Misano (Italy), Apr 15 (PTI) India’s Jehan Daruvala has scored his first points in Formula E after enduring a troubled start to his rookie season in the all-electric racing series.
Daruvala, who came to Formula E after four mixed seasons in Formula 2, finished ninth in race two here of the Misano E-Prix on Sunday to collect two points for Maserati MSG Racing.
His previous results in the FIA World Championship status series included two retirements besides a 16th, 20th, 15th and 17th place finish.
The team entered the second race of the weekend after finishing on the podium on Saturday, with driver Maximilian Günther gaining third following the disqualification of Antonio Felix da Costa after a technical breach.
In Qualifying for Race Two, the 26-year-old narrowly missed out on the duels and started from 12th while Daruvala lined up 21st after failing to set a representative lap time in the session.
By securing a strong getaway, Max moved up to seventh on lap one while Daruvala lost ground after struggling for traction off the line.
After activating his first Attack Mode on lap five, Max danced between fifth and ninth before a Safety Car, caused by an accident for Robin Frijns, paused the race on lap eight.
This race neutralisation provided a critical opportunity for Daruvala to close in on the field and when the race was resumed at the end of lap nine, the Indian racer set out on a strong recovery drive.
With the pack punched up, Daruvala vaulted from 20th to 16th on the restart and continued to fight forward, using surplus energy to negotiate his way into the top 10 on the final lap.
“It feels good to score my first points in Formula E. We were starting from the back row, but as a team, we decided on a strategy which we executed very well. “We stuck to our plans, our communication was clear, and it resulted in my first top 10 finish of the season. I’m very happy, and from here, the goal is to fight for more in the future.
“Even after six races, I’m learning all of the time, and I know that there’s still scope for me to learn from today’s race. Monaco is up next and it’s a circuit that I’ve had some success at before,” said Daruvala. PTI BS PDS PDS
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