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Tag: Kush Maini
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Kush Maini, the lone Indian star in Formula 3
Kush Maini is the youngest of the Maini brothers from Bengaluru. He is one of the top three Formula drivers currently in India and is taking part in the FIA Formula 3 races. Here is the Formula 3 interview with the Indian star: Get to know MP Motorsport’s Kush Maini as he runs through his driving style, favourite track and who his pick is for racing hero.
NAME: Kush Maini DATE OF BIRTH: 22/09/2000 NATIONALITY: Indian 2022 TEAM: MP Motorsport
WHERE DID YOU GROW UP?
“I grew up in Bangalore, India, went to school there, but I moved to the UK quite early on for karting. Then I’ve also lived in Italy in Switzerland, so I’ve been about. The last four years, I’ve lived in the UK and that’s where I conduct all my training and I think it’s just an easier base than India even though I’d love to live at home. It’s just too far away.”
FIRST RACING MEMORY
“My first win in karts when I was 10 in the Indian National Championship.
“The fact that there were a lot of drivers older than me, Jehan (Daruvala) was racing in it. It was a good race to win. I had never won before that year and it was the last one, I just managed to win it. So that gave me confidence.”
RACING STYLE
“I would say aggressive. Of course it just depends on the situation. If it’s a track with a lot of high-speed corners, you want to go easy on the steering. Whereas if you take a race situation, you know if you’re starting second or third, you’ve got to be smart.”
RACING HEROES
“I would say for sure, (Ayrton) Senna, but to be a bit different – Jim Clark. I love the history and I think one of the reasons I like him is he never really went over the limit. He was always right on the edge. But when you look at his onboards or whatever, when drivers describe how he was so smooth and never really made any errors.
“So that’s just out of the car, his whole personality was just – you could be really good friends with him or you see some stills or pictures or videos of him where you’d be quite scared to race against him, so I really liked the way he was.”
BIGGEST RACING ACHIEVEMENT
“I would say my 2020 year in British Formula 3. We had a really good lead in the first half the season by like 60 points or something and it was looking good. Obviously I finished second but I think that year, we were the new team coming into the Championship and we really gave Carlin, which was one of the best in that Championship at the time, a run for their money. So I would say that year was quite good.”
BEST THING ABOUT BEING A RACING DRIVER
“I think the discipline it teaches you. I think it just improves you as a person. There’s a lot more structure in your life. The last few years when I’ve got really serious with the racing, I think my life structure has changed. I’m really focused on the training so I think it’s the qualities that it teaches you.”
FAVOURITE TRACK
“Silverstone – I drove there a lot in British F3 so I know it pretty well and I just love the atmosphere. And I get to sleep in my own bed.”
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Forgettable week-end for Kush Maini: F3
Barcelona, 22 May 2022: Indian F3 racer Kush Maini had a forgettable week-end finishing 25th while Victor Martins put the disappointment of an early retirement in Saturday’s Sprint Race behind him, and won with a dominant display, his second win of the Formula 3 season. The ART Grand Prix driver seized the lead into the opening corner and didn’t look back, controlling the pace despite two Safety Car restarts. The MP Motorsport driver from Bengaluru had a bad day and will be looking forward to make amends in the next round with a better car. He came in contact with Rafel Villagomez in the fag end losing his front wing following an excursion into the gravel and suffered a 10-second penalty for causing a collusion and saw a harsh end to his campaign in Spain.
Pole-sitter Roman Stanek put up a strong defence throughout to keep Isack Hadjar at bay for second. Alexander Smolyar brought home another solid haul of points in fourth, ahead of PREMA Racing’s Oliver Bearman and Jak Crawford.
Caio Collet survived a late charge from Franco Colapinto to finish seventh, as Kaylen Frederick hung on for ninth. Meanwhile, Juan Manuel Correa faced an action-packed three-way duel with Arthur Leclerc and Grégoire Saucy during the closing stages to snatch the final points-paying position in P10.
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Kush Maini looks to get better set-up for Saturday: F3
Barcelona, 20 May 2022: Bengaluru racing driver and only Indian in F3, Kush Maini finished 23rd among 30 drivers in the practice session on Friday. Maini, the MP team driver, did 11 laps and was just off 1.2 seconds off the pace and will be looking to get a better set-up for Saturday.
In the qualifying session later, Kush Maini stood 23rd.
