Indian motorsport driver Kush Maini etched his name in history by securing his maiden Formula 2 victory during the Sprint Race of the Hungarian Grand Prix in Budapest. Initially, Richard Verschoor emerged as the winner, but he was later disqualified due to a technical infringement. This turn of events propelled Maini to the top position, making him the first Indian driver to clinch an F2 race victory.
Kush Maini’s ascension to success
The race featured a mix of tyre strategies due to cooler temperatures. Maini, starting from P2 on hard tyres, held his position into Turn 1. However, Kimi Antonelli, on softs, maneuvered around the outside at Turn 2 to move up to second place.
As the advantage of soft tyres faded, Antonelli ran wide, handing the lead to Verschoor, with Maini closely behind. Despite his efforts, Maini couldn’t find a way past Verschoor during the race. However, several hours later, it was revealed that Verschoor had been disqualified for a plank thickness violation on his car. This promoted Maini to P1, securing his first-ever F2 race win in Hungary.
Promoted to P1 😀👍
Kush inherits the Hungarian Sprint victory to claim his maiden Formula 2 race win 🏆🥇#F2 #HungarianGP pic.twitter.com/cJvlNohXEM
— Formula 2 (@Formula2) July 20, 2024
Maini, representing Invicta Racing, expressed his excitement about the race. He acknowledged the strong pace of soft tyre runners early on. Getting his first F2 victory was a special moment in his career, even though he couldn’t fight for it on the road due to the lack of a tyre advantage.
Maini will start the feature race later from ninth on the grid. His achievement marks a significant milestone for Indian motorsport, inspiring future generations of racers.
