(Motorsports news) Jehan Daruvala won his second race of the season when he finished ahead of Brazilian driver Felipe Drugovich and 2021 F2 champion Oscar Piastri. In the first lap, Felipe Drugovich managed to pull alongside Daruvala in the opening corners as the Indian driver showed great racing skill and managed to put the Brazilian driver behind him. Australian race driver Oscar Piastri, who started at number 10 made his way up the field to take 3 place which in turn helped him clinch the 2021 Formula 2 championship title. Daruvala this season has already won the Italian Grand Prix Sprint race in September as this was the Indian racing driver's fifth podium of the F2 2021 season.
For Jehan, this was a much needed win after the disappointment in Saudi Arabia last week. He is looking to retain his seat on the Red Bull junior driver program and also do a third season in Formula 2 to have a shot at a Formula 1 drive in 2023. After this victory, Jehan has secured a seat in the Carlin team along with recently signed Willams academy driver Logan Sargent and will be looking to win the 2022 Formula 2 season after suffering a very under par season according to his standards. Daruvala’s season has been very inconsistent as he began the season well with a second place at Brahian but his campaign didn’t take the momentum after that as the level of consistency he was looking for did not come. Ultimately Jehan finished 7th in the F2 World Championship with 113 points which was an improvement from last season's 72 points. Jehan Daruvala and Dan Ticktum helped Carlin finish third in the Constructors Championship with 272.5 points.
With the rise in the number of viewerships of Formula 1 in India, every Indian will be hoping that Jehan gets a F1 seat in 2023. The 2022 schedule will feature 14 rounds – the biggest calendar since 2017, with 28 races in total, two at every event, which actually gives him hope to win next year's F2 Championship. Jehan said he might have to look beyond Formula 1 if he doesn't reach that pinnacle in 2023. He said, "It's a hard situation to be in, but you know realistically if it's not 2023, it's very difficult after that. I've had two good weekends (in F2), so that will help me (in contention) in terms of being on the market for a good seat and sort of keeping my F2 seat for next year. I hope to get more clarity over that soon.
“I think honestly in Formula 2, there have been a few sensational rookies like Oscar, Charles, Lando (Norris), George but once you are in your second year or third year, you know the difference is a lot less than it is from your first year to a second year. You already have had a year of experience so it doesn't make too much difference if you're in your second or third year. If I do end up doing Formula 2 next season, it is again going to be a very hard competitive season," said Jehan who has secured four podiums so far in the season including wins at Monza and Abu Dhabi.
Also read: Jehan Daruvala produces solid drive under pressure to win second race of 2021
His teammate at Carlin Racing, Dan Ticktum, will be competing in Formula E next season. Jehan has not yet explored racing in other series and said “I have not really considered anything else apart from F2 for next year so that my focus remains on Formula 1, but if not, you know, just have a career in motorsport and earning a living there will be a priority, I started off well in Bahrain, had a couple of bad weekends in Monaco and Silverstone, practically didn't score in any of them. And I think those two weekends were big setbacks. Also, I wasn't qualifying as well as I wanted to in the first half of the season so it was a big concern in terms of not being as quick as I would have wanted to. I always knew that I had the potential and when I do a good lap it's normally always good enough to be in the top four or five. So, it was good to turn that form around. Monza and Sochi, qualifying twice on the front row, or be actually on provisional pole both times was definitely a massive step forward for me,
