of a lock-up by the Australian. Up ahead, Leclerc was defending hard from Maloney, and the Rodin Carlin driver forced a lock-up from Leclerc, moving through for sixth.
Maloney was full of confidence and put a move on Iwasa at Turn 11 on Lap 26, looking comfortable on his softs as the grip levels began to fall away for others. He took fourth from Bearman on Lap 27.
Having been last on the opening lap after his spin, Verschoor moved back up into the points on Lap 29, clearing Hadjar at Turn 2. Leclerc continued his recovery after the earlier lock-up, passing Bearman with three laps to go.
Iwasa relegated the PREMA driver to 7th at Turn 1 while Verschoor snuck his way through on Fittipaldi in the same corner. The Van Amersfoort Racing man was down the inside of Bearman at Turn 8 to continue his recovery drive. Iwasa was next, through at Turn 1 on the final lap. Up ahead, Maloney caught Maini and, with DRS down the main straight, claimed P3 after starting 18th.
Bearman fought tooth and nail to keep a five-car train behind him but ultimately ran out of rubber on the final lap. A lock-up at the final corner left him off track and out of the points.
Pourchaire went untroubled to win by 19 seconds from Boschung, who claimed back-to-back podiums in Sakhir. Maloney’s heroic drive was rewarded with third.
Verschoor moved past Leclerc on the final lap to secure a P5 finish along with taking the fastest lap. Hadjar passed Iwasa at Turn 11 on the penultimate lap to take seventh. Fittipaldi and Juan Manuel Correa completed the top 10.
KEY QUOTE – Théo Pourchaire, ART Grand Prix
“An amazing way to start the season by winning the first Feature Race of the year. It’s been an amazing weekend. After putting the car on pole by seven-and-a-half tenths, which was surprising but I was quick, we won the Feature Race. I have to give credit and thanks to my team, ART Grand Prix, and the Sauber Academy as well. Without them, I wouldn’t be driving. Let’s focus on the rest of the year, there’s still 13 rounds to go.”
THE CHAMPIONSHIP VIEW
Pourchaire takes the lead of the Drivers’ Standings on 32 points to kick off his season. Boschung is close behind in second on 28 with Maloney third following his Feature Race exploits on 15.
Campos Racing lead the way in the Teams’ Standings after a great weekend for the team. Their 42-point total is closely followed up by ART Grand Prix, second on 38 after Pourchaire’s Feature Race win.
WHAT’S NEXT?
Formula 2 heads the Jeddah for Round 2 of the 2023 season from 17-19 March. The track has undergone several changes for the latest edition. Who will master the fastest street circuit in the world?
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Jehan Daruvala begins the season on right note, shows enough pace in season opener
Sakhir (Bahrain), 4 March 2023: Indian hope Jehan Daruvala began the season on a promising note as his MP Motorsport machine showed enough pace as he makes a last-ditch effort in perhaps his final season in Formula 2 World Championship to get noticed by the F1 team.
Mumbai’s Daruvala, who began as one of the favourites last season faded out due to many factors including lack of pace and some unfortunate incidents which were beyond his control. However, the Indian was let down by his own mistakes too in a few of the races.
On Saturday, in the reverse grid, he came through the pack to achieve a P6 finish having started the first Formula 2 Sprint Race of 2023 from 11th on the grid. The MP Motorsport driver was pressuring Théo Pourchaire in the closing stages of the race and threatening a top five finish.
After reflecting on the race and assessing the data, Daruvala says that the result was well earned and a good first step with his new team.
“Today’s result was ok. I think I had a good start, then I had some good battles at the end with Théo. I’d say there was still a little bit to work on for tomorrow, a bit more pace to come. “Honestly, I think we can finish on the podium tomorrow. Let’s see if we can make some improvements for tomorrow. If we have another good start, a good first lap then there’s no reason why we cannot have a top-five (finish) or even a podium.”
His battle with the ART Grand Prix driver ultimately ended in favour of the Frenchman, keeping Daruvala outside the top five. He says that fight was good fun, but that with the tyres already past their best, passing him was just out of reach. “Théo and I were both really struggling at the end with our tyres. I gave it everything, but I just had nothing left. It was a good fight, we were close but never made contact so that was good.”
