Austira : Sahara Force India Academy racer – Jehan Daruvala soaked in immense pressure from behind to earn his maiden podium in Formula cars. The 16 year old Mubaikar participating in only his 3rd event after making the jump from Karting to Formula cars, started 3rd at the Red Bull Ring Circuit in Austria.
Earlier in Qualifying Session 1, Jehan showed his pace with 3rd overall and quickest in the rookie category. A good starting position was vital for the race and Jehan made no mistakes, getting off the line as the lights went out. Japanese driver Sasahara gave Jehan a run for his money into corner 1, as Jehan fought hard to retain his position. Unfortunately for Jehan while defending aggressively, he locked up his front wheel under braking, causing a massive flat spot on the tyre.
Over the next 3 laps Jehan put in consistent laptimes to pull away from Sasahara, who in turn kept falling back due to his battle with Callan O’Keeffe. The Japanese was ultimately overtaken by O’ Keeffe, who began closing the gap to Jehan by more than 0.6 seconds a lap, due to Jehan suffering from the flat spotted tyre.
With less than 10 minutes left to the finish, Jehan’s mirrors were filled O’Keeffe’s car. The duo fought hard for the next few laps as O’Keefe passing Jehan looked imminent. He made multiple attempts to get alongside the Indian, but without much success.
Up ahead, Swiss drivers Jorg and Deletraz fought hard throughout the race, with Jorg winning by a margin of just half a second. Jehan also won the battle amongst the rookie drivers and thereby bagged his 2nd top rookie trophy of the series. Jehan will have another 2 races this weekend. His excellent performance sees him catapult to the top of the Rookie Championship table, while moving upto 6th in the overall table.
“I had a good car and made a good start. Unfortunately the front locked up and I flat spotted the tyre, which affected me throughout. The last couple of laps were tough and I enjoyed the close racing. Team Fortec and Sahara Force India Academy have been my biggest support, for which I am very thankful” said Jehan.
