Sakhir Grand Prix 2020: Jehan Daruvala becomes 1st Indian to win Formula 2 Race
Jehan Daruvala has created history on Sunday after he became the first Indian to win a Formula 2 race at the Sakhir Grand Prix which is held in Bahrain.
The 22-year-old faced some stiff competition from racing legend Michael Schumacher’s son Mick, and Daniel Ticktum, but managed to hold his end of the bargain to cross the chequered flag first.
Eventually, Ticktum emerged in the lead, followed by Schumacher and Jehan in third. A few corners later, Jehan made a good move to pass Schumacher and get into the second position.
JEHAN DARUVALA IS AN F2 RACE WINNER! 🏆🇮🇳👏
He leads home team mate Tsunoda (P2) and Ticktum (P3) for a @CarlinRacing one-two!#SakhirGP 🇧🇭 #F2 pic.twitter.com/h18iax3JaL
— Formula 2 (@Formula2) December 6, 2020
A few laps later, Schumacher passed Jehan, to relegate him to third. Jehan, however, did not give up. A thrilling battle ensued and eventually the Indian got past Schumacher once again, to reclaim his second spot. Jehan then reeled off a series of quick laps to catch the race leader. However, he was unable to overtake.
The pair battled for a few laps for the position with Daruvala going back to third and passed Schumacher again a few laps later to regain the position.
He eventually managed to put distance on the German, who will race in Formula 1 for Haas next season, and caught the race leader.
Daruvala kept the pressure on Tictum who defended well until finally losing the position for the first time to the Indian with 10 laps to go.
He kept out Ticktum and eventually put distance between the two cars to take the chequered flag in the lead. His Red Bull Junior teammate Yuki Tsunoda was second, over 3.5 seconds behind Jehan, while Ticktum was third.
🚨 TOP TEN – SPRINT RACE 🚨
A breathless race from start to finish!#SakhirGP 🇧🇭 #F2 pic.twitter.com/bVFelJyJZU
— Formula 2 (@Formula2) December 6, 2020
“Motorsport is pretty big in India. We obviously have a lot of people, so I have a big fan base back home, and my goal at the end of the day is to make myself and my country proud.”
“Motorsport is pretty big in India. We obviously have a lot of people, so I have a big fanbase back home. My goal at the end of the day is to do myself proud but also do my country proud and to prove to people back home that even though we don’t have the same facilities and stuff that guys have in Europe, as long as you can work hard you can fight right at the sharp end of the grid,” said Jehan Daruvala.