Picture Credit: Twitter
Jehan Daruvala, the Formula 2 racer from India, will test drive for Formula 1 giants McLaren at Silverstone on June 21 and 22, the F1 team announced on Monday. It comes as a significant step in Daruvala’s pursuit of becoming the only third F1 driver from the country. Notably, the 23-year-old had termed this as the make-or-break season for him in the context of an F1 seat.
Jehan Daruvala will get to test drive McLaren’s MCL35M as a part of the F1 team’s Testing Previous Car (TPC) programme at Silverstone on Tuesday and Wednesday. “As part of our Testing Previous Car (TPC) programme, @DaruvalaJehan will test the MCL35M at Silverstone on 21 June and 22 June. Enjoy your first drive in an F1 car, Jehan!” tweeted McLaren while announcing the news.
The Indian driver was thrilled after getting to know he will be driving a McLaren and shared his glee through a tweet on Monday. "Super excited and grateful for the opportunity to have my first experience in a Formula 1 car testing with @McLarenF1 this week!? A big thank you to the Red Bull Junior Team, my family, my support team, @MumbaiFalcons, McLaren and to everyone who’s supported me along the way!" wrote the 23-year-old on Twitter.
Glee for Daruvala!
The 23-year-old Indian F2 driver who is a part of Red Bull Racing’s junior programme and drives for Prema Racing is making big strides in order to achieve his goal of getting an F1 seat. After getting his fifth podium finish of the season in Baku earlier this month, Jehan Daruvala will now get a chance to get a taste of an F1 car for the first time when he hits the track at Silverstone on Tuesday.
2022 has been a memorable year for the 23-year-old driver as he has been consistently getting podium finishes. In May 2022, Jehan Daruvala took his fourth podium of the Formula 2 season with a second-place finish at the iconic Monaco street track. The 23-year-old chalked up the landmark result, his 11th Formula 2 podium, in the sprint race. And now getting a chance to drive for one of the F1 giants is undoubtedly the biggest stride in his pursuit of becoming one of the only drivers.