Jehan Daruvala aims for solid start at Formula 2 Championship in Jeddah

The Red Bull-backed racer pulled off one of the overtakes of the season in Saudi last year

India’s Jehan Daruvala heads to Saudi Arabia’s Jeddah Corniche circuit fired up to build on the strong start to his season at the second round of the Formula 2 championship this weekend.

The 23-year-old from Mumbai, who races for Prema and is part of the Red Bull Junior Team, began his campaign with a second-placed finish last week in the first race of the season in Bahrain.

He goes into this weekend determined to take a similarly strong result, if not go one better, and also bounce back from a difficult Sakhir Feature race, undone after an aggressive move by Roy Nissany damaged his front wing.

The 6.1-km long Jeddah Corniche circuit, a thrilling combination of flat-out sweeps and high-speed corners hemmed in by walls, made its debut on the calendar last year.

The second-fastest venue on the calendar after Italian ‘Temple of Speed’ Monza, it is one of Jehan’s favourites. He made a stunning double-overtake, hailed as one of the moves of the

season, on champion Oscar Piastri and Christian Lundgaard in the first Sprint race there last year.

He was classified 14th in the second Sprint event due to a time penalty, but

actually finished second on the road after a race-long battle for the win with Piastri.

“Jeddah is a high-speed, challenging track that I really enjoyed driving at last year,” said Jehan, who is aiming to become the first Indian to win the Formula 2 title.

“The track suits the team well, so we can aim for a big result together this weekend.” The Jeddah track also played to Prema’s strengths last year. The team locked out the front row in qualifying and won two of the three races, including scoring a one-two in the Feature race.

Stats and Facts:

Circuit length: 6.174 km

First race: 2021

Jehan’s Saudi Arabia debut: 2021

Prema pole positions: 1 (2021)

Prema wins: 2 (2021)

Prema podiums: 4 (2021)

Weekend Schedule:

Free practice: Friday, March 25th at 1655 IST

Qualifying: Friday, March 25th at 2055 IST

Sprint race: Saturday, March 26th at 1800 IST

Feature race: Sunday, March 27 at 1925 IST

*(Live exclusively on Star Sports Select 2 and Select 2 HD)

About Jehan Daruvala

Jehan Daruvala is a racing driver from Mumbai, India. He began karting at the age of 10 in 2009. Two years later, he was picked as one of the three winners of Force India’s ‘One From a Billion’ talent hunt. In 2013, he became the first Asian to win the British KF3 karting championship. A proven winner, Jehan

has won in every category he has competed in. He is currently racing in the FIA Formula 2 Championship, which is a feeder series to Formula 1 and takes place on the same weekends. Already a multiple winner in the category, Jehan’s goal for the 2022 season is to claim the title which would boost his chances of becoming only the third Indian on the Formula One grid.

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