F2: Jehan Daruvala aims to win the 2022 title

Jehan Daruvala is one of India’s most promising race car drivers.

He is arguably one of the biggest names in motorsports for India at the moment, racing in the Formula 2 Championship and hoping to knock on the doors of F1 very soon.

He completed his second season in F2 in 2021 with an improved performance on his debut 2020 season.

In 2021, Jehan managed two race wins – Sprint Race 2 at Monza and Sprint Race 1 at the Yas Marina Circuit. He also managed a total of five podiums, amassing a total of 113 points to finish seventh in the 2021 F2 drivers’ championship.

Here he reflects on how he performed in the season gone by, where he sees possibility for improvement, and clearly indicates where he sees his future lying in motorsports.

How do you assess your 2021 season? Do you think there were significant improvements compared to 2020?

In comparison to the previous year, 2021 was definitely much better. There were lots of areas of improvement this year – which we had focused on specifically – including race starts, being more aggressive during the races, etc. As a team (Carlin), we had good pace all through the year but at the same time we did not have the qualifying pace to challenge regularly for pole. This made things difficult as we had to consistently fight upfront and it made every weekend more challenging. 

How do you feel about your seventh overall in the drivers’ standings?

Considering the strength of the field and the overall pace we had through the year as a team, seventh overall was a decent result but not what I was hoping for at the start of the year. I would have been happy with a top 5 result and a top 3 would have been great.

 

You managed five podiums this year. Had you set yourself a certain number of podiums as a target before the season started?

I had not set a specific target for podiums. With the new format of two reverse grid races each weekend, it was very unpredictable. I think five podiums with two wins was a decent result; but I feel that if a few things had gone my way, I would have had a few more podiums. 

Which has been your favorite circuit this season?

I have always done well at Monza and Sochi and did so in 2021 as well. I qualified on the front row for both the races. From a performance perspective, these were my favorite circuits for this season. However, if I’ve to look at the challenge and excitement quotient, I loved the track at Jeddah. It is the fastest street circuit in the world and is very exciting to drive on. Apart from the excitement of a street circuit, it also gives you a few overtaking opportunities, making it a very enjoyable experience.

How did it feel to win in Abu Dhabi during the final race weekend?

Abu Dhabi was the biggest challenge for our team. Right through Free Practice and qualifying, we struggled to find the right set-up. When I started on pole for Race 1, I knew that it was going to be an uphill battle to keep the lead to the end of the race. As expected, Felipe (Drugovich) was behind me throughout the race and was mounting continuous pressure to get past me. I knew that once he got past, it would be very difficult to keep up with him, so I defended the best I could. We had some very exciting moments with both of us going hard at each other, but we were also fair and gave each other enough racing room. Eventually I was able to pull away as I had clean air and had not used up my tires as much as him. So it was a very satisfying win as we were able to optimize the result in a difficult situation. 

Of all the races this year, which one do you think has been the most memorable?

The win in Monza was obviously very memorable and dominant. But I also feel that the most memorable weekend would be the races in Jeddah. In Race 1, I drove well to finish fifth after starting 11th. It is not easy to overtake on that track, but I had a good race and managed a double overtake, which was fun. But because of a penalty, I was classified 10th and started on the reverse grid pole. After making a mistake which caused a huge flat spot on my tire, the car was difficult to drive, and I was actually thinking that I will have to pit to change the tire. However, I decided to stay out and defend my track position. The battle with (Oscar) Piastri for the lead of the race was very exciting, and I was happy that I could fight it out to finish second in the race. Unfortunately, an undeserved penalty dropped me outside the top 10. But it was a good weekend in terms of racing.

What have been your personal high points of this season?

Obviously, the two wins in Monza and Abu Dhabi were the high points of the season. In addition the two front-row qualifications in Monza and Sochi were also special because for our whole team, qualifying on the front row was not easy this year. 

What are your biggest learnings from this season?

While I did mention that as a team, we struggled in qualifying, I feel as a driver I made some small mistakes in qualifying in the first part of the season. Those mistakes had huge consequences and compromised my entire weekend. So, this is definitely an area for me to improve going forward. Also, my mind-set was a bit defensive until mid-season; I was focused on trying to make as few mistakes as possible in the races. This never helps anyone. Once I changed my approach to be a lot more aggressive in the races, the results in the second half of the season were clear to see.

 

What are your post-season plans? Testing? Winter championships?

I have finished my post season testing in Abu Dhabi. I fly back to India for a few weeks before I then head to London to begin my winter training. Testing is banned in F2, so there will only be an official test in March 2022. I do not plan to compete in any winter championships. 

What are your current plans for the 2022 season?

I will be doing F2 in 2022. Being my third year in F2, it will be my last year in this championship, and the only aim is to win the championship. 

What are your long-term career plans as of now?

The aim in 2022 is to win the F2 championship and then hopefully I get an opportunity in F1 in 2023. If not, then the goal will be to become a professional racing driver in a championship outside F1.