Jehan Daruvala bounces back with points and podium in Baku

Jehan Daruvala secured crucial points in all three races during his maiden run in Baku, having finished fourth in the opening sprint race and coming third in the next one.

It was a much needed result for Carlin's Jehan Daruvala of India, who had a forgettable time during the previous 2021 Formula 2 round in Monaco.

Indian racer Jehan Daruvala capped off a productive outing in Azerbaijan with a seventh-place finish in the feature race of the FIA Formula 2 Championship in Baku on Sunday. He had registered a podium finish in sprint race two earlier in the weekend.

Jehan, a Red Bull junior driver, secured crucial points in all three races during his maiden run on the streets of Baku. He finished fourth in the opening sprint race on Saturday and came third in the following race.

It was a much needed result for Jehan, who had a forgettable time in the previous round in Monaco. With 24 points from the weekend, he sits in the seventh spot of the drivers' standings.

He made an excellent start from seventh spot and gained two places into corner one in sprint race two. Into the second corner, Jehan made another good overtake on Armstrong, to move up to fourth.

Behind him others crashed, bringing out the safety car allowing the cars to be cleared safely. The safety car restart saw Jehan take advantage and make an excellent move to overtake Juri Vips for third, but the Estonian got the place back after a few corners.

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Jehan soon climbed up another place, overtaking Dutchman Bent Viscaal. Jehan then settled into a good rhythm in third. One more safety car period ensued, followed by a Virtual Safety Car.

Jehan managed to keep his concentration and continued his consistent drive. Past the midway point, Bent Viscaal of the Netherlands, in fourth, started piling up pressure on Jehan. The Indian was unfazed and kept his cool.

Fellow Red Bull junior Vips won the 21-lap race ahead of Germany's David Beckman. Jehan was a mere six-tenths-of-a-second behind to secure his second F2 podium this year, after his fantastic second-place finish in Bahrain earlier.

"A decent weekend with good points. I was aggressive at the start of Race 2 and 3 and it paid off well. It was good to be back on the podium and I am confident of fighting for podiums and wins in the upcoming races." said the 22-year-old from Mumbai.

Jehan earlier finished a strong fourth place in Race 1, while Race 3 on Sunday saw Jehan make up two places from ninth to finish seventh. Round 4 of the FIA Formula 2 Championship will be held at the famed Silverstone circuit, as part of the British Grand Prix weekend in mid-July.