Jehan Daruvala finishes inside top-10 in Formula 2 Sprint race 

The Red Bull-backed driver was hampered by a mechanical issue in qualifying.

India’s Jehan Daruvala recovered from mechanical problems in qualifying to finish in the top-10 in Saturday’s Formula 2 Sprint race at Saudi Arabia’s Jeddah Corniche Circuit.

The 23-year-old from Mumbai, who races for Prema, started 13th, having nursed a component issue on his car during qualifying around the challenging 6.1-km street track.  But the Red Bull-backed racer stayed out of trouble to claw his way back to ninth in a crash-marred, safety car-interrupted race.

With his qualifying problems resolved, Jehan had the speed to make further progress up the order. But the safety car interruptions, neutralised the race, limiting the number of racing laps.

“We went into the race on the back foot after our issues in qualifying yesterday. But, nevertheless, I think we had the pace today to finish much higher up,” said Jehan Daruvala, who opened his season with a second-place finish last week in Bahrain.

“It was a little frustrating not to have more racing laps because of the safety cars but that’s the nature of racing at a street track sometimes. Still, we stayed out of trouble and kept our nose clean. We know we have the pace and now we just have to build on it.”

The Jeddah Corniche circuit, on the shores of the Red Sea, is made up of a thrilling combination of flat-out sweeps and blind high-speed corners hemmed in by walls.

Jehan Daruvala now has his sights set on Sunday’s Feature race at the track, which will take place ahead of the Formula One Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.

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