Jehan Daruvala to make GP3 debut in Abu Dhabi driving for MP Motorsport

INDIAinF1 Desk November 21, 2018

948 1 minute read

*Jehan Daruvala….all set for GP3 debut in Abu Dhabi over the weekend.*

Mumbai, 21 November 2018: Jehan Daruvala will race MP Motorsport’s third GP3 car in the last round of the GP3 series, in Abu Dhabi this weekend. Formula 3 race winner Daruvala from Mumbai, will debut in the highly acclaimed GP3 series with Dutch team, MP Motorsports. Jehan who last year became the first Indian to win a race in the highly competitive FIA F3 European Championship, completed the 2018 season with 1 win, 1 pole, 1 fastest lap and 5 podiums in total.

GP3 is considered an important stepping stone to F1. Current Mercedes F1 racer, Valteri Bottas and 2019 Ferrari F1 racer, Charles Leclerc are just some of the F1 stars who have graduated via GP3. This weekend the GP3 series will serve as a support race, to the F1 season finale at the Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi.

MP Motorsport also currently fields a team in the Formula 2 championship and currently lie 4th in the GP3 series. Jehan will partner Dutchman Richard Verschoor and Canadian Devlin Defrancesco.

“I’m pleased to welcome Jehan to our GP3 team for the final weekend in the series’ nine-year history before we move on to the all-new FIA F3 in 2019,” said MP’s team manager Sander Dorsman. “I’m sure Jehan will gel well with Richard and Devlin, and will help us wave goodbye to GP3 by going out on a high.”

“After my 2017 test, it will be good to gain some more GP3 experience ahead of the 2019 season. I am thankful to MP for giving me this opportunity,” said Jehan. The Mumbai racer first proved his mettle in karts in India, winning the JK Tyre National Karting title in Micro Max. He went on to win the Malaysian Junior Yamaha Title. He then went on to become the first & only Indian to win the CIK FIA Asia Pacific KF3 Championship & subequently the British Superone Karting Championship.

Having finished third in the 2014 CIK-FIA World Karting Championship, Jehan moved to single-seater racing the next year, finishing fifth in the 2015 Formula Renault 2.0 NEC series & runner up in the Toyota Racing Series 2016. In early 2017, he won the New Zealand Grand Prix (Toyota Racing Series). He then debuted in the FIA F3 European Championship where he finished 6th in the championship, with a win, a pole and three podiums in total. In his second FIA F3 season in 2018, Jehan copied those results and added two more podiums and a fastest lap.

Note: The FIA issued specs of the F3 2019 car on Nov 22, 2018.