Indian racing driver Kush Maini will be mentored by two-time Formula 1 world champion Mika Hakkinen to help the 23-year-old realise his dream of racing at the pinnacle of motorsport.
Maini is currently driving for Campos Racing in his rookie season in Formula 2 – the primary feeder series for F1 – and has bagged 60 points that includes a podium in Melbourne to be 11th in the championship, a spot better than compatriot Jehan Daruvala.
Maini is currently India’s best hope to enter F1 after Daruvala, who after driving for four seasons in F2, will be switching to Formula E next year after signing a contract with Maserati last month.
Hakkinen is throwing his weight behind the young prodigy, stating their target is very clear: “F1 is our objective.” The Finn’s track record in mentoring aspiring F1 drivers is well known, having played a significant role in the development of 10-time race winner and current Alfa Romeo Sauber driver Valtteri Bottas.
Having an F1 champion in your corner means a young driver can focus on the essentials over a race weekend, learn how to win bragging rights within a team and optimise communications. It also provides powerful business leverage, connecting with sponsors. With Hakkinen applying his management techniques and processes, Maini believes that he can challenge at the front in 2024 F2.
“From next year, my approach and that of my team is going to be a lot more structured thanks to Mika. Having a trainer who’s looking after your nutrition at the track and a mind coach looking after anything you’re going through on a race weekend will allow me to focus on driving. Basically, the way Mika works is you narrow down everything to the point where the driver just has one job,” said Maini.
Maini, who hails from Bengaluru, is the younger brother of Arjun Maini, who raced in F2 and was a development driver for Haas F1 team. He currently competes in sports car racing for Mercedes AMG in Europe.
“I’ve watched Mika since I was very young. And I know everything he has achieved in this sport. So just for him to believe that I could reach Formula One shows that we’ve done something right in these last 15 years. It’s a massive weapon you have in your arsenal when you have Mika Hakkinen standing behind you,” said Maini.
“Having Mika behind me, my whole team being created now and not having to stress about racing, it’s a very exciting time for myself and I feel I haven’t showed anywhere near what I am capable of in the car.”
Known as ‘The Flying Finn’, the 55-year-old Hakkinen won two F1 championships in 1998 and 1999 for McLaren and was the great Michael Schumacher’s primary adversary in those years. During his time in F1 that ranged from 1991 to 2001, Hakkinen notched 20 race wins, 51 podiums and 26 pole positions.
“I have a lot of experience from working with Valtteri Bottas seeing him developing and growing as a driver. More recently I’ve been following Kush, understanding his abilities, his talent for driving. It’s a very interesting journey together to develop, to be an even more of a professional racing driver. F1 is our objective, not forgetting the current situation (in F2),” said Hakkinen.
Hakkinen will not be a blow-by-blow driver coach, teaching Maini cornering techniques. “I don’t think I have to put my nose into that,” added the Finn.
Hakkinen defines his role as leveraging the tools of “communication and the network that I have. These assets are very powerful when looking after a young talented driver. I’ve been an ambassador and part of F1 since 1991. It’s an asset and the power that I have to take this young driver into the right places at the right time.”
“Of course, India is an enormous, powerful country. I’m part of bringing a young driver from India to Formula One, bringing these mega companies, learning to understand the opportunities that F1 can bring them. And vice versa, what F1 can experience and create with India. I can only see beautiful success stories,” said Hakkinen.
India hosted three Formula 1 races at the Buddh International Circuit (BIC) in Greater Noida from 2011 to 2013 before the Indian Grand Prix ran into tax, bureaucratic and financial hurdles. The country has also produced two F1 drivers; Narain Karthikeyan, who did two full seasons in 2005 and 2012 and half a season in 2011, and Karun Chandhok, who raced half a season in 2010 and one race in 2011 in F1.
“India is going to be very powerful and I want all Indians to know Kush Maini, I want everybody in India cheering him. I want them to feel that he’s going to be a winner in F1. Of course, it requires very hard work and a lot of sacrifices. Because of my experience in this motor racing world, I do understand (the importance of) timing, being in the right team, having the right partners, working with the right people is crucial,” said Hakkinen.
