Jehan Daruvala raced in four Formula 2 seasons yet failed to make the cut for Formula 1. Davide Valsecchi won the GP2 (then the primary feeder series) crown on his fifth attempt but never made it to F1. Reigning F2 champion Felipe Drugovich won the title in his third attempt last year but is still without a seat in the top tier of four-wheel racing.
Kush Maini knows that 2024 will be his make-or-break year. The 23-year-old is realistic, doesn’t harbour any false hopes and is clear that he won’t linger in Formula 2 if he doesn’t succeed in what will be his second season.
“For the F1 dream, next year is the make-or-break season, there’s no hiding away from that. For F1 teams to take you seriously, you’ve got to really perform in your second year at max(imum). After the second year, you’ve got to do something really special like Drugovich did and he’s not even in a seat,” said the Indian racer who drives for Spanish outfit Campos in F2.
“Our second year is what I’m looking at. I won’t be doing a third year of F2. I can say that for sure. It all comes down to next year. In my mind, it’s clear, I’ve got to get myself in the best position possible to win the championship. Then I’ll know I did everything possible and whatever the result is, I’ll have no regrets.”
Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, Mercedes’ George Russell and McLaren’s Oscar Piastri won their rookie F2 seasons, catching the eye of top F1 teams, who immediately brought them on board. F1 seats are so rare that Piastri had to take a sabbatical for a year between his transition from F2 to F1.
Maini has had an average rookie F2 season to be 11th in the standings with 60 points which includes a podium he achieved in Melbourne in April. To be fair, Campos hasn’t been as competitive as other top teams, manifested by his teammate Ralph Boschung’s show, who is 16th with only 37 points. Among the nine rookies in 2023, Maini is fourth with one round (Abu Dhabi on November 25-26) left in the season. Significantly, Maini is a point and position above his seasoned compatriot Daruvala.
But Maini, brother of former F2 and current sports car racer Arjun, is already looking ahead, having made concrete plans that can really boost his career. The Bengaluru-born last month brought in F1 great and two-time world champion Mika Hakkinen as his mentor.
“Mika is my idol. It was Monaco where we ran into him. We were just connecting when we started talking about ‘can we do something together?’. Mika was really excited about it. It was surreal – my hero taking interest and believing in me. When a person like Mika believes in you, how can you not believe in yourself? Mika was willing to help and that’s how this mentor thing came about,” said Maini, who listens to Elvis Presley music before his races.
“I spent a lot of time with him at Silverstone and Monza, planning the future. Mika is going to take a lot of decisions on the team around me and what it takes to succeed. He knows exactly what I need and his whole moto is that the driver just needs to focus on driving, he can’t focus on anything else. That’s his goal – to give me the best shot at F1 I can have. I can call Mika anytime I want and take his advice. Mika comes to a lot of F1 races so we will be meeting quite frequently.”
Maini also made a big step towards his dream when he joined F1 team Alpine’s driver academy which has also produced the likes of Piastri.
“I’m happy to sign with them in terms of what they can give – a lot of exposure. I can speak with any engineer, learn more about the car, go to a few F1 races, spend time with the team to understand what’s going on with the systems. They’re going to help me understand what I need to reach that level. It’s going to open my eyes and I’m going to learn a lot. In terms of performance, you start winning races and an F1 test is not far away. It puts me in the best position,” said Maini, who is currently based in Valencia.
“I’ll be in their garage, watching and learning. I’ll also see them (Alpine drivers Pierre Gasrly and Esteban Ocon) in the factory if I’m having a simulator day. Alpine takes its driver programme very seriously and are looking for the next big thing. I’m Indian and I bring a completely different market in the game which makes it even more interesting. The only thing left for me is to perform at my best next year and hopefully win the championship.”
The 23-year-old admitted that he will not be racing with Campos next year. It is likely that he will be signing with a team that is higher up the grid. With Daruvala, who will skip the final F2 round, having made the transition to Formula E, Maini is currently India’s best bet for Formula 1.
“It’s a lot of pressure. My family has given up a lot for me to be in this position and with F1 just on the other side of the door, next year is very important. The pressure is immense, definitely higher than any other year I’ve raced in. It’s new to me, but pressure really brings out the best in an athlete if they look at it the right way. We’ve got to just give it everything and hopefully make it to F1,” concluded Maini.
