Formula 3: First points for rookie Kush Maini in 2022 season
Apr 25, 2022
Imola [Italy], April 25 : Kush Maini demonstrated tremendous maturity over the course of a difficult weekend in the 2022 FIA Formula 3 Championship, finishing fifth in the feature race of the Imola race weekend out of a field of 29 cars that started the race on Sunday.
Formula 3 is run alongside Formula 1 on 9 weekends and gives all the junior drivers an amazing exposure towards the ultimate goal of driving in F1.
Racing at the historic Imola circuit, Maini's weekend was hampered by changing weather conditions during the weekend's qualifying session, which was interrupted by a red flag with five minutes remaining. Despite not being able to show his true potential, the driver qualified in 10th place.
On Saturday, Maini started the sprint race 3rd on the grid and was involved in battles in the top 5 when an unlucky drive-through penalty jeopardized his Sprint Race, with the Indian eventually finishing 20th.
Undaunted, Maini would recover on Sunday. With conditions mixed once again due to a downpour that occurred on eve of the race, Maini put in a tenacious drive that saw him make up five positions to finish fifth and secure 10 points for his championship.
Maini's fifth-place finish earns him his first points of the season. The FIA Formula 3 Championship, with normally 30 cars on the grid, is brutally competitive, with drivers needing near-perfect weekends to finish at the front. Running as a support race to the main F1 weekend, the series will move to the Barcelona race track in Spain on May 20-22.