F1 News: Mika Hakkinen Backs F2 Driver Kush Maini In Strive For Formula One
Former World Champion Mika Hakkinen has set his sights on propelling Kush Maini into the F1 arena.
Key Takeaways
- Mika Hakkinen integrates his deep-rooted F1 experience and connections to carve a streamlined pathway for Maini, ensuring every non-driving aspect is handled adeptly, letting Maini fixate solely on his racing.
- Despite his mixed F2 journey, Maini exudes confidence for 2024, stemming from a more structured approach.
- Hakkinen foresees fostering mutually beneficial narratives between Indian corporations and F1, ensuring Maini and the sport itself are propelled onto wider platforms of recognition and success in respective arenas.
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Hakkinen's unequivocal announcement, “F1 is our objective,” punctuates the Finnish champion's guiding role for Maini, extending beyond mere racing tactics to include comprehensive lifestyle and career management, all aimed at unburdening the young racer to focus solely on “driving and winning.”
Kush Maini Press Image
Maini, aged 23, with a robust racing history and a second-place finish in the 2020 British F3 Championship under his belt, manifests a synergy of enthusiasm and realism. He acknowledges the new regimen under Hakkinen, stating to Autosport:
“Having a trainer who's looking after your nutrition at the track, a mind coach looking after anything you're going through on a race weekend. Basically the way Mika works is you narrow down everything to the point where the driver just has one job.
“So just for him to believe that I could reach Formula One shows that we've done something right in these last 15 years. It’s a massive weapon you have in your arsenal when you have Mika Hakkinen standing behind you!”
Hakkinen also commented on the importance of bringing another Indian driver into the sport. He explained:
“India is going to be very powerful. And I want all Indians to know Kush Maini, I want everybody in India cheering him. I want them to feel that he's going to be a winner in Formula One.”
If Maini's journey to Formula One is successful, he will become the third Indian Formula One driver in history after Narain Karthikeyan and Karun Chandhok.
McLaren Press Image