Kush Maini stripped of Bahrain F2 pole

Kush Maini has been disqualified from the Formula 2 Bahrain qualifying session after his Invicta Racing car was found to be in breach of technical regulations. The Indian driver had scored his maiden pole after setting a lap time of 1min 41.696secs, two-tenths clear of his teammate Gabriel Bortoleto.

1. Maini had secured pole with a time of 1min 41.696secs
2. Invicta says infringement likely due to kerb damage

However, following a post-qualifying inspection, stewards found that the height of the left undertray front external strake of his car was below the required minimum height. As a result, all of Maini’s times set during the qualifying session have been removed, promoting Bortoleto to pole. Maini will be starting the Sprint and Feature races from the back of the grid.

Invicta Racing released a statement explaining the infringement was likely due to damage from a kerb.  “Following today’s qualifying session, Kush was disqualified due to a technical infringement which occurred following damage from a kerb. This did not improve the performance of the car,” the statement read.

“The team now shifts focus to maximising results with both cars for the remainder of the weekend.”

After climbing up the karting ladder, Maini made his single-seater debut in 2016, competing in the Italian F4 Championship. He then raced in the Formula Renault Eurocup and British Formula 3, where he finished second overall in 2020.

He made the step up to F2 last year, finishing the season in 11th place. He showed some impressive pace in his rookie season, though, even collecting his first podium at the Australian GP sprint race.

The Indian has also received backing from two major manufacturers. He’s now part of the Alpine F1 team’s young driver programme and he’s also been announced as Mahindra Racing’s new Formula E reserve driver. He’s participating in his sophomore F2 season this year, switching from Campos to Invicta.

The 2024 F2 season gets underway this week, alongside F1. The main race for both championships will be held on Saturday, rather than Sunday.

Also see:

Kush Maini: ‘Formula E test role can help improve F2 results’

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