Looking ahead to tomorrow’s Feature Race further, set to commence as temperatures peak in the early afternoon, the MP driver believes everyone is in for another tough afternoon. Having trailed Pourchaire in the closing stages after saving his tyres earlier in the race, Daruvala already has an idea of what to expect. Even with this knowledge though, the Indian driver says nobody will have an easy time as even he ran into trouble with the tyres by the end of the Sprint.
“I did an okay job at saving the tyres. I could have done better but it was very tricky. I assume tomorrow with the heat, it’s gonna be even hotter and it’s gonna be even tougher. I’m not gonna let any secrets out by saying this but it’s gonna be difficult for everyone and everyone knows that.
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Jehan Daruvala 6th, Kush Maini 7th; both Indian in points at Bahrain GP
Sakhir, 4 March 2023: Indian racing drivers Jehan Daruvala and Kush Maini performed well in the season opener F2 Sprint race in the first round of the FIA Formula 2 World Championship held on the F1 race-weekend here on Saturday.
Mumbai’s Jehan Daruvala of MP Motorsport finished 6th after starting from 11th, as he had a good start to P8 and later fought well with ART driver Theo Pourchaire but with waning tyres had to be content with the sixth. Meanwhile, the other Indian in the fray, Bengaluru’s Kush Maini, who began in P6, fell back and later recovered admirably to finish behind his compatriot in 6th place. Daruvala bagged 3 points to Maini’s 2. In Sprint races, the winner gets 10 points, followed by 8, 6, 5, 3, 2 and 1 points respectively for places 2 to 8. Only top 8 drivers get points. There will be 11 Sprint races and 11 Features races on Sundays for the season.
Ralph Boschung converted reverse grid pole into his first win in Formula 2 in an overtake-filled first race of 2023. The Campos Racing driver kept his lead out of Turn 1 and left the field behind him to fight to the end.
Experience counted for Dennis Hauger, and he claimed P2 late on, overtaking Victor Martins on the penultimate lap. The Frenchman opened his F2 account with a great drive from eighth on the grid to take the final podium place.
AS IT HAPPENED
Ralph Boschung kept his lead from pole while Roman Stanek bogged down in P2 and was fourth by the first corner. DAMS teammates Arthur Leclerc and Ayumu Iwasa battled side-by-side from Turns 3 to 6 for second, with Iwasa prevailing and taking the spot.
Martins compounded Stanek’s struggles, sweeping around the outside of the Trident car at Turn 11 to take fourth. A wide moment at the final corner to end the opening lap allowed Hauger through on the Czech driver for P5.
Théo Pourchaire was next through, sliding his ART Grand Prix car down the inside of Stanek at Turn 10 under braking, moving up to sixth having started 10th. It was synchronised overtakes for the ART pair into Turn 1 on Lap 3, Martins taking third from Leclerc and Pourchaire mirroring the move on Hauger for fifth. A dose of DRS on lap five got Pourchaire in range of Leclerc and a daring dive into Turn 1 gave the Frenchman fourth position.
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Kush Maini aiming for a clean sprint race on debut: F2
Bahrain, 3 March 2023: Indian hope Kush Maini put together an impressive Qualifying session on debut for Campos Racing, ending the session sixth-fastest in the Qualifying session of the Formula 2 World Championship opening round here on Friday.
The other Indian in F2, Jehan Daruvala is perhaps trying to have a last go in the F2 season but has already laid plans for Formula E. Today he qualified P 11. Being one of the favourites last season, Daruvala failed to lived up to his own standards due to various reasons that hindered his progress, some which were not in his hands.
The 22-year old Indian admitted he was a little bit more nervous than usual, owing to the fact he was confident that there was a good performance within both himself and the car.
Following post-season and pre-season testing as well as the Free Practice session on Friday, Maini said that knowing a strong result was on the cards made his Qualifying a little more critical. But after securing a strong starting position, the Campos driver says proving it to himself is another bonus at this early stage of his F2 career.
