The inside scout – Jehan Daruvala

Jehan Daruvala joined FIA Formula 2 outfit Carlin on the back of a storming season in F3, where he secured third with Team Champions’ PREMA. But, who is the Indian? We spoke to the man himself to get an insight on the rookie driver and what you can expect from him during the season.

Name: Jehan Daruvala

Date of birth: 01/10/1998

Racing style

“I tend to push corner entries a lot and I like to push the brakes, so that is probably the biggest difference in my style to others. Normally, I am quite smooth and there is not too much hustling going on, but I try to drive as close to the limit as possible.”

First racing memory

“When I was a kid, I used to always watch Formula 1 on tv with my family. It was a family Sunday tradition that we used to do together - I was always a fan of speed and racing.”

“I was maybe around seven, and my sister and father were at a go karting track, just 10 -15 minutes away from my house - that was my first experience of seeing a go-kart. I was too small to actually drive back then, so I took two pillows and sat with them in the seat, so I could reach the pedals. That was the first time that I drove a go kart and that is when I felt the adrenaline and wanted to take it up as a sport.”

Racing hero

“My racing hero is Fernando Alonso. He was my idol when I was young, and I used to watch him on TV. I used to always watch how he was driving, because no matter what the situation was, or what car he was in, he always got the maximum out of it, always pushed it to the limit. For that main reason, he has been my inspiration since I was very young.”

Favourite track on the F2 calendar

“My favourite Formula 2 track would be Spa-Francorchamps. From my past experiences of the track, I am a really big fan of the layout. It has a combination of slow, medium and high-speed corners, and it is also the longest track on the calendar, so it is, all in all, my favourite track. It consists of everything and it is fun for us drivers because you have a lot of opportunities to overtake, so it brings good racing. It is good for the drivers and the fans.”

Greatest racing achievement

“I think that I have a couple of biggest achievements to be honest., it is hard to particularly choose one. I think in karting, it was when I came third in the CIK-FIA World Championship. I also see the 2019 season as an achievement, in FIA F3, when I finished third. That was probably my most competitive season in car racing and it is probably one of the most competitive grids that I have been a part of. Those are probably the two biggest achievements of my career so far.”