Practice session report
For the second round in a row, ART Grand Prix’s Victor Martins set the pace during Formula 3 Free Practice, clocking in a 1:32.796 to go fastest in Barcelona.
With cooler early morning temperatures, it was a somewhat leisurely start to running as the 30-car field turned their focus towards the end of the session.
Initially, the Carlin trio led the way with Williams Racing Academy driver Zak O’Sullivan setting a benchmark of 1:35.420, ahead of teammates Brad Benavides and Enzo Trulli.
15 minutes in and Van Amersfoort Racing’s Reece Ushijima leaped to the top of the timing sheets, becoming the first driver to break the 1:34s barrier. David Vidales then went quickest on home soil with a 1:33.932, narrowly ahead of Jenzer Motorsport’s Ido Cohen and his Campos Racing teammate Josep María Martí.
While track temperatures rose above 29°C, lap times continued to tumble. A flurry of action saw six drivers exchange the top spot, changing hands between the Trident trio of Oliver Rasmussen, Zane Maloney and then Roman Stanek with a 1:33.304.
Title contenders Arthur Leclerc and Victor Martins were nip-and-tuck on track with less than a tenth between them. The PREMA Racing driver went quickest, only for Championship leader Victor Martins to go 0.076s quicker.
Having completed in-season testing at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya a month ago, the drivers all set about finding the limits ahead of what’s expected to be a tight Qualifying session.
Both Rasmussen in the Trident and VAR’s Rafael Villagómez found themselves fighting a snap of oversteer at Turn 9, while Hitech Grand Prix’s Isack Hadjar brushed the gravel at the next corner and Leclerc suffered a heavy front lock-up.
Attentions turned from the timing sheets to the lap counts, as the top 10 remained virtually unchanged for the final 15 minutes of Practice.
Martins ended the session fastest, ahead of Leclerc. Stanek slotted into third, just over half a second behind the leading time.
Jak Crawford was fourth ahead of Imola Sprint Race winner Franco Colapinto and pole-sitter last time out Maloney. Oliver Bearman made it three PREMAs inside the top seven, ahead of Hitech’s Kaylen Frederick.
MP Motorsport’s Alexander Smolyar was ninth fastest, as Vidales put his Campos into 10th at the team’s home weekend.
Importantly, the top 12 were all within a second of the ART’s leading time, so be prepared for a intense battle for the two pole position points in Qualifying when the action returns on Friday at 3:30pm local time.
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Maini brothers Arjun and Kush get ready for week-end
Bengaluru, 20 May 2022: The Formula 1 race week-end beginning today will see three top Indian racers in action. While top star Jehan Daruvala, considered as the next top Indian to be ready for F1, and younger of the Maini brothers, Kush Maini will be racing in F2 and F3 competitions respectively.
Meanwhile, the eldest of the Bangalore-based brothers, Arjun Maini, who switched to GT racing last year, now competes in the DTM series. Entering his second season in the pan European championship, Arjun now races with team HRT in the #36 Mercedes-AMG. Last year Arjun told this reporter that F1 is no more his target as he switched focus to endurance racing, and he loves it as much as he did the other form of sport. “I have developed a passion for endurance racing and I am enjoying it,” he said at Meco Kartopia, on the sidelines of karting Nationals.
Kush is still working his way up to Formula 1 and now races in FIA Formula 3 in the #12 MP Motorsports car. The brothers will, for the first time in 2022, compete simultaneously this weekend with Arjun racing at the Lausitzring in Germany and Kush in Barcelona as a support race for this weekend’s Spanish Grand Prix.
The DTM Championship has changed significantly and features a record line up of 29 Drivers with iconic brands, such as Mercedes-AMG, Audi, BMW, Porsche, McLaren, Lamborghini and Ferrari, now locked in a seven-way championship battle for the Manufacturers’ title. The Competition in the series has gone up a few notches with the qualifying and racing action now closer than ever before as experienced at the first round at Portimão. The field is stacked with talent, with multiple World Rally Champion Sebastien Loeb the latest in a long line of motorsport legends to try his hand in the series.
Despite finishing the season strongly with his first podium finish at the famed Norisring circuit, Arjun had a difficult start to the season in Portugal, but clearly found the pace in the second race where he made 12 positions after starting 25th.
“I am looking forward to racing at the Lausitzring again, especially because of the banked turn one corner,” Arjun commented ahead of the weekend.
“It makes the circuit very exciting and different and is a really distinctive feature for a European circuit. I was really quick here last year, but did not get the results I wanted. So, I want to make sure to get some decent results this year.
