Rising Indian driver Jehan Daruvala bagged his maiden pole position in Formula car racing before slipping to finish third in race one in the Formula Renault 2.0 ALPS series here.
Racing in only his second event as a guest driver of the series, the 16-year-old Indian went fastest in qualifying at the Misano Adriatico circuit. He went on to finish third in race one, his second podium in a Formula car. In race two, Daruvala finished fourth.
His inexperience amongst the seasoned and highly competitive grid showed up as he made a cautious start to fall down to third in the opening race. By the end of lap 1, Daruvala had further fallen to fourth. After settling into a good rhythm, the Mumbai boy mounted an attack on the third placed Romanov of Russia. He soon passed him and sealed the final podium position behind British race winner Jack Aitken and Russian Matevos Isaakyan.
The Indian was not able to capitalise on his pole once again in race two. After the lights went out, the teenager from Mumbai fell to third. A brief safety car period followed and Daruvala remained in third. On lap 7, a small mistake by Daruvala saw him fall to fourth and he was not able to gain positions.
Daruvala later reflected on his weekend saying, "I am really happy with my pace this weekend and a big thank you to the team for a fantastic car. It has been tough racing against the very best racers at the top. I still have a lot to learn and also need to improve my race starts. I am positive about how things are working out and would like to thank Sahara Force India Academy and my family as well," he said.
His next event will be at the famous Spa Francorchamps circuit in Belgium as part of the Formula Renault 2.0 NEC series.
