It is not all doom and gloom when a racing driver doesn’t realise his dream of reaching Formula 1. Now competing in Formula E, Jehan Daruvala has made peace with fate as opportunities outside the pinnacle of motor racing are also “worth” chasing for.
The 25-year-old spent as many as four seasons in Formula 2, the feeder series to Formula 1, but was not able to take the final step on that ladder. Lando His decision to spend that much time and money in a junior series was questioned, especially after he and Red Bull parted ways following three seasons but the racer from Mumbai has no regrets.
Over four seasons, he picked up four wins and 18 podiums but by his own admission it was not enough in the cut-throat environment he was part of. He saw his former teammates Lando Norris and Yuki Tsunoda rise up the ranks and he can only be happy for them.
Representing Maserati, Daruvala has not had the best of starts to his Formula E career and is languishing at the bottom of the standings. However, he wants to remain in the all-electric championship for next season and beyond.
“Honestly, Formula E is probably the most competitive championship I’ve been on in terms of teams and even drivers. The level on Formula E is probably as good as Formula 1.
“I’m happy where I am. I’m driving against the best guys in the world so I have no complaints,” Daruvala told PTI on the sidelines of season-ending London E-Prix.
“Times are changing. There are also more opportunities outside of F1. Sometimes it’s worth pushing on. I spent enough years in Formula 2 trying to go to F1, but then when I realised that it wasn’t possible, I looked somewhere else.”
The realisation of not making Formula 1 dawned upon him when Red Bull released him from their junior driver program. He continued to chase his dream on his own but eventually settled for Formula E.
“In the end, it just depends on each person. I think the biggest story is that there are more options in professional racing apart from F1. And they are all equally fun and enjoyable as well.
“I mean, I’m not really looking back at those years anymore. I didn’t win Formula 2 (title), so yeah, I don’t have any regrets about it.
“I feel I’m good enough to be in F1 but I didn’t win in F2 so I have no regrets,” said Daruvala, who found it tough to move on from his childhood target but eventually turned the corner.
After a difficult debut in Formula E, does he expect to get a seat for next year?
“Honestly, for now I don’t know. I would like to stay in Formula E but if not there’s always other options. It’s still only July so there’s a long time. If I am not in Formula E, I would like to explore Indycar in the US.”
How does he look back on the season when he had to unlearn a few things from his time in Formula 2?
“I’ve had fun this year but it’s been difficult especially managing the energy in the races. I feel like my one lap pace has been pretty good especially the last three rounds. I’ve been close to my teammate. So I feel like I’m getting more used to it but, just not managing to score enough points.
“Racing is what takes time to understand. I’ve had a few top 8’s, top 10’s so I feel like over one lap I got used to the car pretty quickly. Just understanding the races better has been quite difficult,” Daruvala added.
His more experienced teammate at Maserati, Maximilian Gunther, is set to finish in the top-10 of the drivers’ standings.
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