By signing up for two days of testing with McLaren on Monday, Indian driver Jehan Daruvala has taken a significant step toward his goal of racing in the Formula One championship. This move will make him the third Indian driver after Naraine Karthikeyan and Karun Chandhok to officially drive a Formula 1 car.
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The 23-year-old, who is presently racing in Formula 2 for Prema Racing and is in third place in the championship, will have his first taste of racing in a Formula 1 vehicle as he will be driving McLaren's MCL35M car at the Silverstone circuit on Tuesday and Wednesday.
The test, which is a part of McLaren's Testing Previous Vehicle (TPC) programme, will provide Jehan with much-needed expertise in a very sophisticated Formula 1 car. Additionally, he will be able to gain enough points to apply for a Super Licence, which is required to race in Formula 1.
Who is Jehan Daruvala?
Jehan Daruvala was born in Mumbai on October 1, 1998, to parents Khurshed and Kainaz Daruvala. For his formal schooling, he went to the Bombay Scottish School in the Mahim in Mumbai. Daruvala began racing karts at the age of thirteen, and his career was greatly boosted in 2011 when the Force India F1 team ran the 'One in a Billion hunt,' in which he was one of three winners.
The 2012 Asia-Pacific Championship and the 2013 Super 1 National Championship are among the many races he has raced in throughout his short karting career. Additionally, Daruvala has won several tournaments in Asia and Europe as a runner-up in other tournaments. Daruvala finished third in the 2014 Karting World Championship. The 23-year-old began his proper single seater racing career in 2015 when he competed in the Formula Renault 2.0 championships with Fortec Motorsport.
Daruvala finished second in the 2016 Toyota Racing Series with the M2 Competition squad. His next significant triumph came three years later, with a new team, Prema Racing. As a member of Prema Racing, he completed the 2019 FIA Formula 3 World Championship in third place. In 2021 and 2022, Daruvala drove for Mumbai Falcons India Racing Ltd. and Prema Racing to third-place finishes in the F3 Asian Championship and the FIA Formula 2 Championship respectively. He is a part of the Red Bull Junior Team at this time.
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(With inputs from PTI)
