Historic F3 race win for Jehan Daruvala

Jehan Daruvala of the Sahara Force India Academy created history by becoming the first ever Indian to win a race in the FIA F3 European Championship in Nuremberg, Germany. Jehan’s victory in race three comes 18 years after Naren Karthikeyan won in the British F3 Championship.

The Mumbai-based Formula3 rookie showed immense skill to clinch the top spot with two full-course yellow flag periods and made no mistakes despite coming under sustained pressure from championship leader Maximilian Gunther.

The 2001 Formula 1 title runner-up David Coulthard, who also won in F3 on several occasions, presented the winner’s trophy to 18-year-old Daruvala.

FIA Formula 3 is the toughest junior racing category in the world, having produced some of the best racing talents ever known including Ayrton Senna, Michael Schumacher, Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel.

Daruvala had qualified on the front row for the final race of the weekend — behind pole-sitter and championship leader Maximilian Gunther. As the lights went out, the 18-year old got off the line in a scintillating fashion, getting side-by-side with his German rival before even reaching the braking zone into turn one. As others scrabbled behind him, he comfortably defended the inside and never looked back, completing perfect lights to flag the win 39 laps later.

“It feels brilliant to get my first F3 win. I have been quick all weekend and it finally came together in this race. I knew the start was crucial, so I focused a lot on that. Once I had max at the start, I just had to ensure that I made no mistakes. The pressure was immense through the race, but I was enjoying myself.

“I must thank the team for a fantastic car all weekend and everyone else around me who have been instrumental in my success,” Jehan stated.

A strong haul of points thanks to his sixth and fourth places finishes in the first 2 races, meant that Jehan is now fifth in the overall standings and second in the rookie standings.

Shortly after the race ended, there was a great show of support for the young Indian driver — particularly from his compatriot Karthikeyan who enjoyed strong success in Formula 3, incidentally also with Carlin Motorsport.