“We have been working hard since Portimão and I am confident that the team will provide me with a good car to fight for positions. Let’s see how it goes. I want to thank OSM (Omega Seiki Mobility) for supporting me for a second year.”
Kush meanwhile faces a completely different challenge in Barcelona. The younger of the two brothers spent a bulk of 2021 on the sidelines after two strong seasons in the BRDC Formula 3 Championship (now GB3) where he finished third and second in the championship respectively. Kush is now racing for MP Motorsport in the FIA F3 championship, where he faces the unenviable task of competing against 30 of the world’s best junior drivers while being scrutinized by several prominent F1 scouts.
Kush, who is currently 13th in the championship, will be hoping to follow in the footsteps of his elder brother, who became India’s first GP3 Series (the forerunner to FIA F3) race winner at the same venue in 2017.
“I’m looking forward to the upcoming weekend in Barcelona,” Kush said in the lead-up to his race in Spain.
“The Barcelona circuit is one of my favourites on the calendar, and I’m hoping to bring home some good points at the end of the weekend. We definitely have the pace to fight in the front, and with a little more luck, I believe we’d be higher up in the standings.
“Obviously, I’d like to emulate what Arjun did here, but for the time being, I’m keeping my head down and working with the team to maximize the car’s performance.”
“I want to thank JK racing and OSM (Omega Seiki Mobility) for all the support they have given me.”
Despite competing in vastly different championships and stages of their careers, the brothers appear to be united by a desire to compete against the world’s best drivers. One thing is certain: both drivers will give it their all this weekend!
While the DTM championship will be broadcast live on Eurosport, the FIA Formula 3 championship will be broadcast live on Star Sports Select HD2 in India.
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Kush Maini, salvages 16th after a pitlane start: F3 Feature race
Sakhir, 20 March 2022: Star Indian racer Kush Maini, was handicapped by his starting position and waded through the field from the back, to put in a brave performance overtaking 14 cars in 23 laps and finished 16 in the Feature Race of the first round of the FIA Formula 3 Championship here on Sunday.
Starting both the races in the first of the nine-round F3 championship, he had to wade through the back-benchers, and progressed ahead overtaking many a car with an outstanding performance but had to be content with 16th in his first Feature race for MP Motorsports team in the season opener as he was bogged down by the pit-lane start here on Sunday.
In a field of 30 cars, out of which only 26 finished the feature race, the former Indian National champion from Bengaluru, displayed good pace and race-craft to move ahead admirably. He had no seat time before he entered his big season in F3 this year. Kush, the junior of the Maini brothers, clocked 47min, 22.5secs for his 23 laps with a best lap of 1:52.301 which is just a fraction of a second off the winner’s best of 1:52.031. However, the best time of 1:51.634 was clocked by R Stanek of Trident.
Earlier, Kush Maini finished 15th in the Sprint race, also starting from the Pit Lane. He clocked 38:01.026 and missed to log points for his MP Motorsport team. Maini Jr, who qualified a creditable third had to start from pit lane in both the races due to a penalty but showed enough promise displaying quick pace. “After putting it P3 in my debut FIA F3 qualifying, unfortunately we will have to start both races from the pit lane after a harsh penalty. Pace is there going to do my best to make up as many positions as I can! Thank you for all the support,” Kush said after the Sprint race.
ART Grand Prix driver Victor Martins took the glory in the opening Feature Race of the 2022 FIA Formula 3 season in Sakhir, beating PREMA Racing’s Arthur Leclerc to victory on Sunday.
Martins stayed patient throughout the opening stages of the race after starting from third on the grid, keeping close to the rear of rookie pole-sitter Franco Colapinto, who led a majority of the race. However, on lap 15, the more experienced Martins made his move for the lead.
Leclerc produced another strong recovery drive from 13th on the grid, advancing all the way up to second place by the chequered flag.
Van Amersfoort Racing’s Colapinto crossed the line in third place, but was issued a five-second time penalty for violating track limits, which caused him to drop back to fifth while Gregoire Saucy inherited the final spot on the podium.
AS IT HAPPENED
Although he produced a surprise result in Qualifying with pole position, it was arguably going to be a taller task for Colapinto to hold onto the victory as he continues to acclimatise himself to his new F3 surroundings.
