Daruvala ready to rebound in Monte Carlo after run of tough luck

Jehan Daruvala is aiming to get his 2022 Formula 2 campaign back on track this weekend in Monaco after an up and down opening four rounds of the season.

Last weekend in Barcelona, the PREMA Racing driver was forced out of the Feature Race in the early stages, costing him several points in the fight for the 2022 Drivers' title race.

Speaking ahead of the Monaco race weekend, Daruvala says that while he hasn't had much luck in the most recent rounds, he is happy that he remains third in the standings heading into Round 5.

"All of the Feature Races so far have not really gone to plan apart from Jeddah," he said. "In Bahrain, I hit my front wing off. Imola I was on the wrong strategy because of the Safety Car on lap six. Then in Barcelona, I had to switch off because of an electronic failure.

"So I've lost a lot of points, but I'm still sitting third. So a small positive to take, I've been on the podium in every round. I'd probably have had a podium or a win at Barcelona, so I can only take the positives from that and try to leave the weekend behind me and have a good one. This one. We're here in Monaco."

After last season's Feature Race retirement in Monaco, Daruvala is eager to set the record straight on his and the series' return to the Principality.

"I'm really excited, it's one of the best tracks to be a driver. It's fast, it's a track where you don't feel the same as on any other track. Last year wasn't great, but I'm looking to turn things around and have a good weekend."

Daruvala remains third in the Championship despite his Barcelona DNF last time out. The Indian driver is now 45 points behind the table-topping Felipe Drugovich, but says that PREMA can expect a higher level of performance around the famous street circiut.

READ MORE: The Monte Carlo Race Pack

Despite the large points deficit, Daruvala believes he and his team can turn fortunes around and make up the difference over the remainder of the season.

"I think we made a big step forward in qualifying in Barcelona. We did our strategy, we went in the gap and even though the track improved at the end, we were still on the second row.

"Our qualifying pace is definitely really strong and here it's all about qualifying. We need to put it right at the front and then we're going to have a good race."

"I'm not looking too much at the Championship right now. I think Felipe had a really good weekend. I was hoping to catch him up in the Feature Race, but instead he took 25 points away from me. It was a race of could've, would've, should've, but in the end, I scored nothing and we have a long way to go and we can easily make it backup."