(Motorsports news) Jehan Daruvala wrapped up a productive Formula 2 Saudi Arabia weekend with two back-to-back podiums in the sprint race as well as the feature race. Jehan, driving for his new team MP Motorsport, bagged his first podium for his new team as a pair of third place finishes in Jeddah helped him now move to fifth in the F2 championship. Saudi Arabia has always been a strong venue for Daruvala as the 24-year-old had charged through the field to be on the podium last year as well. He maintained that strong form on this track and finished third in the sprint race.

Daruvala had a good qualifying session as he qualified fifth but he started the main feature race from fourth on the grid, following Theo Pourchaire’s penalty for crashing into Oliver Bearmen in the sprint race. Daruvala and MP Motorsport opted for an early-pitstop strategy as it was all about managing pace and maintaining tyre wear for the Indian. Frederik Vesti on the other hand crossed the line to become the fourth F2 race winner this year ahead of Jack Doohan while Daruvala followed them in third place which rounded out the podium once again. The other Indian in the field Kush Maini had a feature race to forget as he finished in 12th place.

After a very disappointing first race in Bahrain, Daruvala’s latest string of podium finishes gave him a much-needed boost in terms of the F2 World Championship. He’s currently fifth in the championship with 24 points, only nine points behind leader Ralph Boschung. The next race is the Australian GP which is to be held between March 31-April 2, with F2 heading to Melbourne’s for the very first time. Kush Maini finished 5th in the sprint race as he helped his team Campos Racing be on top of the Constructors World Championship.

“We were quick and consistent all throughout and we executed everything perfectly, which allowed us to capitalize on our potential. We can take a lot of confidence away from the Saudi round and I’m really looking forward to the upcoming races. This was a really strong weekend for us and some much-needed results after the disappointment of Bahrain,” Daruvala said.

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