However, in the opening stages of the race, the Argentine looked comfortable out in front. He was forced to deal with a Safety Car restart, which was required after Francesco Pizzi and Zane Maloney came to a stop on the circuit on the opening lap. Pizzi was nudged by Maloney, who was dropping through the field due to a mechanical issue following the opening corners.
Caio Collet was also a victim of the first lap, as he broke his front suspension while driving over a kerb at Turn 7, having taken his car off the circuit to avoid potential contact between his rivals.
At the Safety Car restart, Martins overtook Roman Stanek for P2, but the Trident driver would soon be eliminated from contention after coming together with Alex Smolyar. Stanek suffered a puncture and was forced back to the pit lane for a new set of tyres.
A brief Virtual Safety Car was called on Lap 6 after Hitech Grand Prix’s Nazim Azman was spun around following contact. At the restart, Leclerc made swift work of Saturday race winner Isack Hadjar and Campos Racing’s David Vidales to place himself in the top five.
Further ahead, Juan Manuel Correa appeared to have rapid pace and he moved into the top three after overtaking Smolyar, with the latter also soon finding himself behind the charging Leclerc. There was then heartbreak for Hadjar, who suffered a puncture while battling Smolyar for fifth place.
Leclerc progressed into the top three after moving past Correa, while behind and outside the points, his two PREMA teammates Jak Crawford and Oliver Bearman began to make headways into the top 10, progressing through a stream of 15 or so cars that were separated by just a handful of seconds.
Having hounded Colapinto for several laps, Martins made the crucial overtake on Lap 15, and three laps later, the pole-sitter found himself in third as Leclerc moved ahead. Although Leclerc was able to slightly narrow the gap to Martins, he couldn’t cut it enough to challenge for victory in the final laps.
Bearman and Crawford continued to progress further into the top 10 and at the chequered flag, they found themselves sixth and seventh, respectively. Colapinto was demoted back to fifth due to his time penalty, with Saucy and Correa gaining a spot each to classify third and fourth.
Vidales was eighth, while Williams Alatalo scored his first points of the season in ninth. American Kaylen Frederick rounded out the top 10 to take the final point on offer.
Race winner Victor Martins (ART Grand Prix) said: “What a race, P1 today. It’s a great comeback after yesterday’s race and zero points scored.
“The race was just mega, the overtakes, I went for it. I waited a bit of time behind Colapinto but in the end, I managed to take the win. I think it’s a good start to the season.”
THE CHAMPIONSHIP VIEW
In the Drivers’ Championship, Martins is the leader of the standings after round one, sitting atop with 25 points. He’s one point ahead of Leclerc in second with 24, while Bearman is third on 17 points.
In the Teams’ Championship, ART Grand Prix come away from the opening round with the lead, sitting on 54 points. PREMA Racing is close behind on 47, while Hitech Grand Prix sits further back in third on 14 points.
WHAT’S NEXT?
F3 will return next month for the second round of the season in Imola from April 22 – 24. Like Bahrain, it will mark the first time the category has visited the circuit.
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Kush Maini gets upto speed quickly with a P3 for Feature Race: F3
Sakhir, 18 March 2022: Indian racing star Kush Maini got into speed at his first outing and did a creditable job taking P3 in the qualifying session for Sunday’s Feature Race even as Formula 3 newcomers Van Amersfoort Racing got their competitive debut in the category off to the best possible start on Friday, as Franco Colapinto took pole position with a lap time of 1:46.249.
When asked how pleased he was, just one-tenths off the pole time, Kush, the MP Motorsport driver said: Honestly really pleased. I think Free Practice we were struggling a bit, so we just made a few tweaks to the balance and it looked like it sorted itself out and I could do some consistent laps and I kept improving and improving. Considering I haven’t done a single-seater Qualifying in over a year, and coming in as a rookie, I’m pretty happy with third on the grid. Also, our race runs were strong in the test so I think the goal will be to try and get in front of these two.
The Bengaluru driver did not get much time in the car as he got into F3 hardly a month back. “Obviously, I missed the test because I had no idea until a couple of months ago I was even going to be in this Championship. Honestly, as a racing driver, you don’t really lose your instinct. With the help of my team, who have helped me every step of the way, and my teammates, who are a lot more experienced than me, I feel as good as I’ve ever felt,” he added
With the morning preparations in practice done and dusted, all the drivers headed out onto the field to set the grid orders for the first Sprint and Feature Races of the year in a 30-minute session.
