Watching from the sidelines and a triumphant return: Kush Maini on the moments that made him

20 June 2023

He has hit the ground running in Formula 2 and after the first phase of the season, Kush Maini looks back at the moments that got him to this point.

The Campos Racing driver looks back at a hugely influential year out of racing, the effects it had as well as his return to the spotlight in Formula 3.

F3 QUALIFYING IN BAHRAIN

“I took a year out of racing and normally in junior single seaters, doing that is catastrophic. So doing that and then coming back to race and get back after not Qualifying for a year and to go P3 was a wake-up call and a self confidence boost that I could do this.

“Deep down I always knew I was quick enough but a year out and a year not qualifying or competing, it takes a toll on your confidence, so I came into that year and that session without any expectations. To have seen myself up there was a great feeling.”

2021 – YEAR AWAY FROM RACING

“I had a lot of challenges mentally that year – mental health and keeping myself occupied after doing racing all my life and then not doing it for a whole year, that’s a massive change. But that year shaped me into the driver I am today because I came out of it stronger and mentally sharper. It was challenging for me but to conquer that challenge, I was really proud. Now I’m proud to have brought it back from my career in single seaters being over to being in F2 and fighting at the front, I didn’t think it was possible so that’s definitely a big moment for me.

“That year I tried a few different things, a bit of muay thai training and other stuff to keep myself occupied. It kind of showed me how much I loved and missed racing and a great reminder to be humble and be grateful for the life I have now. Great lessons I learned that year even though I didn’t do much.

“Maybe we were looking at something at the end of the year but the sponsors had pulled out because of COVID, so I knew I was going to be out of racing and we picked up some endurance testing at the end of the year and I did a race in Bahrain, that was almost me forgetting single seaters but then it came back around when I rejoined F3 the following year.

“I was really nervous, but I was really excited when I found out I’d be in F3. It was a crazy feeling. It happened so fast that I didn’t have much time to think of the emotions I was going through but 2021 was such a tough time, it’s still fresh in my mind and I remember that most. I think that’s important to remember the tough times because it makes the good times that much more enjoyable.”

FIRST KARTING RACE

“My first karting race when I was racing in Europe, when I finished up the front. When I first came to Europe from India, it was a massive different and I was a bit overwhelmed with the competition and I was nowhere. But then after a couple of races I started finishing at the front and then I won my first WSK race, that was a really proud moment for me, becoming the first Indian to do so. To do it in such a competitive Championship, it basically started my journey towards F1, that was the first moment I knew I could do it. That was in La Conca in 2013.

“For Indians at least, infrastructure isn’t that big for motorsport, back then at least, 10 years ago it was really tough to become a racing driver. There’s been so few racing drivers from India who have been successful, so it was just a distant dream. So when I first came to Europe and I was finishing 50th after winning a Championship in India, I was like ‘wow,’ so it was a huge different in competition levels. So when I won that first race, it ignited everything.”