Jehan Daruvala landed his 18th career F2 podium result after finishing second in the Monaco Sprint Race. The Indian closely trailed winner Ayumu Iwasa, but a tyre pressure issue in the closing laps put victory out of reach.

• Iwasa wins, 6.678 secs from Daruvala
• Daruvala now sixth in standings
• Kush Maini P14

F2 Monaco GP: Daruvala on the podium

An eighth-place qualifying result meant Daruvala started the reverse grid Sprint Race from P3, behind Isack Hadjar and Iwasa. Hadjar held the lead initially, but stopped with a mechanical issue on Lap 6.

By the halfway mark, Daruvala had closed the gap to Iwasa ahead of him and was just 0.7secs behind. He was in a strong position, given Jak Crawford was around seven seconds behind. However, a late race Safety Car quickly erased that advantage.

While Iwasa nailed the re-start, Daruvala dropped behind. Speaking after the race, the MP Motorsport driver revealed that his car suffered tyre pressure and brake issues in the final laps. As a result, he had to settle for second place, while Iwasa took victory and moved into the championship lead. Crawford held off Richard Verschoor for the final podium position.

“It’s a case of mixed feelings right now, to be honest,” said Daruvala after the race. “Coming so close to victory that too here in Monaco only to miss out at the very end is slightly frustrating. On the other hand, to stand on the podium here is always special. So, I’ll take it. I gave it everything today, kept my nose clean and managed my race really well and I’m glad to have come away with this result.”

Tough Monaco Sprint Race for Kush Maini

After getting caught up in traffic, Maini could only manage qualifying in 12th place. Early in the race, he was pitched into a spin after contact Clément Novalak from behind. He recovered to finish 14th.

Maini will once again start tomorrow’s Feature Race from 12th on the grid, while Daruvala will start from P8. The eight points Daruvala collected today moves him to sixth in the drivers’ standings, just one point behind Maini.

2023 F2 Monaco Sprint Race results