One of India’s most promising young drivers Jehan Daruvala, was roped in by the Red Bull Racing junior program on Friday; an exciting deal for the Indian racing scene. The energy drink giants are renowned for their junior program as it has produced some of the best drivers in the last decade. Sebastian Vettel, Daniel Ricciardo, Alex Albon and their current spearhead Max Verstappen, all came through the ranks of the junior team.
The 21-year-old Daruvala, hopes to participate in the prestigious Formula 1 as the third Indian, behind Narain Karthikeyan and Karun Chandhok.
“Red bull approached me at the end of last year and it is a big honour to be associated with them. Yes, there is added pressure but I have come to a stage where I don’t let it get the better of me,” he said.
Last season the Mumbaikar finished third in the Formula 3 Championship and was a contender for the title along with teammates Marcus Armstong and Robert Shwartzman, who took the podium by a comfortable margin.
The Indian will however, return to Carlin in his first season in Formula 2 after finishing 10th in the Formula 3 Championship.
“They are a good team in Formula 2 and I am looking forward to the challenge. I obviously need to perform but at this stage, I want to take things as they come,” he said.
“It’s great to be working with some of the same people again on the engineering side (at Carlin) as I make the step up to F2. It’s a new challenge for me and there will be things to learn.”
The young driver’s dream began in 2015 when he topped the podiums in his maiden season in Formula Renault. He then became the first Indian to win an official Grand Prix, after winning the 2017 New Zealand GP.
Moving to F3 European Championship in 2017 Daruvala won eight races in the competition and will be hone the red and blue colour for the very first time next month in the Bahrain International Circuit. Bahrain will host the first race of the 2020-21 season from March 20-22.
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