Indian racer Jehan Daruvala made his Formula E debut last weekend and the 25-year-old is the only rookie this season in the championship. Teaming up with Maximilian Gunther at the Maserati MSG squad, his first race took place in Mexico City E-Prix where he finished 16th.
Daruvala has moved to Formula E after competing in Formula 2 for four seasons. It was during this time that he took four race wins and a best overall finish of seventh in the standings in 2021 and 2022. He was also Mahindra’s reserve Formula E driver last term and had the chance to take part in several official sessions ahead of this year.
Jehan Daruvala wants to have a good rookie year
Ahead of his Formula E debut, Daruvala spoke to Motorsport.com and revealed his goal in his Formula E career. Here is what he said:
“…So it was just preparing myself, keeping active, keep driving and now I’ve got my chance in Formula E. I want to make Formula E my long-term future and to do that I need to have a good rookie year. That’s going to be my goal.”
Jehan Daruvala debuts in Formula E
The 35-lap contest marked Daruvala’s first chance to run in a race environment after problems in pre-season testing. It means he never got the chance to simulate a run with other drivers.
The Maserati driver, who is the only rookie on the 2024 grid, qualified 17th and gained only one spot in the 37-lap race at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodríguez. His teammate Maximilian Günther started third and finished fourth, bringing in 12 points for the team.
In the race, both Daruvala and Gunther had a competitive start and managed to maintain their starting positions in the initial phase. However, on Lap 9, the race was neutralized due to a full course yellow and subsequent safety car, caused by an accident involving Robin Frijns’s car. After the safety car period, Daruvala made a late overtake on ERT’s Dan Ticktum and finished 16th overall.
