With 12 podiums Kush Maini puts in a creditable show to finish 2nd in British F3
Bengaluru, 11 Nov 2020: Talented Indian racer Kush Maini scored 12 podiums in 24 races and put in a commanding performance till midway through the season but could only achieve a second in the BRDC British F3 Championship. No Indian so far has won a Single Seater Feeder Series Championship in Europe. Kush was leading the Championship till the end of the Round 5 and was in strong contention but the title was not to be.
Kush finished the 2020 season which had a delayed start due to COVID 19 with 12 Podiums out of 24 races which is a high ratio of 50%. On average, there were 17 cars participating in every race from drivers all over the world. This was Hitech GP’s first year in the British F3 championship.
Maini continued his run in the 2020 BRDC British F3 Championship with Hitech GP as the Indian started the seventh and final weekend at Silverstone in a good space dominating the four practice sessions held on Thursday and Friday, to gain much-needed confidence.
Maini was quickest in every session but by just in the last one from title rival Kaylen Fredrick. It was similar in qualifying, but roles reversed as he ended up 0.041s behind the American after slight floor damage. “I made a mistake on my first push lap which compromised the floor of the car, so we were two or three tenths off in the first sector and we lost pole by half a tenth, so the pace is there,” he said.
“The car is really quick and we are on the front row so it’s all to play for. I think I have the pace on him so I’m going to be pushing. You guys are in for a good one this weekend, the reverse grid will obviously change things up as well. I’m looking forward to it, I think that I’m really excited and pumped. For sure we’re going to have some battles, and I’m looking to come out on top.”
The Race 1 saw a slow start for Frederick which Maini wanted to pounce upon but the American squeezed him which resulted in the Indian backing off. That allowed Ayrton Simmons to sneak through and with all off the three on similar pace, it was difficult to regain the lost place.
Maini ended up third eventually, losing more points to Frederick. “I was alongside him [Frederick at the start] and he closed the gap and I was almost in the wall,” he said. “That’s it. The dirty air made it difficult to pass, when two cars are on similar pace you can’t really catch or overtake so, it is what it is.
The Race 2 was a gamble in foggy conditions as both the championship leaders opted for wet tyres on a damp track. They had some gritty fight, even getting a black and white flag for a tussle. Maini made a great start initially from 15th on the grid to be up to seventh carving his way up the field in the opening laps.
However, Maini lost momentum due to damage and fell back to 17th by the end of the race as the wet tyres started to fade. Frederick finished 12th which took the title fight to the final race. The American, though, was in firm control unless he was to retire.
The final race on Sunday saw a similar start from Frederick but it was Maini, who lost out again, to not only drop to fourth but he eventually finished sixth due to earlier damage to end a surprising 2020 British F3 campaign, which he started on just three-days’ notice from Hitech GP.
He claimed second overall, one better than third in 2018, as he finished with 448 points to Frederick’s 499, while Ulysse De Pauw was third with 398. The points gap was not as much as seen here, because in just one reverse grid race where Frederick started 19th he had taken 77 points as Maini took 6th place. Till the previous race, Maini was breathing down the American neck and the last three races, actually let down the Indian’s chances on winning the Championship.
