Formula 2 racer, Kush Maini has been signed by Mahindra Racing as its reserve driver for the upcoming season of the Formula E World Championship. The move sees Kush stepping into the role vacated by Jehan Daruvala, who spent the last season with the only Indian team on the grid. The 2023/2024 FIA Formula E Championship Season 10 is all set to begin next January with the Mexico e-Prix.
Maini has been one of the rising stars from the Indian motorsport scene, having proved his mettle behind the wheel across several FIA single-seater competitions over the last seven years. The 23-year-old started his career with the Italian F4 in 2016, making his way to British Formula 3, Formula Renault Eurocup, and FIA Formula 3. He presently competes in Formula 2 and scored his maiden podium finish in Melbourne, Australia, earlier this year.
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Speaking on being signed by Mahindra Racing, Kush Maini said, “It’s a huge honour to be joining Mahindra Racing. Being an Indian driver, and the team being Indian, it feels in many ways like coming home. A lot of my work will be concentrated on the simulator, and hopefully getting in the car for the Rookie Test. I’m just going to try and learn as much as I can, it’s a different style of racing. I’ll be doing as much work as possible on the sim with the engineers to try and be helpful for both Edoardo and Nyck and to try and help push the team forward on track. Mahindra is a huge manufacturer, so for me, it’s a massive deal to be signing with them. Being an Indian brand, it’s the cherry on top of the cake. I’m super excited to get started.”
The move to Mahindra Racing also marks the third big deal secured by Kush Maini in the last three months. The Bengaluru-based racer was announced as the protégé of two-time Formula 1 champion Mika Hakkinen in October this year, only to follow it up by joining the Alpine Academy as a junior driver, further bolstering his career prospects. The announcement comes just days after FIA confirmed that Formula E will return to Hyderabad in Season 10 after making its debut earlier this year.
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As a part of Mahindra Racing, Maini will be working with the team’s race drivers, Edoardo Mortara and Nyck de Vries, as well as with fellow reserve driver Jordan King. Maini’s role will involve simulator sessions, attendance at select e-Prix events to support the team, and opportunities to test the M10Electro race car.
Mahindra Racing’s CEO Frederic Bertrand said, “We are excited to welcome Kush to Mahindra Racing as a Reserve Driver. He has a great record that speaks for itself in the junior formulae and is an exciting talent to add to our driver lineup. We are a very future-focused team, so the opportunity to support new and emerging talent, such as Kush, is one we are naturally keen to explore. We’ve been watching him in FIA Formula 2 this season, and believe he has all the key skills and attributes to help Mahindra Racing push on for greater success in the future. His synergy with Edoardo, Nyck and Jordan will play an important role in the team’s continued push for better performance on-track, and off-track he is a superb ambassador for India within motorsport.”
A fresh roster of drivers should also help Mahindra Racing kickstart its Season 10 program on a positive note. The only Indian team on the grid, Mahindra had a forgettable run in Season 9 finishing 10th in the overall standings with 41 points.
