Zandvoort/Netherlands, 20th August 2017 – One young man determined to make it to the very top is Jehan Daruvala. The Formula 1 fan first sat in a kart at the tender age of ten, and it did not take long for his hobby to become a passion. The youngster from Mumbai won a host of races in his native India, before leaving his family behind and moving to England in 2014. “I went to a boarding school there and, as I was all alone, I focussed fully on motor racing. I consistently improved and got quicker,” says the 18-year-old.
One year later, Daruvala was given a seat in the Formula Renault series, where he finished fifth at the first attempt. He then ended the 2017 Toyota Racing Series in the same position, before switching to the FIA Formula 3 European Championship as a rookie. “Switching from a kart, where you can control a lot by shifting your bodyweight, to Formula racing was, generally speaking, a very big change. However, everything is even more professional in the FIA Formula 3 European Championship. The downforce and grip levels are very high. The whole engineering side of thins is incredibly sophisticated.”
As a rookie, Daruvala had a lot to learn about his car, in which much can be adjusted – from the brake balance to the air pressure. One great help for him was the Hankook Ventus Race, on which he became the first Indian for 18 years to win a Formula 3 race at the Norisring. “The Hankook tyre allowed me to push all race without the tyre degrading. You can feel the grip and speed of the car with this tyre, and can focus fully on the track and your opponents,” says Daruvala.
Only in qualifying is the young driver struggling a little. He has regularly had to start from the back of the grid and work his way through the field. By the end of the season he wants to have fixed this minor weakness, made more appearances on the podium and, above all, learned a lot about motorsport. Daruvala has set himself some ambitious goals: “I want to race in Formula 1 and to be a good driver in that series.” After all, his idol Fernando Alonso also fine-tuned his skills in the Formula 3000 series, before going on to become a Formula 1 world champion.