After the opening run of laps, it was Grégoire Saucy who jumped to the head of the timesheet, placing himself just over one-tenth of a second in front of practice pace-setter Roman Staněk.
Most of the drivers returned to the pit lane as the session reached the halfway point, however, two remained on track to set their own laps – ART Grand Prix’s Juan Manuel Correa and MP Motorsport driver Alexander Smolyar. Correa climbed into third place, while Smolyar lowered the benchmark at the head of the field, going fastest by three-tenths of a second over Saucy.
With 10 minutes remaining, the rest of the drivers sprung out of the pit lane and set their minds on their final push lap. Colapinto, who appeared competitive in practice, delivered VAR its dream debut by moving to the head of the pack, where he wouldn’t be displaced.
Staněk came the closest to besting the Argentine, with his effort sitting just a mere six-hundredths of a second down. Meanwhile, Kush Maini produced an impressive final lap for MP Motorsport to go third.
With the Qualifying order setting the starting grid for Sunday’s Feature Race, Saturday’s Sprint Race starting order is decided by flipping the top 12 in Qualifying.
It means that Carlin’s Zak O’Sullivan will start on pole position on Saturday, with PREMA Racing’s Oliver Bearman alongside him for company on the front row after both drivers ended Qualifying in 12th and 11th respectively.
ART Grand Prix had all its drivers finish inside the top six, with Saucy, Victor Martins and Correa classifying fourth through sixth, ahead of Zane Maloney and Smolyar. Isack Hadjar and David Vidales rounded out the top 10.
The field of Formula 3 drivers will race for the first time this year on Saturday, with the Sprint Race getting underway at 12.45pm local time.
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Kush Maini eager to begin Indian campaign in F3
Rotterdam, 17 March 2022: Young Indian racer Kush Maini has signed with MP Motorsport for his debut season in the FIA Formula 3 Championship, release said on Feb 22. Joining the Dutch outfit for FIA F3 will allow the 21-year-old from Bengaluru to showcase his talent during Formula 1 Grand Prix weekends.
Maini supported by JK Racing lines up with MP after competing in the F3 Asian Championship Certified by FIA last year as well as finishing second in the British F3 Championship in 2020, and will now be able to prove his worth at the FIA F3 level. At MP, the Indian driver will team up with Alexander Smolyar from Russia and Caio Collet from Brazil. Kush Maini is the younger brother of former FIA F2 and F3 driver Arjun Maini, who has since competed in the ELMS and the DTM.
“I’m excited to join MP Motorsport for my first year in FIA F3”, said Maini. “In 2021, MP proved to be race winners and in the final standings they were the only FIA F3 team to have two rookies finish in the top-ten. This shows their ability to coach rookie drivers on their way to immediately performing well in the series. I can’t wait to get going for pre-season testing and the first round at Bahrain,” the Bengaluru racer said earlier in February.
“I’m pleased to welcome Kush to our FIA F3 team”, said MPMotorsport team principal Sander Dorsman.
“In the past few years, Kush has proved himself extremely well at regional F3 levels, now it’s time for him to step up to FIA F3. I’m sure he will mix well with Alex and Caio, and we will do our best to help him shine during each of the nine race weekends coming up in the championship.”
After a karting career that kicked off in 2011 with the Indian national title at Rotax Micromax level, followed by accomplishments such as second in the 2013 WSK Euro Series at 60 Mini level, fourth in the 2014 CIK-FIA World KF Junior Championship and fourth in the 2015 KF Junior WSK Champions Cup, Maini debuted in single-seaters in 2016, taking his first podium in the Italian F4 Championship. Subsequently dovetailing Italian F4 with selected ADAC F4 rounds took him to eighth in the 2017 Italian series. In 2018 and 2020, Maini raced to third and then second in British F3, while taking sixth in the 2019 Formula Renault Eurocup. In 2021, the Indian youngster combined the Asian F3 championship with an LMP2 drive in the FIA World Endurance Championship. -
Jehan Daruvala, Kush Maini to spearhead Mumbai Falcons chellenge: Asian F3
Dubai, 28 Jan 2021: India’s F1 hope and top international racer Jehan Daruvala of Mumbai, and talented youngster Kush Maini of Bengaluru, who excelled in British F3 last year, will spearhead the Mumbai Falcons challenge in their maiden campaign as the Formula 3 Asian Championship begins here on Friday with a 23-car entry list at the Dubai Autodrome here.
