Indian Formula 2 racer Kush Maini is set to be mentored by the two-time world champion Mika Hakkinen. Notably, Hakkinen has mentored Valtteri Bottas and played an instrumental role in the success of the former Mercedes F1 race winner and current Alfa Romeo Sauber driver. Maini has had a decent year when it comes to performance as he finished in the top five in qualifying as well as a podium in Melbourne.
The 23-year-old Indian will now look forward to taking on new challenges with the Formula 1 legend himself. Maini took to social media to express his delight at being associated with Hakkinen. He posted a few pictures of them and wrote “Super excited to announce that two-time Formula 1 world champion Mika Hakkinen will be mentoring me and guiding my career from here on out. So grateful for this amazing opportunity to learn from one of the greatest in motorsport!”
The racer also spoke to the media and said, “I think from next year, my approach and that of my team is going to be a lot more structured thanks to Mika. Basically, the way Mika works is you narrow down everything to the point where the driver just has one job.”
Speaking on his aspirations to be a world champion with Hakkinen, he said, “I’ve watched Mika since I was very young. So, just for him to believe that I could reach Formula One shows that we’ve done something right in these last 15 years. It’s a massive weapon you have in your arsenal when you have Mika Hakkinen standing behind you.”