Who is MP Motorsport's new driver from India?

Racing talent from Mumbai

Daruvala was born in Mumbai on 1st October 1998. India is certainly not a big racing country, and so young Daruvala did not start karting until he was 13. He won several championships in the eastern part of the world, only to later celebrate wins in Europe as well. In 2014, he even finished third in the World Karting Championship. He finished behind Lando Norris and Nikita Mazepin.

In formula cars, the driver from India continued those strong performances. In his first season in the Formula Renault 2.0 NEC, he was on the podium three times and finished fifth in the championship. A year later, he finished fourth in the same class and also took the win. He impressed even more in the 2016 Toyota Racing Series, where he finished second and won three races. Only Lando Norris beat him again in both championships.

Daruvala's debut season in Formula 3 went well. He won a race on behalf of Carlin and finished sixth in the championship (Norris won again). However, taking the next step proves difficult for Daruvala. In 2018, he won another race and finished on the podium five times, but in the standings he dropped to tenth in the championship due to a shaky season, preventing a move to F2.

Then in 2019, Prema hit the ground running. Daruvala won two races and was on the podium seven times and that consistent season secured third place in the standings. Only teammates Robert Shwartzman and Marcus Armstrong finished above Daruvala in the championship. It earned the Mumbai-based man a move to F2.

Red Bull talent

In F2, Daruvala got another chance at Carlin. In 2020, Daruvala again showed he has pure speed. He won a race in his debut year and was on the podium twice. It is also the year he was accepted into the Red Bull Junior Team. In 2021, he went one step further, when he won two races and stood on the podium five times. Then he finished seventh in the championship.

Last year, Daruvala made another switch from Carlin to Prema, and with success. He finished third in the championship after only one win, but a hugely consistent season with eight podium finishes. More beckons, however, now that MP Motorsport has recruited the 24-year-old driver for 2023.

Daruvala may no longer be the youngest and perhaps not the greatest talent on the planet, but that was also said about Felipe Drugovich prior to 2022. Under the wings of MP Motorsport, his experience and speed were put to the right use to reach the title. The Dutch racing team will hope they can manage the same with Jehan in 2023.