2021 F2: Jehan Daruvala off to a strong start in Bahrain

Indian F1 hopeful Jehan Daruvala has kicked off his 2021 Formula 2 (F2) campaign with a strong showing in the opening round in Bahrain. His best result of the weekend came in the form of a 2^nd place finish in the first stint race.

• Daruvala finishes in the points in all three races
• Best result of 2^nd place in opening race
• Third in the drivers’ championship

Daruvala 2nd in Bahrain sprint Race 1 

In a bid to spice up the action out of track, F2 has introduced a new format this season, with each round featuring a total of three races – two sprint races and one feature race. The grid for the main feature race (on Sunday) is determined by the times set in qualifying. The grid for the first sprint race is set by reversing the top 10 finishers in qualifying, while the grid for the second sprint race is set by reversing the top 10 finishers in Race 1.

This is Daruvala’s second year in the championship and he continues racing with Carlin, as part of the Red Bull junior programme. Race 1 is where his experience really paid dividends; starting from 5^th on the grid, Daruvala expertly managed his tyres and was soon up to 2^nd place. He spent several laps tussling with leader Liam Lawson – who is also a Red Bull junior driver. The battle went down to wire, but Daruvala just couldn’t find a way past and had to settle for 2^nd place.

He just missed out on a top three finish in the second sprint race, despite being part of the podium celebrations. The race was a chaotic affair and Daruvala took advantage of a late-race safety car to pit for a fresh set of soft tyres. He then made quick work of the drivers ahead of him to finish 4^th on the road. He was briefly promoted to 3^rd place after some confusion over Christian Lundgaard’s time penalty. However, Lungaard was later reinstated to 2^nd place after the FIA confirmed that he did in fact serve his 10-second penalty during a late pitstop. As a result, Daruvala ended up finishing 4^th in the order.

He couldn’t quite replicate a similar result in Sunday’s feature race, with a flat spotted tyre compromising his performance. However, he did end up finishing 6^th to collect some valuable points.

“I kept out of trouble at the start of Race 1, and then made sensible moves up the order. Both, Lawson and I, had similar pace towards the end, but it was difficult to pass. It’s good to start the season with a podium,” Daruvala said.

“I enjoyed Race 2 too, with the amount of overtaking in the last few laps. Unfortunately I flat spotted my set of soft tyres, causing severe vibrations that seriously compromised race 3 for me. A big thanks to Carlin for the excellent car which helped me finish in the points in all the races.”

2021 F2 championship standings

Daruvala stands third overall in the drivers’ championship with 28 points, just two points behind Lawson. Alpine academy driver Guanyu Zhou leads the standings with a total of 41 points.

The 2021 F2 season will now go on a lengthy break, with the next round scheduled to take place on May 20-22, in Monaco.

PHOTO CREDITS: James Gasperotti

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Jehan Daruvala 3^rd overall in 2021 F3 Asian Championship