After unveiling the team’s livery on Thursday, which proudly incorporates the colours of the Indian Tricolour, the two young racers expressed their delight at being pitted against a world-class field in the continent’s premier International Single-Seater Championship.
“We have prepared very well for this and are thrilled about the way the cars have turned out. We are particularly excited about racing for an Indian team and are looking forward to the challenge.” Jehan Daruvala, an F2 and F3 race winner, said.
“We raced against each other as kids in karting and now, after 12 years, we are racing as teammates. It’s amazing. We are going to make India proud,” Kush Maini, runner-up in the BRDC F3 Championship, declared. Like his Indian F3 champion father Akbar, Team Principal Armaan Ebrahim had a successful formula career, contesting three seasons of the FIA F2 championship.
Red Bull Junior Daruvala and Maini will have their task cut, though, with a number of talented young racers, most of whom have links with F1 teams, in fray. They include big names like Dino Beganovic (Swedish-born) of the Ferrari Driver Academy, Guanyu Zhou (China) and Williams Junior Roy Nissany (French-born) of Renault F1’s Junior drivers and Ayumu Iwasa (Japan) and Daruvala himself of Red Bull’s Juniors.
Round 1 will take place at the Dubai Autodrome and will see 23 racers from 17 different nationalities competing for honours. Mumbai Falcons, incidentally, will become the first full fledged 2-car all-Indian Team to compete in it.
Indian racing fans can watch the Championship races live on Mumbai Falcons Racing Limited YouTube Channel at 5pm on Friday, and 12pm and 5pm on Saturday.
Moid Tungekar, CEO of Mumbai Falcons, said, “We are looking at raising the profile of motorsport in India. Our racers can be at the very top and we are sure that Jehan and Kush will inspire many more to take up the sport.”
Seventeen nationalities spanning four continents represent the grid for opening triple-header. Eight teams join championship for compact five-round fourth season, a unique proving ground which gives fledgling talent sound international benchmark.
Among the entries are some of the sport’s most promising up-and-coming talents, while their more experienced rivals will provide a credible and useful international benchmark.
Reigning team champions BlackArts Racing, who won the 2020 championship with Dutchman Joey Alders, defend their title with a four-car entry comprised of 16-year-olds Lorenzo Fluxa of Spain – 2020 F4 UAE series runner-up – and Venezuelan-born Czech Zdenek Chovanec, and Mexican Rafael Villagomez and Turkish driver Cem Bolukbasi.
The Zhuhai-based outfit has also bolstered its management team, enlisting former F1 driver Alex Yoong and F1 and IndyCar engineer Greg Wheeler in the roles of Team Manager and Technical Director respectively.
Two-time F3 Asian team champions Hitech Grand Prix return for a fourth season, their four-car entry combining both experience and fledgling talent. With two seasons in the FIA F2 Championship, Israel’s Roy Nissany is one of the most experienced drivers in the field this year, while Red Bull Junior Team driver and reigning F4 French champion Ayumu Iwasa is without doubt one to watch. Joining them are Reece Ushijima of Japan and Czech driver Roman Stanek.
Also with a four-driver entry are Pinnacle Motorsport, second in the team and driver classification last season with Red Bull Junior Team driver Jack Doohan. Returning to the series with Pinnacle having made his debut last season with Hitech Grand Prix is Italian Alessio Deledda, the 26-year-old recently confirmed for the 2021 FIA F2 Championship with HWA Racelab.
Pinnacle’s championship newcomers are Frenchmen Pierre-Louis Chovet and Alexandre Bardinon, both 18 years of age, who are joined by Matthias Luethen of Germany.
Abu Dhabi Racing by Prema marks the championship debut of Prema Powerteam, one of the most successful outfits in all junior formulae below F1. Amna Al Qubaisi continues to develop her pioneering motorsport career with Prema, having made her racing debut in the 2018 Italian F4 Championship and a front runner in this year’s F4 UAE series.
Race Timings (Indian Standard Time)
Race 1 – 5 pm on Friday
Race 2 – 12 pm on SaturdayRace 3 – 5 pm on Saturday -
Jehan, Kush Maini for Asian F3 as an all-Indian team
Mumbai, 13 Jan 2021: Mumbai Falcons is all set to create history by becoming the first full-fledged team from India to compete in the prestigious F3 Asian Championship, commencing in Dubai on January 29.
The team that swept almost all the titles in the inaugural X1 League last year will be led by F2 stalwart Jehan Daruvala and British F3 Runner-Up Kush Maini, according to a press release here on Wednesday.
