Kush Maini
ಕುಶ್ ಮೈನಿ
Maini driving theDallara F2 2024 during the2024 Spielberg Formula 2 round
Born	(2000-09-22)22 September 2000 (age 24) Bangalore, Karnataka, India
Relatives	Arjun Maini (brother) Chetan Maini (uncle)
Nationality	Indian
FIA Formula 2 Championship career
Debut season	2023
Current team	DAMS
Racing licence	FIA Silver
Car number	12
Former teams	Campos,Invicta
Starts	54 (54 entries)
Wins	1
Podiums	6
Poles	1
Fastest laps	1
Best finish	11th in2023
Previous series
2022 2021 2021 2018,2020 2019 2017 2016–2017	FIA Formula 3 FIA WEC F3 Asian BRDC British F3 Formula Renault Eurocup ADAC F4 Italian F4

Kush Maini (Kannada:ಕುಶ್ ಮೈನಿ,pronounced[kuʃˈmai.ni]; born 22 September 2000) is an Indianracing driver, who competes in theFIA Formula 2 Championship forDAMS, and serves as a reserve driver inFormula One forAlpine and inFormula E forMahindra.

Maini has previously competed inFormula 4, theFormula Renault Eurocup, theFIA World Endurance Championship, theBRDC British Formula 3 Championship, andFIA Formula 3. Maini is anAlpine Academy member.

He is the younger brother ofArjun Maini, also a racing driver who competed inGP3 andFormula 2, and the nephew of Indian business magnateChetan Maini. Maini is also mentored bytwo-time Formula One championMika Häkkinen.^[1]

Maini started his single-seater career in 2016, competing for BVM Racing in theItalian F4 Championship.^[2] His campaign started in a strong fashion, scoring points in the first six races of the year. After a difficult middle part of the year, the Indian scored his first podium in car racing, taking third place at the final race inVallelunga. He finished the season 16th in the standings and ended up fifth in the rookies' championship.^[3]

For 2017 Maini moved toJenzer Motorsport, once again racing inItalian F4, partneringGiorgio Carrara,Federico Malvestiti, Giacomo Bianchi andJob van Uitert.^[4] Maini's sophomore year would prove to be more successful, with two podiums atImola andMonza, as well as a slew of top five finishes helping him finish eighth in the end results.^[5]

In 2018 the Indian driver stepped up to theBritish Formula 3 Championship with Lanan Racing.^[6] The season ended up being a breakthrough year, winning the reversed-grid race atRockingham,^[7] and scoring seven further podiums, which meant that Maini would end up third in the standings.^[8]

The following year, Maini switched to theFormula Renault Eurocup withM2 Competition.^[9] He hit the ground running with a podium in his first race atMonza, but was unable to replicate such result again throughout the season.^[10] He was a consistent points scorer though, and came sixth in the standings with 102 points, as the second highest placed rookie.^[11]

Initially intending to remain in theEurocup in 2020 with 3-time championsR-ace GP,^[12] the Indian changed his plans following theCOVID-19 pandemic and returned to theBritish F3 series, teaming up withHitech Grand Prix.^[13] Maini was sustained in a title fight with rivalKaylen Frederick, winning three races that season inBrands Hatch,Donington Park andSnetterton.^[14][15][16] It allowed to place second in the standings.^[17]

Maini began 2021 competing for new Indian outfitMumbai Falcons in theF3 Asian Championship during the winter, partnering Formula 2 driverJehan Daruvala.^[18][19] He endured a tough start to the season, but a run of seven points finishes in the last nine races, including a podium at the last round inAbu Dhabi, moved him up to 11th place in the standings.^[20]

He was unable to find a full-time drive for the main season, his sole other race of the year coming at the 6 Hours of Bahrain of the2021 FIA World Endurance Championship, as a one-off replacement inARC Bratislava's LMP2 squad.^[21]

Maini progressed to theFIA Formula 3 Championship in 2022, driving alongsideCaio Collet andAlexander Smolyar atMP Motorsport.^[22] Maini was quoted as saying that he was "excited to join MP Motorsport for [his] first year in FIA F3", and that the team's results theprevious year showed "their ability to coach rookie drivers on their way to immediately performing well in the series".^[23] He started his season off by qualifying in third place inBahrain, however Maini would be forced to start from the back of the grid for both races due to him missing the weighbridge during the session.^[24][25] At the next round inImola, Maini scored his first points of the season with a fifth-placed finish.^[26] More points followed atSilverstone, where Maini lost out on the podium toReece Ushijima in the sprint race.^[27] Qualifying sixth inHungary, Maini would experience his best weekend of the season.^[28] He finished third on Saturday, after a mistake fromIsack Hadjar ahead, thus scoring his only podium of the year.^[29] He followed it up with seventh in the feature race.^[30] However, this would end up being his final points finish of the year, as Maini ended up 14th in the drivers' standings with 31 points.^[31]

