Jehan Daruvala has made India’s motorsport enthusiasts in general and Formula 2 lovers (and aspirants) in particular exceptionally proud with a historic maiden win for an Indian in the Formula 2 arena, at the Bahrain International circuit. The 22-year-old came out on top after pitched battle with Prema Racing’s Mick Schumacher (son of legendary Formula 1 racer Michael Schumacher) and DAMS’ Daniel Ticktum.
Qualifying P2 on the grid, Jehan had a good launch and was soon alongside polesitter Ticktum. The latter squeezed Jehan on the inside, allowing Championship Leader Schumacher to go around the outside of both of them. Eventually, Ticktum emerged the leader, followed by Schumacher, with Jehan in P3. A few corners later, though, Jehan was able to pass Schumacher and get into second.
A few laps later Schumacher passed Jehan, relegating him to third. Jehan, however, did not give up, putting up a strong front and eventually passing Schumacher once again, to grab second. Jehan then reeled off a series of quick laps to catch the race leader, despite which he was unable to bag the outright lead spot. Nevertheless, the battle subsequently intensified as Ticktum seemed desperate to win the last race of the 2020 F2 season. Jehan, however, meticulously kept up his pace and under the pressure, race leader Tictum seemed to make a few mistakes. Despite that, Jehan was unable to squeeze past.
With less than ten laps to go, Jehan was finally able to pass Ticktum and grab the race lead. Further, he kept his spirits high, widening the gap with the cars behind. Jehan finally took the chequered flag to win his maiden Formula 2 race, leading Japanese racer and Red Bull Junior teammate Yuki Tsunoda – over 3.5 seconds behind – for second, while Ticktum came in P3.
“Motorsport is pretty big in India. We obviously have a lot of people, so I have a big fanbase back home, and my goal at the end of the day is to do myself proud but also do my country proud and to prove to people from back home that even though we don’t have the same facilities and stuff that guys have in Europe, as long as you can work hard you can fight right at the sharp end of the grid.”, said an elated Jehan.
Now, though Mick Schumacher was able to grab the overall FIA Formula 2 title, all eyes were on Jehan Daruvala, with Indian hearts swelling with pride to hear the National Anthem playing out during the podium ceremony.