Jehan Daruvala has had quite a fruitful season so far. The 20-year-old has won a couple of races in May and June in the FIA Formula 3 Championship — which is a support series to Formula 1 — and stands third on the drivers' standings. The Mumbai boy is 20 points away from the leader, and with three weekends to go, has a realistic change of finishing as the leader of the pack.
Competing for Prema Racing, Daruvala is the only driver among the top 5 in Formula 3 that isn't part of any Formula 1 junior program, which makes his podium finishes even more commendable. And, he hopes that his performances are being noticed by the men who matter in F1, and he reaches the pinnacle of motorsport sooner rather than later.
In this chat with DNA, the youngster talks about his goals and what India needs to do in order to produce more quality racers. Excerpts from an interview:
Winning consecutive races in Barcelona and France must make it a satisfying season for you so far?
So far, it's going well and pretty much to plan. Still being in the title fight with three weekends to go is a really good feeling.
The first win in Barcelona felt good but the next one felt even better. I was driving fast the entire weekend and to win a feature race (in France) and then finish on top of the podium again was the best weekend for me.
Is finishing on top of the drivers' standing a realistic goal for you now?
Yes, at this point, it is a realistic goal. I'm 20 points away from the lead, so it's all to play for with three rounds to go. My main focus is to win as many races as I can and then hopefully I can be in the title fight going into the last race.
What are you long-term goals? Moving up to Formula 2 and Formula 1, eventually?
After this year, I want to move up to F2 next year and then we'll see how it goes. But my long-term goal is to successfully make it in Formula 1.
And will these wins help, because F3 is almost like a shadow race to F1, happening in the same weekend, and people tend to notice?
It's good to be around the F1 environment. People see a lot of the races because their junior drivers are all competing. Out of the top 5 drivers, I'm the only driver who is not in a Formula 1 junior program.
What should India do to produce more quality racers?
There's no real right answer to this. The problem is that the cars in India are 10,-12 years old. So, when you move from BMW to a car in Europe, the level is completely different. The BMW car is like a go-kart. It's difficult to adapt. Hopefully, with Gaurav Gill's Arjuna award, more youngsters will start taking up motorsport seriously.
Do you think the Arjuna Award to Gill will give a fillip to the sport in the country?
It's definitely a positive thing. It's good for the country that motorsport is being recognised now, because it wasn't earlier. I hope that with this Arjuna Award, the popularity rises in the country.
Because from what I understand, there's a lot of fan-following for F1, but not that many people actually look at it as a career option. Hopefully, if I make it to F1 one day, it will inspire kids to take up motorsport as a career.
So do you see India having more racers in the F3, F2, F1 family in the future?
The general knowledge of motorsport in India is very high. It's all about starting from a young age, otherwise you won't be able to compete. Problem here is that people start to know about racing only when they're 14-15 years old, which is too late. You're 10 years behind, and to catch up 10 years in the world of motorsport is really difficult.
I started at 10, and in Europe it's considered quite late. A lot of my teammates and friends started when they were 4-5. So, that needs to change.
