The 2024 F2 season was one of two halves for Kush Maini who enjoyed a strong first half of the season but suffered a string of disappointments from the Spa-Francorchamps F2 round onward. Despite his best efforts, which saw him four podium finishes and his maiden F2 win, the Indian racing driver finished the season 13th, with 74 points.
A tricky start to 2024
Maini’s 2024 season seemed to be off to a positive start when he qualified first in the opening round to the 2024 F2 championship in Bahrain. Unfortunately, his elation soon turned to bitter disappointment as he was subsequently disqualified due to a violation of technical regulations. Although the stewards allowed Maini to compete, they required him to start both races from the back of the grid.
Despite this setback, Maini performed brilliantly in the sprint race, gaining several places. However, his confident, determined drive was not enough to earn him points. He crossed the line P13, just over 24 seconds behind Rodin Motorsport’s Zane Maloney.
Maini, however, would not come away from the weekend empty handed. Despite starting at the back of the grid, he worked his way into the top 10, albeit helped by the several disruptions during the race. He crossed the line P7, just under 15 seconds behind Maloney who again claimed victory.
Despite its tricky start, the Sakhir round would ultimately be the first of many successful weekends for the Alpine Academy driver. Just one week later, in Saudi Arabia, he claimed his first podium finish of the season.
A podium finish in Jeddah
After missing out on first place in qualifying by just 0.025 seconds, Maini found himself starting the 2024 Jeddah F2 round sprint race from P9. Unfortunately, the Invicta Racing Driver was not able to produce the kind o performance that had allowed him to cut through the pack in Bahrain. Instead, he finished P8, only one place up from his starting position.
However, just as he had a week earlier, Maini improved his finishing position in the feature race. As Prema Racing’s Oliver Bearman had withdrawn ahead of the sprint after being called up to the Scuderia Ferrari F1 team to replace the unwell Carlos Sainz Jr., Maini found himself starting the feature race from pole position. He enjoyed a strong start off the line and took and early lead but ultimately, was unable to hold on to his position after what proved to be a disadvantageous pitstop strategy. He crossed the line second, almost eight seconds behind Van Amersfoort Racing’s Enzo Fittipaldi, to claim his first podium of the season.
His second podium camp just a few weeks later when he finished the sprint race of the 2024 Melbourne F2 round P3. These six points would unfortunately be Maini’s only that weekend. He suffered a disappointing feature race and finished P12.
A series of ups and downs between Imola and Silverstone
Despite the positive start to his 2024 F2 season, Maini would suffer a series of ups and downs between Imola and Silverstone. Despite podium finishes in Spain and at Silverstone, he struggled to make it into the points in five of the 10 races. This would ultimately prove detrimental to his F2 championship title fight as his competitors, including his teammate Gabriel Bortoleto, were able to widen the points gap between them.
After a disappointing end to the feature race in Melbourne, Maini retuned to the points in the Imola sprint race, adding one point to his tally after a P8 finish. This, unfortunately, was the last time that he would score points until the Spanish Grand Prix weekend. He finished the Imola feature race P14 before suffering a disappointing 2024 Monte Carlo F2 round.
After a disappointing qualifying session, which saw him starting the race P19, Maini found himself forced to retire after stalling on Lap 22. While this would be his first and only retirement of the season, he faced further disappointment in the next day’s feature race. After starting P16, he found himself crossing the line P17, the lowest position of any driver who had been able to complete the race.
Maini’s luck would take a turn for the better a few weeks later when he earned himself a P2 finish in the sprint race of the 2024 Barcelona F2 round. Though he would not make it onto the podium in the feature race, his P6 finish earned him another eight championship points. He added another two points in Spielberg after a P2 finish in the sprint, but finished P17 in the feature race after a stall on the starting grid saw him starting the race from the pit lane.
Maini’s maiden F2 win in Hungary
Despite the disappointing end to his Austrian Grand Prix weekend, Maini remained undeterred. Just one week later, in the sprint race of the 2024 Silverstone F2 round, Maini earned himself his fourth podium of the season.
After qualifying eighth, he started the sprint race from P3 under reverse grid conditions, and despite several disruptions and tricky weather conditions, he held on this position, to add another six points to his championship tally. Unfortunately, the feature race, like that in Austria would prove disappointing, as he finished P19 despite staring P8.
Maini would again make the podium in Hungary. After finishing the 2024 Budapest F2 qualifying session nineth, Maini found himself starting the sprint race from the front row, alongside Trident’s Richard Verschoor on pole. Unfortunately, he was not able to hold on to his position as Prema Racing’s Andrea Kimi Antonelli got past him into Turn 3, claiming P2. Antonelli would later pass Verschoor, claiming the race lead. However, Verschoor and Maini would eventually be able to pass the Italian driver in the final laps of the race after Antonelli went wide at Turn 1 in the seventeenth lap.
Unfortunately, Maini was not be able to challenge Verschoor for the race. Despite the Invicta Racing driver’s best efforts, the Trident driver held on the lead and crossed the line first to claim victory. Maini, it seemed, would once again have to settle for second place. However, though he would stand on the second step of the podium, he was eventually be promoted to the first after Verschoor was disqualified.
A disappointing end to 2024
Though Maini added another six points to his 2024 F2 championship tally, these, unfortunately would be his last of the season as a spate of disappointing results soon followed. He ended the season with 74 points, 12 more than his 2023 run, but 13th in the championship. It was a disappointing end to what could have been a promising season.
Maini switches allegiances to DAMS Lucas Oil for 2025
Maini will have another chance to excel in F2. In December 2024, DAMS Lucas Oil confirmed that Maini will driver for them in 2025. Team owner Charles Pic described Maini as a “talented driver” and stated that he expected a strong, successful partnership between Maini and the returning Jak Crawford.
“We’re pleased to confirm Kush for next year as he’s a talented driver who has shown excellent raw speed throughout his time in the series.”
“We know that together with our experienced team we can find the correct balance and ensure Kush has a consistent level of performance.”
“We believe with Jak and Kush that we have a very strong partnership, which can help us to consistently fight at the front of the grid in 2025.”
