Written by Vyas Ponnuri
Kush Maini put India back on the top step of a Formula 2 podium for the first time in two seasons, having inherited victory for the Hungarian sprint last weekend, after Trident racer Richard Verschoor was disqualified, after the Dutchman's car was found to have excessive wear on the plank, not conforming to the regulations.
Despite the result being declared hours after the proceedings had been wrapped up, it was a crowning moment for the 23-year old, who finally tasted victory after nine weekends of racing this year, taking his sixth podium finish of the season and his first atop the rostrum.
Maini also became the first Indian to take victory in Formula 2 since Jehan Daruvala in the Italian round of the 2022 Formula 2 season at Monza, having become the third Indian driver to take to the series in its modern iteration, after elder brother Arjun Maini in 2018 and the aforementioned Daruvala.
It's been an enthralling journey of accomplishments for the Invicta racer, from growing up around racing karts and gear, to eventually don them and bring home yet more trophies. Maini is currently viewed by his countrymen as the next big Indian star in motorsport, and as the country's next Formula One prospect.
Maini was born in the city of Bengaluru, a city often known for its cosmopolitan atmosphere, changeable weather, and its array of sportsmen taking part in a variety of sports around the world.
In a city that lives and breathes cricket, home to a world-cup winning coach and arguably the most followed cricket franchise across social media, Maini has found his space in Bengaluru's sporting folklore, his recent meet-and-greet earlier this year gathering a partisan crowd of motorsport fans from around the city.
Having grown up in a family living and breathing automobiles, with grandfather Chetan known for pioneering the famous Reva electric car (known as the G-Wiz in the UK) and brother Arjun already racing karts, it was no surprise to see the youngest in the household gravitate towards motorsport and look to make it big one day.
Having begun karting in local tournaments at the young age of 11, Maini would move abroad and race in European tournaments as young as a 12-year old. It's never easy for any racing driver to leave home at such a young age, and it was certainly the case for this young Indian, as he chose to chase after his passion.
Having raced karts for four years, Maini finally stepped up to single-seaters at the age of 16, making his single-seater debut in the Italian Formula 4 series for BVM Racing. Having scored in the first six races of the year, Maini's early season consistency and podium later in the year earned him 16th in the standings, and fifth in the rookie standings.
Another year in the series saw him bring home two further podium finishes for Jenzer Motorsport, as Maini utilised his knowledge of the series to finish in the top ten, with 114 points to his name.
However, a switch to the British F3 reaped dividends for Maini. 2018 proved to be the Indian's breakthrough year, as he finished third in his maiden season in the championship for Lanan Racing, winning a reverse-grid race at Rockingham.
After a year in the Formula Renault Eurocup series for M2 Championship in 2019, Maini returned to British F3 in 2020, changing his mind as the pandemic year hit. It was a successful return for the Indian, as he won races at Donington, Snetterton, and Brands Hatch to set up a title fight with Kaylen Frederick. Maini would finish runners-up in another strong campaign.
Having failed to secure a full-time drive for 2021, Maini raced for Mumbai Falcons in the F3 Asian Championship, before doing a one-off WEC race in the 6 Hours of Bahrain for ARC Bratislava's LMP2 squad.
Maini's hardwork would be rewarded with an elevation to the Road to Formula One in 2022, as MP Motorsport brought him onboard for his maiden Formula 3 season, alongside Caio Collet and Alexander Smolyar. His consistency became evident as he scored his first points at Imola, while he would just miss out on a Silverstone podium to Reece Ushijima.
However, Maini wouldn't have to wait long for a podium, as he finished third in the reverse-grid Saturday sprint at the Hungaroring, taking his first podium of the season. Having failed to score in the final two rounds at Spa-Francorchamps and Monza, Maini ended the season in the top half of the standings, 14th on the road with 31 points to his name.
Despite a rookie season not living up to the lofty expectations of standout debutantes, Maini graduated to Formula 2 with Campos Racing for 2023, partnering Swiss racer Ralph Boschung at the Spanish outfit.
It was as though the Indian racer had settled into the series and found his feet quickly, laying down a strong first impression as he initially shot up to second in the feature race at Bahrain, before being overtaken by Boschung and Zane Maloney late in the race. Even still, fourth in his first feature race was a sign of what was to come.
The maiden outing for the championship at Albert Park would see Maini notch up his maiden podium in the series, fending off the chasing Arthur Leclerc in the closing stages of the race.
