Sahara Force India Academy Racer – Jehan Daruvala continued his maiden F3 season with another strong points haul in Round 8 of the FIA Formula 3 European Championship. The Indian teenager & former second runner up in the World Karting Championship started tenth in Race 3, climbing up the order to finish fifth.
Round 8 of the FIA Formula 3 European Championship at the Nurburgring saw Sahara Force India Academy’s Racer Jehan Daruvala score quite a lot of points after strong finishes in all three races, most significantly Race 3, in which he climbed up 5 places from tenth on the grid to finish fifth.
22 drivers raced at GP Streke or the new 5.14km layout used by Formula One drivers and all of them were fighting their opponents and the unpredictable weather conditions in order to finish as high as possible; choosing the right tyres and car setup was crucial for a smooth race and Jehan got it right to earn points in all three races of the weekend.
The teenager from Mumbai was very vigilant in all the races and used his expertise to stay out of trouble and make moves; this resulted in a strong points haul for Jehan at the celebrated Nurburgring with his best finish being fifth in an action-packed Race 3.
The 18-year old from Mumbai showed immense skill and maturity to stay out of trouble throughout and his consistency ensured that he finished in the points in all three races with a best finish of 5th in an incident-filled Race Three which was won by McLaren junior Lando Norris.
By competing in Formula 3, Jehan is following in the footsteps of great drivers such as Ayrton Senna, Michael Schumacher, Sebastian Vettel, Lewis Hamilton and most recently, Max Verstappen; all of whom have made it into Formula One.
It was a pretty tough weekend in terms of conditions which were never consistent but we were able to stay in the points and finish in the top five in the last race so I think it was good work all around.
– Jehan Daruvala
The Indian driver now stands sixth in the overall drivers’ standings and second in the rookie standings with only two rounds left in the form of Spielberg (Red Bull Ring) and Hockenheim. Jehan’s aim is to finish fifth in the overall standings and that is a tall order for the Indian racer as the fifth placed driver, Jake Hughes has built up a significant gap in the points table but Jehan is confident about his ability and is looking forward to close the gap in the coming races.
With only Spielberg and Hockenheim remaining, I want to finish in the top five in the championship. There are still six races to go and so I am really looking forward to concluding the season on a strong note.
– Jehan Daruvala
Jehan will now race at the Redbull Ring at Spielberg in Austria on the 23rd & 24th of September.