In what is one of the biggest motorsport news from India, since the final edition of the Indian GP 2013, 19-year old Bengaluru-based racer Arjun Maini has been signed by Haas F1 Team as a development driver.
“It’s an honour to be a part of Haas F1 Team’s driver development program,” Maini said. “All of my racing to date has been with the focus of becoming a Formula One driver, and this opportunity puts me one step closer to my goal. I am eager to learn, understand and experience how a Formula One team operates. Everything I learn can be used immediately in GP3 while preparing for my ultimate goal of Formula One.”
Maini will be embedded with Haas F1 Team at every opportunity, attending races and tests throughout the year while also participating in the team’s simulator program.
The youngster has taken the right steps on the F1 ladder and has been mentored by former F1 driver Karun Chandhok who played a key role in securing this contract.
Speaking about his protege Chandhok said, “I've been managing Arjun along with his father for the past few years. Since the back end of last year we were working on a link with an F1 team and it took a few months for his dad and I to work with Guenther Steiner and the team at Haas F1 to get here. It’s a good first step into the F1 world and Arjun will learn a lot. How we convert this to a race seat in F1 will largely be down to his season in GP3 which starts this weekend.”
“Still, I feel very proud to be one of India’s only 2 F1 drivers thus far, and I hope to help him expand that club in the future,” added Chandhok.
Maini’s role with Haas will involve mostly simulator work at Ferrari’s simulator in Maranello alongside his GP3 commitments and future tests options will be evaluated during the course of the season.
