Alex Brundle thinks Alpine have an ‘under-the-radar’ gem in 23-y/o F2 driver

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Alex Brundle thinks Alpine now have an ‘under-the-radar’ gem in Kush Maini after the Indian driver qualified second for the Formula 2 Feature race at the Saudi Arabian GP.

The Enstone squad only signed Maini to their driver academy in October following his rookie season in F2. But his second term in F1’s premier feeder series has gotten off to a rapid start for Invicta Racing. The 23-year-old joined the British team after racing for Campos last year.

Maini caught Alpine’s attention despite only finishing the 2023 season 11th in the Formula 2 standings. He also only made one podium with P3 in the Sprint race at the Australian GP last April. The Bangalore native further only penned points in five of the final 18 races from May.

Kush Maini is justifying’s Alpine driver academy signing

Yet Maini is now fully justifying Alpine’s decision to sign the brother of former F2 racer Arjun Maini. He set the fastest lap in qualifying at the Bahrain GP round last week but lost his pole position due to a breach of the technical regulations. He still finished the Feature race in P7.

Maini will now hope his Invicta Racing car is fully up to code after setting the second-fastest lap in qualifying for the Saudi Arabian GP round. He will start the Feature race this Saturday beside Ferrari protégé, pole-sitter Oliver Bearman, and begin the Sprint race in tenth place.

Alex Brundle now tips Kush Maini to fight for the F2 title

Bearman posted the benchmark lap time in qualifying with a 1:42.217 with the 18-year-old’s penultimate run. But the Briton could not improve to leave a door open for Maini to surpass his efforts. Yet Maini could only run to within 0.025 seconds of Bearman to settle for second.

But what Alpine junior Maini – who 1998 and 1999 Formula 1 champion Miki Hakkinen also mentors – showed during Formula 2’s qualifying at the Saudi Arabian GP impressed Brundle. The son of F1 commentator, Martin Brundle, even feels Maini could challenge for the F2 title.

“A great opportunity for Maini,” Brundle said on Sky Sports F1 (07/03, 15:32). “He’s turned into a contender from nowhere. [He is] another under-the-radar talent for me.”

Zane Maloney, who Red Bull axed from their driver programme over the winter, leads the F2 standings after the Bahrain GP round. The Barbados boy did the double in Sakhir with Sprint and Feature race wins for 36 points. Maini left Bahrain in eighth place after taking six points.