2021 F2: Daruvala scores podium finish in Azerbaijan

Jehan Daruvala enjoyed a fairly competitive Round 3 of the 2021 Formula 2 championship in Azerbaijan. The Indian F1 hopeful added 24 more points to his tally, along with another podium finish. Read on to find out how the three races at Baku played out for him.

• Daruvala 7^th overall with 53 points
• Secures two top five finishes at Baku

Daruvala 3^rd in Azerbaijan Sprint Race 2

After a disappointing run at Monaco, where he slipped from 3^rd to 8^th in the overall rankings, Daruvala was back in form at Baku. He started the first sprint race from 2^nd place, but lost a couple of places to Carlin teammate Dan Ticktum and UNI-Virtuosi’s Guanyu Zhou as the race carried on.  Despite late pressure from Theo Pourchaire, he held on to 4^th place. While it wasn’t a podium finish, it was some key points in the bag.

And he didn’t have to wait too long to secure his second podium finish of the year either. Just hours later, the second sprint race saw him fight from 7^th to 3^rd. The frantic race saw multiple safety car periods, which played into Daruvala’s favour.

Already up to 4^th place after a strong start, Daruvala then passed Bent Viscaal at the second safety car re-start to move up to 3^rd place. While he continued to keep 2^nd-placed David Beckmann within sight throughout the race, he also had to fend off pressure from Viscaal. A controlled drive saw him cross the line in 3^rd place to secure the final podium sport behind race winner Jüri Vips and Beckmann.

The final feature race saw him finish 7^th. Despite gaining some positions at the start, he struggled to switch on the medium tyres after his pit stop. Nevertheless, the Red Bull junior is celebrating “a good haul of points this weekend”.

2021 F2 championship standings

Despite only scoring points in one race this weekend, Zhou continues to lead the championship with a total of 78 points. Oscar Piastri is five points adrift at 73. Meanwhile, Daruvala gains a place, climbing to 7^th overall with 53 points, just two points behind Pourchaire.

F2 will now return next month, with the Silverstone GP running from July 16-18.

F2 Azerbaijan GP results

Also see:

2021 F2: Jehan Daruvala off to a strong start in Bahrain