Indian racer Jehan Daruvala had a breakthrough at the 2024 Misano ePrix Formula E race when he completed ninth and scored his first points in the second race of the double-header weekend on Sunday.
The Indian, driving for Maserati MSG Racing, has had a troublesome begin to his Formula E profession, failing to attain points in the first 4 rounds of the season.
“It feels nice to have my first points for the team, especially at our home race,” stated Daruvala in a media interplay organised by Sony Sports Network, the official broadcaster for Formula E in India.
“I had a good pace throughout the weekend, and I would like to continue this in the upcoming weekends.”
Regarding the transition from F2 to Formula E, Daruvala stated, “Formula E is the most competitive field in terms of drivers. Qualifying is not much different as you still have to drive the car flat out. But in the race, every weekend is different and challenging.”
“It is mentally tiring, and this is where I am still learning. How can one manage energy as much as possible, move through the field, or defend a position? This is where the biggest learning curve is for me.”
Formula E vehicles demand a special driving type from Formula 2, and the Indian feels he’s getting higher at it in this space.
“In F2, when you are looking to save tyres, you don’t try to push too much in the corners and want to be fast down the straights. You don’t want to slide the car into high-speed corners, but in FE, to be efficient, you have to be super quick through corners and coast on the straights,” defined Daruvala.
Though he has proven glimpses of tempo, particularly in qualifying, it has been tougher in the races, the place energy-saving performs an important issue. But the 25-year-old feels the points end after beginning twenty first may help flip his fortunes round.
“At times, I have made small mistakes in qualifying that have had big consequences, starting down way behind. I need to keep working hard, as there is much to learn. But this result will give me the confidence to fight for points regularly moving forward,” stated Daruvala.
