India’s Jehan Daruvala will drive an F1 car for the first time in his racing career! Thanks to his talent and the F2 Red Bull Junior Team, he has managed to grab a testing opportunity with McLaren. As part of their Testing Previous Car program, the 23-year-old will cruise around Silverstone in the MCL35M.
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
The driver is currently in his third F2 season driving for Prema Racing. In his tenure as a driver, he readily stepped up his game. He earned himself a junior driver position at Red Bull academy. Further, he currently stands third in the championship. And, though sits 59 points behind the table leader, has still managed to make an impression.
Daruvala has previously finished 12th and 7th in the F2 championships and has a much better shot this year. Understandably, he now gets to drive an F1 car and wrote humbly,” Super excited and grateful for the opportunity to have my first experience in a Formula 1 car testing with @McLarenF1 this week!”
Super excited and grateful for the opportunity to have my first experience in a Formula 1 car testing with @McLarenF1 this week!😀
A big thank you to the Red Bull Junior Team, my family, my support team, @MumbaiFalcons , McLaren and to everyone who’s supported me along the way! pic.twitter.com/JuiQBkYCHU— Jehan Daruvala (@DaruvalaJehan) June 20, 2022
“A big thank you to the Red Bull Junior Team, my family, my support team, @MumbaiFalcons, McLaren and to everyone who’s supported me along the way!”
Understandably, this is an exciting moment for Daruvala. He once started out as a junior in the training program of the then Force India only to make it so big.
Can Red Bull Junior driver Jehan Daruvala make it to F1 like fellow Indian, Karthikeyan?
Narain Karthikeyan has previously been the first Indian to race in F1. He joined the sport back in 2005 with the Jordan Formula 1 team. Though Karthikeyan arguably never had the most competitive car, he still showed his talent whenever possible. He was actively not involved in the sport for almost 5 years, and had a tough run, but did open doorways to several youngsters wanting to join the sport.
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
As part of our Testing Previous Car (TPC) programme, @DaruvalaJehan will test the MCL35M at Silverstone on 21 June and 22 June.
Enjoy your first drive in an F1 car, Jehan! 👊🇮🇳 pic.twitter.com/rimIYCtE7q
— McLaren (@McLarenF1) June 20, 2022
Daruvala is a similar example with possibly much better prospects in today’s day and age. His current season where he stands on an impressionable 73 points can still allow him to finish ahead of Pourchaire.
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
Watch This Story: From Cristiano Ronaldo to Shaquille O’Neal: When Other Athletes Mingled With F1 Stars
He is just 10 points behind and can still make it to a P2 in the next races. So do you back Daruvala for an F1 seat at some point?