[RahulNagaraj]

India's Jehan Daruvala will have his first F1 outing with McLaren at Silverstone, during the British Grand Prix weekend.

Daruvala will be driving the 2021 McLaren MCL35M as part of the team's Testing of Previous Cars (TPC) programme. The test is aimed to evaluate young talents for the future. Jehan will be accompanied by IndyCar race winner Colton Herta, who is also part of the testing programme.



Jehan Daruvala is currently part of the Red Bull junior programme. The Indian racer has taken five podiums this season and is currently third in the F2 Championship.

The opportunity to test for McLaren is the first break received by Jehan to enter F1. The test programme will allow him to better understand the F1 cars and how they operate. It also makes Jehan only the third Indian to drive in the championship, following Narain Karthikeyan and Karun Chandhok.

The F1 British GP is scheduled to take place between July 1 - 3.

Link to Team-BHP news

[Kanna_8118]

Oh my GOD!!!
Jehan for Mclaren Hope this really comes true.
I am rooting for Jehan since his first F2 season. This is his best F2 season so far, and given the potential driver gaps in F1 next season, he has a real good chance.

[TROOPER]

I think he's far off from an F1 seat.

If he were, he wouldn't have to pay for a test with Mclaren, but would have been driving a Redbull or Alphatauri in the mandatory FP sessions where teams have to let rookies drive.

He's pretty good in races. Quali is where he leaves a lot to be desired. Plus it has taken him 3 seasons, and I don't think he's still performing as well as Tsunoda in his rookie season. He's yet to win a single feature race.

I don't see him entering as a pay driver. Teams are finally turning profitable. They won't need that cash soon. In 2024, Stroll would be the only pay driver on the grid. Latifi will get the boot next year from Williams and then there would be Zhou left, but he seems to be driving well, so remains to be seen what happens of him. Depends on whether Alfa wants to sell cars in China or Pourchaire turns to be a better prospect.

Looking at Gasly leaving Alpha at end of 2023, Jehan has a good chance for that seat, only if he literally blitzes everyone in the remaining races in the championship this year and wins it. Don't see that happening. Or Lawson, Vips and Hauger have to really really underperform, that Redbull would have no choice.

[saats07]

As much as I would like to see some Indian driver in F1, I dont see him driving in F1 anytime soon or anytime at all. He is in top 3 after spending 3 years in F2 and there are many young talents who are competing with him.

But I think he will be great in Formula E. It has good Indian representation and with talks of Indian GP, it will be good pull for teams to have a Indian driver who is performing well.

[Turbohead]

Great progress, but I'll agree with TROOPER.

He may have a better chance as and when the oldies retire - Vettel, Alonso, Hamilton, Perez and Ricciardo. All this won't happen until 2025.

[Hatari]

This is fantastic news and creates history for being only the 3rd Indian ever to drive an F1 car!

Very happy for him and im sure he will learn as much as he can from it.

He should enjoy it, regardless of what happens in the future.

Odds of actually driving a season in F1 are exactly 2 in 1.4 billion?

[Red Liner]

Man, if someone like Piastri is still waiting on the sidelines for a seat at Williams of all teams...I am sorry but he should be bringing some serious talent to eclipse all the guys waiting by the side or really massive funding.

[Chetan_Rao]

Originally Posted by Red Liner

...Piastri...

He's got heavy backing from Renault, and looks the most likely to grab a race seat if Williams drop Latifi next season.

Alonso doesn't have a long-term deal at Alpine but he's performing well and may keep his seat a while yet. That's unless Hamilton retires and Mercedes take Ocon back in the fold, vacating the other Alpine seat.

[Red Liner]

Originally Posted by Chetan_Rao

He's got heavy backing from Renault, and looks the most likely to grab a race seat if Williams drop Latifi next season.

Alonso doesn't have a long-term deal at Alpine but he's performing well and may keep his seat a while yet. That's unless Hamilton retires and Mercedes take Ocon back in the fold, vacating the other Alpine seat.

No Ocon is released and is now an Alpine driver full on. Piastri is a star driver and Alpine will never let him go.

Guaranteed that Williams will drop latifi, take piastri and the Alpine engine for next year.

Alonso will remain until 2024 minimum with Alpine. He is insanely outperforming most other drivers. Its only his team letting him down.

[TROOPER]

So things have got a little less impossible for Jehan.

Juri Vips has been suspended from RedBull for using a racial slur on Twitch stream. His F1 career is over, most probably.

So now he's got to get the better of Hauger, Lawson and Iwasa, in that order.

[kaak009]

Too difficult and highly unlikely he will be seen as a permanent driver for an f1 team. He hasn't performed well in feature and most of the time he is making up lost ground due to qualifying. As much I'd like to see an Indian, Oscar Piastri is my next big bet since Latifi is going to be history.

[veedub89]

While it's great to see an Indian back in the fray for a F1 seat, I doubt that it will actually happen.

Jehan is in his 3rd outing at F2 and I believe his current standing of 3rd in the championship is his highest ever. And going as per current performance at best he can finish at the runners-up spot. Not bad, by any stretch.

He is indeed a great talent, but F1 has more talented people in the waiting. Piastri is definitely one of them. Drugovich could be another if he goes on to win the F2 Championship.

Having said this, I think Jehan could realistically get a reserve driver spot with a F1 team.
If not, DTM, Formula E and Endurance racing are all very good options to consider.

[turbowhistle]

Happy for him but echo the sentiments here, he's pretty far off from a F1 seat. A lot of people are in line and deservingly so.

I have read he might be heading to Formula E next year which is getting traction these days but this was before the Vips news ( Suspended for using a racial slur on a live stream, mostly his motorsport career will be done or go back 3-5 years).

[RahulNagaraj]

Jehan Daruvala eligible for F1 Super License after McLaren test

Jehan Daruvala has successfully completed his first F1 outing with McLaren.

The Indian F2 racer completed 130 laps over 2 days of testing at the Silverstone circuit in McLaren's 2021 F1 car, the MCL35M.



With the McLaren F1 test now under his belt, Daruvala is eligible to apply for a Super License - required to compete in F1. As per the eligibility criteria, a driver must earn 40 Super License points by competing in various international FIA series and must also have driven at least 300 km in a representative F1 car at racing speeds over a max of two days.



With Daruvala in his third year in F2, he has already earned the 40 Super License points. Now, with the 130 laps of track time in the MCL35M also completed, he meets the requirements to apply for the Super License, which takes him a step closer to making him the third Indian to race in Formula1.

Jehan Daruvala's F1 outing was part of McLaren's Testing of Previous Cars (TPC) programme. He is currently part of the Red Bull Junior programme and racing in the 2022 F2 season, positioned third in the overall championship.

Link to Team-BHP news

[Kickdown]

Good for Jehan, but unfortunately thats as far as it goes for him in F1 I guess . I hope I am wrong.

F1 is fierce and ruthless where only the absolute cream of drivers will thrive and survive. Unless you are winning all the junior categories its difficult to plant your foot into the F1 door. Only exception to that is having a super rich Dad .

All his stars will have to realign and work extra hours for him to atleast get a drive in one of the backmarkers let alone a drive at Mclaren.