A Review of Maini, Daruvala, and Rabindra's July Campaigns

Jehan Daruvala and Kush Maini (F2)

In the Formula 2 (F2) world, the month leading up to the summer break was jam-packed with action, featuring four races in five weekends. Looking back at the run that was in Spielberg, Silverstone, Budapest and Spa-Francorchamps:

1. Spielberg

In Spielberg, Kush Maini delivered an impressive qualifying lap, securing himself P4, while Jehan Daruvala placed P9. This resulted in Daruvala starting from the front row in the sprint race. However, an early spin brought out the safety car, and Daruvala ended up with a DNF, while Maini finished 16th. In the feature race, despite some skillful driving by Maini, a collision at a safety car restart forced him to retire.

2. Silverstone

The Silverstone GP (July 7-9) saw Maini qualifying at an impressive P2, marking a career-best, while Daruvala landed at P13. Unfortunately, the sprint race proved less fruitful, with Maini dropping five places and Daruvala finishing outside of points despite climbing two places. Maini's disappointing trend continued in the feature race, with a collision causing a double DNF for his team. Daruvala, however, had a strong race and managed to finish P6.

3. Hungaroring

At Hungaroring (July 21-23), where Maini had previously secured a podium in the F3 sprint race, both drivers finished outside the points in the feature race, with Daruvala barely missing the cut at P11 and Maini trailing at P20.

4. Spa-Francorchamps

The race in Spa (July 28-30) saw no relief for the pair. Maini's misjudgment of the weather resulted in a low qualifying position. Although Daruvala started the sprint race in pole position, he had to retire due to a loose headrest. In the feature race, however, Maini managed to climb to P8, while Daruvala retired early.

By the summer break, Maini was 11th and Daruvala 12th in the standings.

Arjun Maini (GT World Challenge Europe)

Arjun Maini began July at the GT World Challenge Europe’s 24h of Spa. His team, the #79 AMG GT3 of Haupt Racing Team, qualified in P18, securing 7th place in the group. They eventually finished in 24th place overall and 5th in class. In DTM at Norisring, Maini qualified P8 in the group for race 1 and P9 for race 2 but finished outside the points in both races. At Nürburgring for round 6 of the GT World Challenge Europe, the team finished 2nd in class and 24th overall, placing them 2nd in the bronze cup championship.

Akhil Rabindra (GT4 European Series)

Akhil Rabindra, competing in the GT4 European Series in the Pro AM category, had a mixed run. Despite lower overall rankings, he finished in points for all class races except for a DNF at Misano. By the end of the month, Rabindra was 12th in the standings with 44 points.

Ruhaan Alva (GB4 Championship)

Ruhaan Alva's sole July race was round 5 of the GB4 Championship at Silverstone. A consistent performance across all three races helped him earn good points, placing him 8th in the standings with 165 points by month-end.