BAKU, May 1 (PTI): Kush Maini continued his impressive run in his rookie Formula 2 season with a double points finish while fellow Indian Jehan Daruvala drew a blank following his collision in the Sprint Race here.
Staying out of trouble in the Sprint Race, Maini benefitted from the dramatic final restart to find himself fourth by the chequered flag. Contrastingly in the Feature Race, he flexed his overtaking muscles to make up nine places for fifth and held his nerve throughout a tense duel with Dennis Hauger.
Jehan, who is in his fourth season, finished 14th in the Feature Race after getting a 10 second penalty for an unsafe rejoin. He was caught in a collision in the Sprint Race.
Reflecting on his first visit to the Azerbaijani capital, Maini insists he has no regrets after an impressive recovery. Starting both races in P14, as he was not able to put in a Lap on the second set of tyres was not an easy task.
“Yesterday we made our way to P8 and then there was carnage at the end, which we got lucky with for a change and managed to get P4. Today, honestly there were no Safety Cars, no crashes really in front of me, so every position I made I made on merit. Making up 19 positions in two races, I’m so proud of. The car just felt fantastic all weekend.”
Whilst he did eventually come out on top in the lengthy battle with Hauger, Maini says the nip and tuck nature meant he could never get too comfortable, but his pace in the latter phase of the race could have left the window open for an even better result.
The only driver to have scored points in seven out of the opening eight races, Maini’s maturity and consistency has been rewarded with fifth place in the overall Standings. Improving with every second he spends out on track; the Indian rookie is convinced he’s found the right balance between risk versus reward.
