Kush Maini on F2 title battle: My confidence is high

After a lengthy break, the 2024 Formula 2 (F2) season resumes at Imola, Italy, this weekend. Three rounds in, Kush Maini stands fifth overall, with one pole and two podium finishes to his name so far this year. The Indian racer believes he has what it takes to fight for the title.

Highs and lows of racing

Maini’s performance in his debut F2 season earned him backing from the Alpine F1 team and even caught the attention of two-time F1 world champion Mika Hakkinen, who is mentoring him. But Maini admitted that this also raises the stakes. “There’s always pressure coming into a second year, especially backed by an F1 team, [with] the country’s hopes riding on you. You have one more year to deliver,” he said.

“I feel I needed the second year in F2 to build on my first strong year. That’s exactly what we’re doing, and we just need to continue down this path,” Maini added.

Having joined Invicta Racing this year, Maini showed he had the pace to fight at the front right from the start. But the first three rounds were a rollercoaster. He bagged pole position at the season opener in Bahrain with a time that was two-tenths clear of his closest rival (and teammate) Gabriel Bortoleto. However, the joy of being the first Indian driver to secure a pole in F2 was soon replaced with disappointment, as he was disqualified due to a technical infringement.

“That was one of the craziest days I’ve ever had because… that high, and then, two hours later, that massive low – what a contrast! That’s something only this sport can give you.”

And the next round in Saudi Arabia only further proved this to be true. Maini ended up inheriting the pole position after Oliver Bearman was called in to replace Carlos Sainz, who underwent surgery for appendicitis at the last moment. The round saw Maini make his first podium appearance this year, with a P2 finish in the feature race.

“We really struggled in the sprint. Obviously, it’s a new car for us, and knowing that we’re starting on pole for the feature [race], the sprint was just more of a test. So, we took a few risks. We treated it like a test session,” Maini explained.

Would have done things differently at the Australian GP: Maini

Maini reckons he could have also scored a pole in Australia had it not been for the ill-timed red flag. While he picked up another podium in the sprint race, he lost a handful of points after opting for the alternative strategy in the feature race. “The decision [to start on medium tyres] was made on the grid. Normally, you make a strategy decision much before,” he revealed.

In hindsight, Maini believes it was an unnecessary gamble. “We would have won that race on pace because we chose the quicker strategy. But unfortunately, the team and I both learnt a lesson. It was a mutual decision.” Reflecting upon it, Maini said he doesn’t think it was right to gamble because on a track like Australia, there are a lot of chances of the Safety Car coming out, “and going on the alternative strategy, you put yourself at a lot more risk”. 

Fighting for the F2 title

So far this season, Maini has shown that he has the one-lap pace. Now, it’s simply a matter of converting that into race wins, and the 23-year-old is confident that he’ll fight for the championship this year. Currently, he is 29 points behind championship leader Zane Maloney.

Maini to test F1 car this year

Maini also confirmed that he will be testing an older-spec F1 car (likely the 2023-spec) later this year as part of the Alpine Academy’s young driver development programme. “For Alpine, the main goal is for them to prepare me for the next step. After every F2 race, I go and watch the F1 Grand Prix in the garage with the radio channel on as much as I can,” he added.

Round 4 of the 2024 F2 season will be held alongside the F1 Imola GP this weekend (May 17-19). Watch this space for all the updates.

Also see:

Kush Maini: ‘Formula E test role can help improve F2 results’