After bagging a P2 finish in the first race of the 2022 season, Jehan Daruvala had high hopes coming into round 2 of the 2022 FIA Formula 2 season at Saudi Arabia. However, his hopes were crushed as he couldn’t find pace in practice and qualifying at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit, and could only manage to qualify P14. Commenting on his qualifying, Jehan said, “I was a bit surprised, shocked to be honest, about where I was”. His concerns were put at rest as the team found some part “broken on the rear of the car”, reassuring him of a better car for the race.
Jehan Daruvala (Car No. 2) making a move on Trident driver Calan Williams
Photo Credit: Formula Motorsport Limited
The Indian driver drove a great recovery drive in the Sprint race, managing to score points after finishing 7th. He drove an even better race on Sunday, moving from 14th on the grid to P3, grabbing the final spot on the Feature Race podium. “It makes it even more satisfying that in a race without any incidents and Safety Cars I still managed to come from 14th to 3rd so definitely a lot of positives to take and we can build on from here”, Daruvala said in the post race press conference. Daruvala made many impressive moves on his way up to P3, including a late braking lunge overtaking 3 cars at once in typical Daruvala fashion.
Felipe Drugovich dominated the Feature race to win from Pole
Photo Credit: Formula Motorsport Limited
Jehan was joined by Trident driver Richard Verschoor, who secured P2 and looks very much in contention for the title, and Felipe Drugovich, who drove his MP Motorsport car from Pole to win dominating the every stage of the Feature Race.
Richard Verschoor and Felipe Drugovich shared the Feature Race podium with Daruvala
Photo Credit: Formula Motorsport Limited
With this win, Drugovich also took the points lead in the F2 Drivers Championship, as the race saw the title protagonists Theo Pourchaire retire due to a mechanical failure, and Liam Lawson retire due to a failed pitstop. The recovery drives in both the races in Round 2 also meant that Jehan moved from P9 to P6 in the drivers championship, whilst being level on points with 5th placed Theo Pourchaire.
FIA Formula 2 Drivers Standings after Round 2
| Pos. | Driver | Team | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Felipe Drugovich | MP Motorsport | 45 |
| 2 | Liam Lawson | Carlin | 34 |
| 3 | Richard Verschoor | Trident | 32 |
| 6 | Jehan Daruvala | PREMA Racing | 25 |
(Photo Credit: Formula Motorsport Limited)
Highlights
- Jehan qualified P14 and recovered to P3 in the Feature Race
- Felipe Drugovich won the Feature Race from pole, taking points lead
- Richard Verschoor also added to his podium tally
Keyword: F2: Jehan Daruvala Storms From P14 To P3 In Jeddah