With former F2 and GT1 racer Armaan Ebrahim as the Team Principal and 8-time National Champion Rayomand Banajee as strategy and communications head, Mumbai Falcons is confident of winning the Championship.
“Our goal is to take Indian Motorsport to new heights. Asian F3 is just the beginning,” Navjeet Gadhoke, owner of Mumbai Falcons, which came into existence just last year, said. “With Jehan and Kush, we have the best driver line-up on the grid. We are confident of going all the way and winning the Championship,” he added.
File photo of Kush Maini by Mumbai Falcons “We have quietly been working on this and we are ready to enter the international stage in a big way,” Moid Tungekar, CEO of Mumbai Falcons, declared.
The Asian F3 Championship is the continent’s most competitive racing event, with nine strong teams boasting of multiple F2 and F3 drivers, competing. Last year, two racers from this Championship had even made it to Formula 1.
Incidentally, MSport had fielded a team last year but had only one Indian driver in the lineup.
The five-round 15-race long season will kick off in Dubai on January 29 and conclude on February 20 in Abu Dhabi.
Jehan Daruvala, who is being hailed as the next big thing in Indian racing, is just one step away from Formula 1. The multiple International Karting Champion is the only Indian to have made it to the podium of an FIA World Championship (third in the 2014 FIA CIK World Karting Championship).
He also remains the only Indian to win an official Grand Prix (New Zealand Grand Prix). His 26 Rookie Podiums in the FIA Formula 3 European Championship is a record. He had multiple wins and was second runner up in the 2019 FIA F3 Championship, after remaining in title contention till the last round. A few weeks ago, he became the first Indian to win an F2 Race in its current iteration too.
Kush Maini is the youngest Indian to ever win an Asian Karting race and is a multiple Karting Champion and race winner across Formula categories. He made waves last year when he was in title contention for the BRDC Formula 3 Championship. With 3 victories to his name, the young Indian proved himself, across some of the most iconic British circuits. Kush was the most prominent driver in the inaugural X1 Racing League, en route to winning the Indian International Driver’s title with Mumbai Falcons.
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NK (Narain Karthikeyan) Racing Academy seals Sr National title on debut
Bengaluru,12 Jan 2021 : The ROTAX MAX National Karting Championship 2020 concluded here at the Meco Kartopia was dominated by NK Racing Academy drivers by the very rapid brothers Arjun and Kush Maini, a press release said here on Tuesday.
The CRG factory team founded and operated by India’s first Formula One driver Narain Karthikeyan ran five KT2 karts in the Senior MAX category.
It was yet another dominant stint for the team after its strong revival during the first two rounds of the Championship. The weekend begun with the very fast Kush Maini re-entering the Championship battle on Round 3, bagging pole position and the win closely followed by his brother Arjun Maini, the LMP2 driver who will represent India in the Asian Le Mans series with drivers Naveen Rao and Narain Karthikeyan himself.The academy rookie drivers Divy Nandan from Delhi and David Ryan from Chennai displayed strong pace as well, finishing P10 and P11 respectively with Sohil Shah was yet again, the reserve driver for the team running the fifth kart finishing P8 in the race with some strong moves in the race.
Round 4 was a very similar story with Kush Maini and Arjun Maini dominating qualifying 1-2 and the pre-final, final races. David Ryan put an impressive show making some moves to finish P8 while Divy Nandan placed P10 after losing out at the start. There was a change in the reserve driver line-up where, Sohil Shah was replaced by Nigel Abraham Thomas, who got to grips with the new kart immediately and put an impressive show at P6.
The Final Round of the Championship concluded with Arjun Maini winning both drivers and the team Championship with a dominant 31 points lead . Sohil Shah was back in the seat and performed remarkably finishing P7. The Rookie drivers David and Divy sailed home in P8 and P10 with the latter running Engine problems towards the end.Self help is the best help, drivers are expected to know their machine and are also expected to talk and give feedback to their engineers and mechs. Photo By Shajahan
Thus, NK Racing academy capped of a dominat debut season and gave CRG its first championship in India. Narain said “We achieved what we set out to do, most importantly in the development of young drivers from India. Also it was a great effort from CRG in giving us a dominant chassis specially made for our Indian track conditions.“NK Racing Academy is proudly supported by Usha International Pvt Ltd., Exgel Motorsport and Turtle Wax.