“It was a nerve-wracking session. I knew from testing and since I’ve driven this car that it suits my driving style, and I know that the Campos cars are really good. I knew that if we put everything together, we could be in the mix and that’s what made it more stressful.
“I’m super happy. I did some good laps. Both were good enough for P6 I think. We did a one-lap strategy on both sets, so we have good tyres for the races and I’m looking forward to it. Now that all the weight is off my shoulders, I feel a lot more confident. I always knew I could fight with the best in the world, so it felt good to be up there,” added the Bengaluru driver.
As usual, there was a level of track evolution that played out during the Qualifying session, though the degree in which the track improved caught Maini by surprise. Not because of a huge leap in available grip between runs, but the lack of improvement versus what had been predicted.
It meant that the field was tightly bunched fighting for a top 10 starting position. Maini highlighted pre-season testing as the factor that made a good grid slot tough to come by due to the knowledge levels teams and drivers had developed.
“Track improvement was not as much as I thought. All the times were any tight except P1 because we’ve been here for four days now, so it’s going to be tight and every tenth is going to be massive. I think the average improvement was like two-tenths from the first set to the second, and I thought with the fuel burning off and driving improvements, it would be at least half a second. So it was quite surprising, but it was the same for everyone,” continued the younger of the two Maini brothers.
Along with teammate Ralph Boschung, both Campos drivers made it inside the top 10. Boschung is set to start the Sprint Race from reverse grid pole, meaning there’s a good possibility of strong points finishes on the table for both drivers.
Maini highlighted the importance of getting off the mark early in the season and securing valuable points where possible.
“Campos has always been strong. They went through some difficult patches last year, but when I signed for the team, I knew I wasn’t just signing to be on the grid, I was signing to fight. I’m just happy we could finally show that potential. I think we had a bit more, but we’ll take it. Ralph is on pole tomorrow and we can get some good points this weekend, so I’m really happy for the boys.
“Tomorrow will be the first F2 race for me, so we obviously did the race runs in Practice so we have an idea of how to pursue it from the start. I’m just gonna keep it clean, keep it on the road, no crazy risks and hopefully bring some points.”
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Jehan Daruvala heads in another F2 season with high hopes, qualifies P11
Mumbai, 3 March 2023: Indian racing star Jehan Daruvala heads into this weekend’s Bahrain Formula 2 season-opener with high hopes as a last-ditch effort in his endeavours to enter F1. However, his opening day of the season saw him qualify in P11.
The other Indian racer in the F1, Kush Maini qualified P6 today.
Returning to the track where he scored his first-ever F2 win, the 24-year-old, who will race for reigning champions MP Motorsport this season, will be looking for a change in fortunes. He raced to victory in 2020 around the venue’s outer loop layout having already taken a third-place finish around the more traditional 5.4-km long configuration a week earlier.
Jehan followed that up with two second places in 2021 and last year. Heading into this weekend, he has his sights firmly set on extending that podium streak to kick off a campaign Jehan hopes will see him become the first Indian to win the F2 title.
Jehan said, “I can’t wait to go racing again. I enjoyed the break but now, batteries recharged, I am really excited about starting this new journey with MP Motorsport. We go into the weekend on the back of a strong, productive three days of testing. I’m feeling comfortable in the car, our long run pace looks good, which is always crucial around a track like Bahrain and I love racing around here. It’s a layout that suits my driving style and I’m optimistic we can come away with another strong result this weekend.”
Jehan DARUVALA, of MP Motorsport file photo of pre-season test at Sakhir. Photo by Sebastiaan Rozendaal / Dutch Photo Agency Jehan has established himself as a front-runner in Formula 2 with a haul of four wins and 15 podiums over three seasons in the series. He is also eligible for a Formula One superlicence having successfully completed three F1 test sessions with former champions McLaren.
The 24-year-old is also a Formula E reserve for Indian manufacturer Mahindra Racing, a role he will combine with his F2 campaign.
Headquartered in the Netherlands, MP Motorsport last year became only the second team in Formula 2 history to achieve the title double. The outfit chalked up five races wins with championship winner Felipe Drugovich and also scored seven further podiums.
