Confidence man: Kush Maini eager for high-speed challenge of F2 in Jeddah
Kush Maini may have been disqualified from qualifying in the opening round of the F2 championship in Bahrain, but the Invicta Racing driver left with valuable championship points and ready for the challenge of the high-speed Jeddah Corniche circuit.
Kush Maini is anticipating a rewarding weekend at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. (Joe Portlock/Formula Motorsport Limited/Getty Images)
The 23-year-old Indian driver was able to make steady progress despite starting from the back of the grid in both races in Bahrain, finishing seventh in the feature race and eager to move forward on the grid in Saudi Arabia a week later.
“I have full confidence in the team that definitely won't happen again,” says Maini.
“I think it was a very, very silly error, not on the team side at all, not pointing fingers, but it's just one of those situations.”
Maini was disqualified from the results after technical inspection of his car found one of the front elements of the underbody was out of position, with team Invicta Racing arguing that the discrepancy was due to damage from hitting a curb.
Kush Maini surveys the track in Jeddah. (Joe Portlock/Formula Motorsport Limited/Getty Images)
“I basically hit the measuring point underneath the car, which fell slightly,” Maini explains when asked if the team was at fault in preparing the car.
“So, the ride heights were actually all fine, it was just a measuring plane that slightly fell down.”
“It's one of those freak incidents, and sometimes you might be let off with a warning but obviously, rules are rules and we got disqualified.
“It can happen to anyone, any place, it’s just unfortunate situation. I probably just woke up on the wrong side of the bed that morning, as simple as that,” he jokes.
“So, we'll reset and move forward.”
With the opening two rounds of the season running back-to-back, Maini spent Sunday and Monday in Bahrain to recover before flying to Jeddah.
“A rest day after the race is very important,” he says, but he has been straight into training for the weekend ahead, with the added stress on the neck around the high-speed circuit a key concern.
With Bahrain and Saudi Arabia culminating with the feature race on Saturday to squeeze in both rounds before Ramadan, it has been a slight schedule shift for the drivers who are used to the routine of the sprint race on Saturday with the feature race on Sunday.
Now in his second year of Formula 2, Maini has a measured approach, fielding questions in detail about the differences between the two circuits and the demands on drivers in Jeddah.
On first glance Maini is relaxed but it’s not a box that he fits squarely into. He is calm, measured, prepared, but his focus and the detail in his answers do betray him, with the sense he is squirming to be on track.
It’s obvious that he has done the mental preparation, and peeling back the calmness perhaps it is better described as an intense focus, the kind tinged with frustrated anticipation, that emerges in professional athletes who are mentally prepared and have already cleared their minds ready for the lights to go out or the starter’s pistol to go off.
“I was frustrated, but as a racing driver, I think I’ve learned over the years that you can’t dwell on one unfortunate event for too long,” he reflects on Bahrain.
“We already reset after quali, and I’m happy I got back some points through the weekend … at least it shows what we are capable of, because in my eyes we did that pole on track and nothing can take that away from me.”
“So it shows, coming into this weekend, we have the car to do it, and that gives me massive confidence heading to Jeddah.”
Kush Maini celebrates his pole position in Bahrain before he was disqualified due to a technical infringement. (Formula Motorsport Limited/Supplied)
Discussion turns to the race at hand, the field leaving the testing ground of Bahrain where teams and drivers have ample time to prepare and heading to the more gruelling routine of in-season preparations, where one practice session is the only chance drivers have to learn the track.
“Being a second-year driver is one of the big advantages in the calendar, because last year in free practice I was P4 but it took a few laps for me to get up to speed.”
It’s not enough evidence to call Maini’s approach methodical, but it is a glimpse into his attitude when he reveals he keeps detailed notes from the previous season.
“I’m definitely going to look through my notes and see what went right in the sprint [last year] and what went wrong in the feature, so it’s definitely an advantage in my books coming in as a second year.”
And while he has said that drivers can’t dwell on mistakes or issues impacting previous sessions, it is something that will be more difficult in Jeddah.
“Confidence is key here, so a positive free practice session usually, you have good confidence going into quali and you can maximize what you have.”
“So I think my main focus is to get up to speed quick in free practice and get close to those walls.”
“That builds on for quali and yeah, just have a clean weekend. I think that's the main focus.”
He jokes about learning how well the new 2024 Formula 2 car can follow other cars and the potential for overtaking.
“Hopefully I don't need to follow too much this weekend,” says Maini.
“I think I've done enough of that last weekend.”
“But you know, I'm interested to see, there's more aera from the floor and less from the wings [in these cars].
“But we expected slipstream to be a bit less but in Bahrain, it seemed quite strong, and then wind plays a big, big hand in that as well.
“This is a perfect track because we have sector two which is mostly high speed, so that'll be very interesting when you're right behind the car, and I think we'll get a better idea this weekend.”
He returns to his focus on building confidence and a positive flow through the sessions of the weekend.
“Sim driving is one of the more important ones around this track, just to get that muscle memory going, get your eye in, staying with the line you know is going to work and building on the speed from there.”
“The closer you get to the walls, with the right speed the quicker you will be because you do less distance and you open up the exit.
“So that’s the goal for quali, and to do that you have to build confidence through FP and not push too early where you have a moment and then your confidence crashes.
“It’s a full confidence track, so you’ve just got to build on it.”
The FIA Formula 2 weekend begins with practice on Thursday ahead of qualifying at 2am Friday (AEDT), with the sprint race at 2.10am Saturday and concluding with the feature race from 12.25am on Sunday.
Watch every race of the FIA Formula 2 season on Kayo Sports.
