“Very excited to see what the season holds” - Alpine junior Kush Maini optimistic after a strong start to the year

Alpine junior driver Kush Maini is optimistic about the 2024 F2 season following a strong performance in Saudi Arabia. Speaking exclusively to Sportskeeda in Jeddah, the Indian driver was excited for the season ahead.

In Bahrain, Maini clinched his maiden pole position in the series but was disqualified due to a car infringement. He finished seventh in the sprint race and fourth in the feature race. However, the first round seemed like more of a recovery for him.

In the second round in Saudi Arabia, he qualified second and inherited the pole position from Oliver Bearman, who stepped in for Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz in F1. The Alpine junior driver finished eighth in the sprint and second in the race. Sitting in the French F1 team’s hospitality suite, the 23-year-old seemed content with his weekend’s performance as he sat down for an interview.

Asked by Sportskeeda if he was happy with his weekend, Kush Maini replied:

“Yes, I think considering yesterday's race wasn't great. We didn't have a lot of time to tweak the setup and we did a lot of work and it seemed to have worked for us today. Our pace was back and that's very positive to turn around that quick and have a lot of confidence in the team going forward and very excited to see what the season holds.”

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Kush Maini believes coping with pressure is part and parcel of the route to Formula 1

Kush Maini knows that being tipped for the F2 title this season comes with a lot of pressure. However, the Invictus racing team driver believes that pressure is inevitable on the journey to the pinnacle of motorsport.

Asked if expectations of winning the title this season put pressure on him, Kush Maini replied:

“Yes, I think pressure is the highest it's ever been for me. But if I want to make it to Formula 1 then I need to be able to deal with this so it's a good practice for me. But yes for sure compared to last year when I was a rookie, this year where I'm tipped off to fight for the title the pressure is much more.”

Despite Ferrari protege Oliver Bearman, Mercedes junior Kimi Antonelli, and the likes of Enzo Fittipaldi on the F2 grid, Kush Maini is a force to reckon with this season. An impressive performance in F2 in his rookie year resulted in Maini earning a place in the Alpine junior driver program.

The Bengaluru-born driver is currently fifth in the standings and is being closely monitored by many in the F1 paddock.