CHENNAI: The endurance round of the 2022 GT World Challenge Europe at Hockenheimring was full of action and frequent safety car interuptions. Amid the chaos, Bengaluru-based racer Arjun Maini, along with HRT teammates Hubert Haupt (Germany) and Florian Scholze (Germany), managed to keep cool and secure a podium finish in the gold class — thier second of the season.
The 25-year-old, who has previously driven in Formula 2, GP3 and the World Endurance Championship, says his transition to GT racing from single-seaters and prototypes was tougher than he imagined. “It was harder than I thought but I was on pace quickly. It worked out perfectly in the end given the results so far,” he shares.
After nearly a year away from home, racing in Europe, Arjun has returned to Bengaluru for a much-needed break. “Coming back home is always incredible. There’s nowhere else that I would rather live. I love dosaes, and the first thing I do when I get home is eat some,” he laughs.
Arjun grew up watching Michael Schumacher’s dominance in Formula 1 with Ferrari in the early ’00s, which inspired him to take up racing at the age of eight. He quickly proved himself capable in karts, raking in wins and championships and was touted as a future F1 talent. He continued his winning streak after graduating to cars, despite ever-increasing odds.
In his first season in Formula 4, he lost to his then teammate and current Mercedes F1 driver George Russell by just 3 points. He progressed to GP3 and eventually F2. But the results, although exceptional at times, ceased consistency. Saddled with some of the slowest machinery on the grid, Arjun often struggled with his race pace. “You sometimes don’t know whether it’s you that’s on the back foot or your machine. So, it’s very tough,” he shares.
Despite regularly fighting for points, Arjun’s performances often went unnoticed. Apart from a victory and a few podiums, his stint in F2 didn’t turn heads. Following his exit from F2 in 2019, his F1 dreams were dampened. He sought greener pastures and did a stint of endurance racing, including a stint in the prestigious Le Mans 24h, amongst a field that had the likes of two-time F1 world champion Fernando Alonso. “I really didn’t like the politics in F2. I wanted to go back to the kind of racing we did in junior formulae,” he shares. “I’m still in love with the sport. But F1 is not the dream anymore.”
Having raced with several current F1 drivers in junior formulae, Arjun has intimate knowledge about their strengths. With George Russell and Charles Leclerc most likely to go head-to-head next year, which one is likely to come out on top? “Both are very close. But I would put my money on Russell. Although Leclerc is slightly quicker, Russell is more consistent and resilient,” Arjun concludes.
While older brother Arjun Maini recently secured his second podium finish at the GT World
Challenge Europe, younger boy Kush Maini is stepping up to the next season of FIA Formula 2. In a candid conversation with dese gowda, the siblings share what it takes to reach the finish line