Why Kush Maini's Formula 2 Sprint Race Win in Monaco is a Positive Sign of Progress Towards Eventual Formula 1 Dream

Ahead of the 2025 Formula 1 season, Indian motorsports driver Kush Maini had made history by becoming the first Indian in well over a decade to be associated with F1 in any capacity when he landed a deal to be one of Alpine's reserve drivers. 

However, being a reserve driver isn't the dream - getting a permanent seat in F1 is. And for that to be a reality, Maini knew he would have to put in good performances in Formula 2, which is the feeder system for F1. 

2025 would be Maini's second season in the series, and he showed that he's learnt from his rookie year experiences by winning the sprint race at Monaco on Saturday (May 24). 

It was a historic win, as Maini did something no Indian has ever done before - win a Formula 2 race of any kind. 

ALSO READ | Lando Norris Overjoyed As He Gets Pole In Monaco GP

True to His Word

Before the season got underway, Maini made it clear that his major focus would be his F2 career when speaking to Republic Sport Fit in an exclusive interview. 

"I think F2 is my priority - to finish in the front of F2 because I know being a reserve driver and doing well in F2, it's going to open a lot of doors for FP1s and who knows in the future, maybe a seat. So for me, my main goal is F2. And when F1 needs me, I'm obviously there on call, and I'm there to learn as much as I can. But right now, my goal is to perform as well as I can in Formula 2," he stated.

He is yet to get an opportunity to be part of an F1 practice session so far this season, but that will come in the latter stages of the season. For now, he needs to focus on doing better in F2. 

He followed up the sprint race win with a 6th-place finish in the feature race, making it the first time this season that he's gotten points in both the sprint and feature race. 

However, context is important - and while there is no doubt that Maini's win should be celebrated, it is also important to look a little deeper and see how it impacts his F1 chances. 

Maini's Win Just The Start - Now He Needs More

For one, the grid in the sprint race is set using the ‘reverse grid’ method i.e. the drivers who qualify from 1-10 start in the reverse order. So if you qualify 10th, you start 1st - and that is exactly where Kush Maini qualified for the Monaco F2 race. 

So he got the chance to start the sprint first and then did well to hold off the others and stay in front. But in the feature, it was his Dams Lucas Oil Racing teammate Jack Crawford who got the win. 

Nevertheless, he got valuable points in the sprint too and will hope that this is the boost his season needs, after only scoring 1 point in all the races prior to this. 

For Maini, the path to F1 is simple - he needs to win the F2 world championship to impress teams in the sport, and could well get a shot in his academy team Alpine given how turbulent their driver situation is. 

But if that is to be a reality, he will need to keep winning races because he does not have the kind of sponsorship backing that other drivers may have which make them attractive options to F1 teams even if their results are middling. 

Therefore, it is necessary that Maini builds on the momentum he got in Monaco and looks to kick on and make this the season that finally brings an Indian driver back to F1.