Formula Renault NEC: Jehan Daruvala takes first ever podium in cars
Sahara Force India Academy driver, 16-year old Jehan Daruvala, has managed to make a mark in the Formula Renault 2.0 NEC championship in 2015. In only his first season in cars, having made the switch from karting, Jehan impressed at the first two rounds at Monza and Silverstone. He did even better at the third round of the championship at the Red Bull Ring in Austria. Jehan finished third in Race 1, taking his first ever podium in Formula cars.
Maiden podium in Formula cars for Jehan Daruvala at the Red Bull Ring
During the first qualifying session, Jehan was third quickest overall, and topped the rookie category. This was a feat that he repeated in the second qualifying session as well. The starting position for Race 3 is decided based on the second-best lap from the second qualifying session. With Jehan's second-best lap timing being deleted by the stewards after he needed to go off track to avoid an incident ahead of him, his third best lap was counted, which was only good enough for 12th place overall.
In the first race, Jehan soaked up the pressure, and made no mistakes when during the race start. He fought Japanese driver Ukyo Sasahara hard and managed to retain his position, although flatspotting his tyre while defending aggressively. Jehan then managed to start pulling away from Sasahara, who was ultimately overtaken by Callan O'Keeffe. Then it was O'Keeffe's turn to put Daruvala under pressure, but he couldn't get past the Indian. Defensive driving saw Daruvala notch his first podium in Formula cars. Finishing ahead of him were Swiss drivers Kevin Jorg and Louis Deletraz.
Race 2 saw Jehan finish fourth overall, while he was not classified for Race 3. Jehan is currently second in the Rookie Class of the championship, with 78 points, while Alex Gill leads the class with 90 points. Overall, the Indian driver lies sixth in the championship standings.
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