Saturday night saw 23-year-old Kush Maini claim his first feature race podium of the fiercely competitive 2024 Formula 2 season. The Indian driver started from pole position despite qualifying second fastest due to the original pole sitter Oliver Bearman getting the call-up from the Ferrari F1 team to stand in for a surgery-bound Carlos Sainz. As the lights went out, Maini wasted no time capitalising on his advantageous starting position, while chaos unfolded behind him.
The Invicta Racing driver, in his second season in the championship, continued his strong form and bolted off the line and quickly broke the one-second gap to second place. However, Jose Pepe Marti's spin on the opening lap at Turn 2 triggered a chain reaction incident involving multiple drivers, including Roman Staněk and Franco Colapinto, ultimately leading to early retirements for Gabriel Bortoleto and others.
As the safety car was deployed to clear the track, strategic decisions came into play regarding tire choices. Only a handful of drivers opted for the medium compound, with the majority sticking to the supersoft option. Enzo Fittipaldi, starting from fourth, strategically manoeuvred his way through the field with exemplary raw pace and eventually claimed the net race lead from Maini on lap 13.
However, Colapinto's incident at Turn 1 on lap 15 prompted another safety car period, altering the complexion of the race once again. Despite the safety car period offering an opportunity for pit stops, some drivers, including Juan Manuel Correa, chose to stay out, banking on the durability of their tyres.
The decisive moment of the race came on lap 22 when Fittipaldi executed a daring move, going three-wide with Cordeel and Correa before overtaking them on the outside. While Maini also made swift progress through the field, Hauger and Jak Crawford capitalised on the final corner exit to claim positions, leaving Cordeel to settle for a lower finish than anticipated.
Enzo Fittipaldi by this point had disappeared up the road finishing an impressive seven seconds ahead of Maini and went on to celebrate an emotional victory in Saudi Arabia, marking his first-ever feature race win in the category.
Maini has showcased front-running pace in both of the opening rounds of the 2024 Formula 2 so keep your eyes peeled for a potential title challenge from the 23-year-old.
