Kush Maini delivered a superb lights to flag performance in the Monte Carlo Sprint Race, securing a landmark victory for DAMS Lucas Oil and becoming the first Indian driver to win in Monaco.
Starting from reverse grid pole, Maini made the perfect getaway and managed the race masterfully despite sustained pressure from PREMA Racing’s Gabriele Minì. The Alpine Academy duo broke clear of the pack early on, while drama unfolded behind them.
Luke Browning dropped to fifth off the line, allowing Minì to snatch second. A bold move from Arvid Lindblad on Jak Crawford at Mirabeau led to contact, with Lindblad emerging in third but later receiving a ten second penalty for causing a collision. That opened the door for Browning to recover to fourth.
The race was briefly neutralised on lap twelve when Joshua Duerksen’s AIX Racing car was left in the barriers at Portier following contact with Oliver Goethe. At the restart, Maini pulled out of DRS range as Minì regrouped, while Lindblad was forced to push and build a gap in an effort to mitigate his penalty.
Further back, Goethe found himself in trouble again, picking up a ten second penalty for contact with Victor Martins at La Rascasse.
With ten laps to go, Minì closed the gap to within two tenths, but Maini held firm under immense pressure. Lindblad, meanwhile, had dropped back strategically to mount a late charge and salvage a points finish.
By the chequered flag, Maini had built enough of a margin to seal a sensational second Formula 2 win, with Minì defending from a hard charging Lindblad to claim second. Once Lindblad’s penalty was applied, Browning was promoted to the final step of the podium, with the Campos driver classified eighth.
Jak Crawford claimed fourth, followed by Richard Verschoor, Sebastián Montoya, Leonardo Fornaroli and Lindblad completing the points.
Kush Maini said it was a great honour to take the win and become the first Indian to do so in Monaco, calling it a dream come true and thanking the DAMS team and his supporters.
Alexander Dunne maintains the lead in the drivers’ championship on sixty five points, but Browning now sits just one point behind on sixty four. Verschoor is third on fifty nine, with Fornaroli on fifty four and Lindblad on forty six.
In the teams’ standings, Hitech TGR remain ahead on ninety three points, followed by Campos Racing on eighty seven and MP Motorsport on seventy one. Rodin Motorsport and Invicta Racing complete the top five with sixty five and sixty three points respectively.
Image: Formula Motorsport Limited
