Maini wins first race in GP3 series
Arjun Maini, roped in as a junior development driver by Haas Formula 1 team couple of days back, seems to be soaring in confidence at the moment. The 19-year-old Indian, who drives for Jenzer Motorsport, capped off a remarkable week by winning his first race in the GP3 series, finishing on top of the podium in the sprint race (race 2) at the Circuit de Catalunya in Barcelona.
Maini, who became the first Indian to win a GP3 (a feeder series to GP2) race Sunday, was understandably thrilled, more so, as it happened in a famed cirtelecast cuit on a Formula One race weekend (The GP3 rounds are held as a support events during F1 Grand Prix).
“As I stood on the podium and heard the national anthem, I was overjoyed that this moment was across many countries in the world,” said Maini as he cherished his moment of triumph, which came after a hard-fought race. “The national anthem at the podium is a dedication to every Indian who has ever supported me and backed me in any way that they can.”
Earlier, Maini finished Race 1 in seventh position. With the victory and a points finish, Maini is now third in the championship after the first round of the eightround GP3 series. He has 23 points. Nirei Fukuzumi of Japan (Team ART Grand Prix) leads the standings with 29 points, followed by Maini’s Jenzer teammate, Alessio Lorandi of Italy (25).