When you think of India in global motorsport, your thoughts don’t exactly go towards immense fame, success and glory. With not a very great pedigree or heritage of motorsport in relation to other countries, seeing any Indian driver succeed on the international stage brings about an unparalleled sense of joy. They say that those who lose on the way to success value their victories even more. Success for Indian drivers on the global stage is a fairly rare thing and that makes the achievements of one young kid from Mumbai all the more special and valued.
Jehan’s road to success
Starting his road to Formula One through karting under the tutelage of Rayomand Banajee in 2011, Jehan Daruvala has been quite the revelation this season. After a couple of challenging years in the ultra-competitive European Formula 3 championship, Daruvala made the step up to brand-new global F3 championship for 2019. Although the results from the two preceding seasons in European F3 did not exactly represent the talent Jehan possesses, there were instances where the first Indian driver to win a Grand Prix was masterful and absolutely untouchable. The results were fine but the learnings were even greater and with great resolve, Jehan finally made the switch to a top team that could allow him to battle for the championship in Prema.
Jehan had two challenging years in the European F3 series but he managed to impress many with his race wins
Indeed, the new Formula 3 championship that was flagged off earlier this season features cars that are new from the ground up and that should put each team on the same page. However, with an established team like Prema in the mix, you did get the feeling heading into this season that they would give Jehan the right platform to showcase his immense abilities and propel him to a top three finish in F3, if not the championship itself.
An instant success in F3
Since then, Jehan has flourished and the Indian flag has started to become a regular feature on the F3 the podium. With two race wins this season and a host of podiums, Daruvala has been on his A game this season. How often do you hear the Indian national anthem play on the podium? Jehan has been consistently providing us with moments that give us goosebumps and inspire the next generation of Indian racing drivers. That, in itself, is quite an achievement.
Jehan has been a revelation this season, winning twice and currently standing second in the points table
This season, Formula 3 has got a fair bit of competition for the title – drivers like Robert Schwartzman, Marcus Armstrong, Juri Vips and Yuki Tsunoda among others are no slacks. They have managed to find a way to deliver time and time again and this season, the margin for error for any one of these championship contenders is very low. Jehan has understood that very well and this year, he has been more consistent than ever, having relatively poor races very few times. That is an important quality of a champion; for instance, in the 2007 Formula One season, Kimi Raikkonnen didn’t win as many races as the McLaren duo of Alonso and Hamilton but on the day that it mattered, his consistency paved the way for him to become the Formula One World Champion, albeit by a single point.
The hunt for the title is on
As it stands, he is in second place in the F3 championship with a decent chance of winning it at the end of the season; can he become the first Indian to win an FIA regulated single-seater championship? The talent is surely there!
Curious about the reason behind his brilliant performances, I asked Jehan about what has changed in his driving style this season this season when he came back to Mumbai during the summer break. He replied by saying that he hasn’t made any major changes to his driving style; it is just that the package that Prema have got is much more competitive and suits Jehan better than the ones he has had in previous years. It is evident that Jehan is on the right track and is doing a brilliant job in his category this year.
What’s next?
The end of the season is not too far off and naturally, everyone will begin to ponder upon Jehan’s options for next season. Will he stay in F3 if he doesn’t win it or will he move to F2 with Prema? Will he be signed by an F1 team’s driver academy? The options are limitless but realistically, the only way forward for Jehan seems to be graduating up to Formula 2. A top three finish in F3 this season will see Jehan picking up a minimum of 20 FIA Super License points out of a required 40 to qualify for the Super License. A good performance in F2 can see Jehan accumulate the necessary points and go all the way.
At the moment, a season in F2 appears to be on the cards for Jehan in the near future
It is important to consider the challenges of F2 though; very few drivers are able to get to F1 with only one season of F2 under their belt. Most require a couple of chances to win or get into the Top 3 of the championship and that can be a tough task considering the massive budget needed by drivers to compete in F2. Moreover, finding the right team in Formula 2 is crucial. As we saw with Arjun Maini last season, having the pace but ending up at an uncompetitive team can be a major issue. That way, you will be paying for the season, but you will have little to no chances to compete for the title. Just like in Formula One, getting yourself to the right team is a key factor to success and Jehan must be fully aware of that.
At the moment though, it would be better to keep all the speculation aside and back Jehan for his championship challenge. He is doing something that no Indian single-seater driver has managed to do so far and that is what makes him the pride of not just every Indian motorsport fan but also of the entire country.
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