This would be the peak in a run of eight points finishes in the opening ten outings of the season, putting Maini's early season in the same category as that of 2018 runner-up Lando Norris, who secured eight points scores in the first eight races across four weekends.
However, Maini's season couldn't hit the same high notes as the season wore on, with Campos' race pace declining and the Indian racer experiencing a tremendous learning curve, especially in terms of managing his tyres.
Yet, he hadn't lost the raw speed, qualifying third in the season finale at Abu Dhabi, showing just what he was capable of doing. Maini finally rounded out the season eleventh in the standings with 62 points to his name.
However, the 23-year old's prowess didn't go unnoticed, and a spree of announcements helped Maini grow in confidence heading into the new ground-effect era of Formula 2 cars. He moved to Invicta Racing ahead of 2024.
Alpine noticed the Indian racer's talent, and signed him into their driver academy during the off season, while Formula E outfit Mahindra Racing too brought their fellow Indian into the fold as a reserve driver, replacing Maserati-bound Jehan Daruvala.
However, the biggest of these changes would see double world champion Mika Hakkinen, the Flying Finn mentor Maini from the sidelines heading into 2024. The Indian racer describes this mentorship as an off-track activity, with the former McLaren champion a big fan of Maini's quest to make it to Formula One in the future, and watching in the backdrop to ensure Maini remains on track to achieve his goals.
Maini, like many, enjoys racing cars with more downforce. The more downforce a car has, the more confidence he has to push harder and throw it into a corner and gain time. His improved form this year can be attributed to the new cars, and his recent growth as an Alpine junior driver.
When asked about Hakkinen's influence on his season so far, Maini responded:
"It (relationship with Hakkinen) is great, he comes to most of the races. If not, we're always in touch, over the phone (or on WhatsApp) he always knows what's going on.
"Whatever he can help with, he is there. He is always there, he is always by my side, so I'm grateful."
It is always useful to have a veteran by your side as a mentor, one who knows the ups and downs of motor racing like the back of his palm. Resilience is a key factor any driver should develop, and Maini has displayed immense resilience to bounce back from adversity this year.
When asked a question about his second position finish in the Hungarian sprint, which eventually became victory, Maini spoke of 'things turning around', and finally going back to his form at the start of the year:
"Podiums are great, still not where we want to be, in the grand scheme of things. But, this is a sign that everything is turning around slowly, and we are getting back to the form we showed at the start of the year. Definitely a positive step forward, and I will take the podium today" Maini said.
Should his form take a turn for the better, and anything similar to what was on display at the beginning of the season, there is no doubt Maini is on to finish the season on a high.
Quickest in qualifying before being stripped of pole, the Invicta racer finished seventh in the feature race, having started at the rear of the grid.
He inherited pole after Ollie Bearman's Ferrari call-up saw the latter give up his pole for the feature race, handing a retribution of sorts for the events at Sakhir. However, Maini wouldn't be able to convert his pole to victory, finishing second behind VAR racer Enzo Fittipaldi.
Having qualified a stellar fourth at Australia, converted to a seventh-position start for the Saturday sprint, Maini took advantage of the opening lap chaos to finish third in the sprint.
Sunday's race would be bittersweet, with the Indian racer starting on medium tyres compared to those around him on super-softs. As the super softs wore out, Maini swiftly made up positions to take the race lead, opening up a gap of nine seconds to second-placed Isack Hadjar before an ill-timed safety car erased his lead, and scuppered his race strategy.
Hadjar eventually went on to win the race, highlighting the potential benefits Maini could have seen had the safety car period not put paid to his strategy.
Maini's sprint race at the Hungaroring resembled that of the Australian feature race, albeit without the safety cars. The Invicta racer's choice to start on the hard tyres paid off, as his tyres lasted the full length of the sprint, while the soft runners were forced to change their rubber as their tyres wore out sooner than expected.
While Maini initially finished second behind Verschoor, a disqualification for the latter meant he inherited the race win. Not in the way he would have preferred, but it still counts as his first Formula 2 victory. It was only poetic enough to come at the Hungaroring, the scene of his first Formula 3 podium two years ago.
With the Indian racer optimistic after his strong Hungarian outing, there's no doubt he will be looking to achieve his dream of becoming the next Indian to make it to Formula One, and the best way to go about this is to end his Formula 2 season on a high.
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