INDIA in F1

Tag: Carlin

  • Dion Gowda to race for Carlin in ROKit British F4 in 2023

    Dion Gowda to race for Carlin in ROKit British F4 in 2023

    Bengaluru, 1 Feb 2023: Dion Gowda, a Bengaluru-born karter will be racing in the ROKit British F4 Championship for 2023 with Carlin team. The grid will also have another Indian karting star, Jaden R Pariat, who made his debut in Bengaluru. (Editor’s note: added on 31 Jan 2023)

    A day after Carlin wrapped up the 2022 Teams’ Championship in the highly competitive junior series in October 22, it announced the signing up of Gowda. He will compete in his first season of single seater racing with the British team and had started a thorough test programme ahead of the first round in April.

    The 15-year-old Gowda has already been making a name for himself despite his young age. Racing in multiple kart championships the youngster has finished fourth in the ROK Cup Singapore and also competed in the X30 SouthEast Asia Championship.

    Born in India, but racing under a Singaporean flag, Gowda made the commitment to move to the UK to continue his racing career having fallen in love with the sport. Joining forces with karting legends Ricky FlynnMotorsport since the 2020 season, Gowda has been learning his craft in multiple championships.

    Gowda has already begun his preparations for the 2023 ROKiT F4 British Championship certified by FIA season having embarked on a full pre-season testing programme, including simulator work at Carlin’s Farnham factory, before the opening round of the year gets underway in April at Donington Park.

    Speaking about the season ahead, Gowda said, “I’m hugely exited to join Carlin for my F4 racing debut. Carlin is one of the most successful racing teams in the world, so of course I was thrilled to confirm my place with them in British F4.

    “I have built a great relationship with the team already and preparations for 2023 are well underway. There will be a lot to learn in my first season stepping up from karting but I’m confident we will be competitive, and I can’t wait to go racing.”

    Racing Director Trevor Carlin added, “Dion is a very promising young driver with exactly the right attitude.  He’s keen to learn as much as possible at every test and has a fantastic approach both inside and outside the car.  For every rookie there is a lot to learn in the first season of single seaters but we’ve no doubt that Dion will adapt well to that challenge and be a great asset to the team.”

    About Dion Gowda

    Born in Bangalore, India, Dion’s racing career began at the young age of 9 with a visit to a Singaporean kart track, inspired by watching Formula 1 stars such as Lewis Hamilton on TV. 

    Dion quickly discovered a natural talent for driving in the Cadet (Mini 60) and Mini ROK categories of karting, and with the support of his family, moved to London to pursue his dream of becoming a Formula 1 driver himself. 

    In 2017, Dion joined the Kokoro Performance roster of drivers and took two podiums on his way to 4th overall in ROK Cup Singapore. Dion also competed in the X30 South East Asia Championship finishing 3rd in Round 3, before fighting in the top 10 of the X30 International Finals to round out the season. 

    Now 14, Dion enters his final yearof competing in World Championship Karting events for Ricky Flynn Motorsport. Success in the OK class takes Dion one step closer to achieving his dream of being the first driver from India to win a Formula 1 Grand Prix.

  • Jehan Daruvala opens European Formula 3 season with podium at Pau

    Jehan Daruvala opens European Formula 3 season with podium at Pau

    Photo courtesy Jehan’s twitter handle @DaruvalaJehan

    Pau (France) 14 May 2018: Sahara Force India Academy racer Jehan Daruvala began his 2018 campaign in the FIA Formula 3 European Championship with a podium in Race 3 of the season opener. Jehan created history last year, when he became the first Indian ever to win a race in the FIA F3 European Championship when he dominated and won at Nuremburg in Germany.

    The first round of the 2018 season was held on the famous street circuit of Pau in southern France. Jehan, the 19-year old from Mumbai and driving for Carlin team, qualified just 0.29 seconds off the quickest, but the extremely competitive grid meant that he would start seventh.

    In the next qualifying session, Jehan was supremely quick. He was all set to bag pole position, but a slower car in front of him meant Jehan was blocked and he qualified down in seventh and fifth for the remaining races.

    The highlight of Jehan’s weekend was when he made a brilliant start from fifth on a completely wet circuit in Race 3. The Indian teenager climbed two places before corner 1 and thereafter made no mistakes in the treacherous conditions around the tight street circuit.

    Jehan was comfortable in third, when the race was stopped 13 minutes before schedule due to the un-driveable wet conditions, sealing Jehan’s podium.

    Jehan Daruvala (Carlin) in action at Pau, France

    Jehan said: “At the start, I was able to move up from fifth to third place. Initially, the two drivers in front of me were faster and were able to pull a gap. Later on, I made a mistake: I hit a kerb and from then on, I was afraid that my suspension could break. That had happened to me in the first race already and it was always in the back of my mind. Therefore, perhaps it was good for me that the race was stopped, because nobody was able to take third place away from me.”

    Earlier in the weekend, Jehan had a poor start for Race 1 and lost a couple of places before climbing up to seventh. A mechanical failure with the suspension due to no fault of his own saw Jehan retire from the race. In Race 2, Jehan started seventh and ultimately finished sixth after another racer crashed.

    Jehan’s podium in Race 3, popularly known as the Pau Grand Prix, was the highlight of his weekend which was otherwise compromised due to situations beyond his control. His pace has been right up there in the series which is arguably one of the most important steps to Formula 1 and certainly one of the most competitive.

    “I made a mistake in the first qualifying which cost me pole. In the second qualifying, I was unfortunately held up which again cost me pole position. I am very happy with my pace, especially in the wet. I am now much more confident and up there. After all the things that went wrong, I am relieved with the podium this weekend. It’s time to put this behind me and continue working hard for the rest of the season,” said Jehan.

    The second of the 10-round championship will be held at the Hungaroring F1 circuit in Hungary on June 2-3.

  • Carlin confirms Ameya Vaidyanathan for FIA Formula3 Euro Championship

    Carlin confirmed that Indian racer Ameya Vaidyanathan remains with the team for the full 2018 season competing in the FIA Formula Three (F3) European Championship.

    The 2017 season was a standout season for Vaidyanathan who took a race victory in the Euro Formula Open Championship at the legendary Spa-Francorchamps circuit. The 21-year-old has now confirmed that he will remain with the team for a third season for the FIA F3 Championship.

    Vaidyanathan started racing late at 18, but gained experience in various championships beginning with a Ginetta GT car before he entered single-seaters and switched to the BRDC British F4 Championship, taking a handful of podiums along the way.

    Vaidyanathan then competed in the BRDC British F3 Championship and moved on to the Euro Formula Open Championship for the 2017 season. In Spa, Vaidyanathan took a fine win which saw him make an incredible move for the lead of the race to ensure he stood on the very top step of the podium – his fifth podium of the 2017 season.

    “It’s great to be moving up to FIA Formula Three in what is now my third year with Carlin,” said Vaidyanathan. “Staying in the team was a no-brainer because I can see everyone’s commitment towards achieving the highest standards. I’ve really learned so much during my time at Carlin thus far and I’m keen to put everything to good use to find my feet in such a competitive field.”

    Trevor Carlin, racing director, said: “This will be our third season working with Ameya and we’re pleased to see how much he has grown and accomplished in that time. He took his maiden win in the Euro Formula Open Championship at Spa and has been consistently improving his race craft. We are extremely pleased to be working together in such competitive championship and look forward to seeing what he can achieve.”

    Vaidyanathan will be out on track for pre-season testing towards the end of March at both the Hungaroring and Red Bull Ring before the 2018 FIA Formula Three European Championship gets underway at street circuit Pau in May.