Jehan Ends NEC Series With Podium

Sahara Force India Academy Racer, Jehan Daruvala, clinched another podium as he rounded up his Formula Renault 2.0 NEC series with mixed feelings at the Hockenheim Circuit in Germany. The former Indian, Asian and British Karting Champion also added another ‘Best Rookie’ Trophy as he continued his successful maiden season in Formula cars.  

 Jehan, who turned 17 just before the weekend started, entered the last round lying sixth in the championship standings. He struggled with a ninth and eighth place in the two practice sessions, before finding the right setup in qualifying. The young Mumbaikar qualified third for Race One, sixth for Race Two and a very encouraging second for Race Three.

 Race One proved to be the best of Jehan’s weekend. Despite a bad start from third on the grid  that saw him immediately lose a position, by the end of lap one Daruvala lunged down the inside of Kevin Jorg from two car lengths´ behind and managed to make his move stick in spite of locking up his tyres. Jehan looked comfortable in third and a brief safety car period resulted in no changes at the top. The race was won by Louis Deletraz ahead of Ukyo Sasahara and Jehan in third. Jehan also won a trophy as the best rookie of the race.

 Race Two started behind the safety car due to the copious rain falling at the circuit. It was Jehan’s first proper race in cars in wet conditions and the track was extremely challenging for most drivers. The Indian racer, alongside many other drivers, visited the gravel trap immediately after the safety car pulled off. A few laps later, once Jehan had settled in at fourteenth position, misfortune suddenly struck him. A warning light showed up on Jehan’s dashboard and he had to retire from the race. It was later found to be water that had affected his car’s electrical system.

 Race Three saw Jehan start second on the grid. Jehan jumped the start, which caused his car to bog down and he lost further ground. He was issued a drive through penalty which saw him fall all the way down to eighteenth. The determined youngster, however, did not give up: he fought hard and worked his way up to eleventh position at the end of the race, which was won by Deletraz.

 “Practice was difficult as we were significantly off the pace of the leaders. The team and Oliver put in a lot of effort in changing the set up for qualifying. I was happy with the qualifying pace and had a lot of confidence going into Race One. I had a poor start but managed to get back to third. From there we had good pace and I was happy to finish on the podium. I would like to thank the team and Oliver, as they did a great job. Race Two and Three were not my best. My qualifying and race pace have improved consistently throughout the year. I will need to work on my starts to ensure that I get off the grid well, once the lights go out” said Jehan, reflecting on his weekend and maiden NEC season.

 Jehan, still in his first season of Formula racing, thus completed the Formula Renault 2.0 NEC series with three podiums in addition to five ‘Best Rookie’ Trophies. He eventually finished fifth overall in the highly competitive series which saw 43 different drivers participate at various stages of the seven-round series. Louis Deletraz won the series ahead of Kevin Jorg and Ukyo Sasahara. Jehan was also the highest placed driver racing in their first season of Formula Cars. In the official Rookie Standings, he was a respectable second.

 Jehan will now continue his season with guest appearances in other series of the Formula Renault 2.0, ALPS and EuroCup.