The Sahara Force India F1 Team Academy youngsters were back in action last weekend for round two of the British Super 1 Karting Series at Whilton Mill near Daventry, UK.
All three Academy racers impressed with their speed, but it was Jehan Daruvala who secured the first podium finish for the programme with a brilliant drive to third place in the first final. The 13-year-old was also in the mix during the second final until mechanical issues ended his charge early.
Fellow Academy racers, Arjun Maini and Tarun Reddy, also featured strongly and picked up solid points across the weekend. Their best results came in the second final on Sunday with Tarun in P11 and Arjun just behind in P12.
Academy driver coach and mentor, Terry Fullerton, said: “Jehan secured a well-deserved podium finish in the first final and delivered a very mature performance across the weekend. Had it not been for a mechanical issue in the second final, he might well have been on the podium once again. As for Arjun Maini, he was fast but was the victim of first lap incidents in both finals, which prevented him from making more of an impression. Tarun Reddy also showed his speed and recovered well from an early crash in first final to finish a solid 11th in the second.”
Driver comments…
Jehan Daruvala: “For the first final I started third on the grid and made a really good start. With five laps to go I was challenging for second place, but there was a backmarker in my way and I had to settle for third.
“I started third in the second final and was again close to second place in the middle of the race. Unfortunately on lap 15 my brakes started to fade and I eventually lost all my brakes, which caused me to go off the circuit. It was a shame because I could have had two podiums! For the races to come I feel confident that we can continue fighting at the front.”
Tarun Reddy: “I was consistently running in the top ten during qualifying, which helped me start eighth for the first final on Sunday. I made a good start and moved up to fifth, but it was short-lived because I was then taken out of the race. That also meant I would have to start the second final from P21, which made things difficult and I could only recover to P11. It’s not the result I hoped for and I know I could have done better without the bad luck in the first race.”
Arjun Maini: “In the first final I started P18 and I was involved in a ten-kart pileup at the start, which dropped me to the back of the field. I battled back to finish P14 by the end of the race and set the second fastest lap of the race. I also finished P14 in the second race. The main thing I learned from the weekend is that I need to maximise my qualifying and this will be my focus for the coming races.
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