In November 2022, Maini was confirmed to drive forCampos Racing in the2023 F2 season,^[32] also taking part in the 2022 Formula 2 post-season test at theYas Marina Circuit.^[33] He qualified sixth in theBahrain season opener^[34] He made a storming start in the feature race to second, but was later overtaken by teammateRalph Boschung and late in the race byZane Maloney, finishing fourth in the end.^[35] Fifth place in theJeddah sprint race boosting him as the highest rookie in the standings,^[36] before securing his first and only podium in theMelbourne sprint race after scrapping withArthur Leclerc.^[37][38] He finished ninth in the feature race.^[39]Baku was relatively superb, scoring a huge haul of points with a fourth and fifth place, lifting him to fifth in the standings early on.^[40] The next round inMonaco started on a wrong note, being spun on the opening lap in the sprint. Nonetheless, a timely red flag salvaged his weekend, and was able to finish the feature race in sixth place, having not yet changed his tyres prior.^[41]

However, Maini endured his first non-scoring round inBarcelona.^[42] He too was also unable to in the following two rounds due to incidents and Campos' declining race pace, despite achieving top-4 in both qualifying sessions.^[43][44] He returned to the points with sixth in theBudapest sprint race, despite starting on reverse pole.^[45] In a chaoticSpa-Francorchamps feature race, Maini advanced to the points, with eighth place.^[46] He returned to his qualifying form inMonza, securing sixth.^[47] Finishing fifth in the sprint race, he was set for more in the feature race but retired after a collision withJak Crawford, which broke the Indian driver's front wing.^[48] Maini qualified third for theYas Marina season finale.^[49] After accruing a penalty for spinning outJuan Manuel Correa in the sprint,^[50] he endured a scruffy feature race saw Maini slip down to ninth place as the chequered flag fell.^[51]

Maini ended the season 11th in the drivers' standings, scoring 62 points and one podium, even finishing ahead of countryman and F2 veteranJehan Daruvala.^[52]

For his second season in the category, Maini switched toInvicta Racing in2024 alongside reigningFormula 3 champion andMcLaren juniorGabriel Bortoleto.^[53] Maini started the season inBahrain with the fastest lap time in qualifying,^[54][55] but was disqualified due to a technical infringement.^[56] After finishing thirteenth in the sprint,^[57] Maini starred in an impressive recovery drive in the feature race, making up fourteen places for seventh place.^[58]

At the next round inJeddah, Maini qualified second next toOliver Bearman, but was later promoted to pole position after Bearman skipped the round to participate in theFormula OneSaudi Arabian Grand Prix.

In2025, Maini will once again switch teams, joiningDAMS Lucas Oil alongsideJak Crawford.^[59]

In October 2023, Maini was announced to be joining theAlpine Academy.^[60] Maini experienced his maiden Formula One test at theRed Bull Ring, driving theAlpine A522 and describing it as "a dream come true".^[61]Over the following six months, Maini took part in further tests with Alpine atImola,Yas Marina andLusail.^[62][63] In March 2025, Maini was announced as one of the test and reserve drivers for Alpine for the2025 season, alongsidePaul Aron,Franco Colapinto andRyō Hirakawa.^[64][65]

In November 2023, Maini was confirmed to be the reserve driver forMahindra Racing for the2023–24 Formula E season.^[66] He took part in theBerlin rookie test with the team later that year.^[67] In February 2025, Mahindra Racing selected Maini once again for the rookie free practice session at theDiriyah ePrix,^[68] where he topped the timesheets.^[69][70]

^† As Maini was a guest driver, he was ineligible to score points.
* Season still in progress.

(key) (Races inbold indicate pole position) (Races initalics indicate fastest lap)

(key) (Races inbold indicate pole position) (Races initalics indicate fastest lap)

^† As Maini was a guest driver, he was ineligible to score points.

(key) (Races inbold indicate pole position) (Races initalics indicate fastest lap)

(key) (Races inbold indicate pole position) (Races initalics indicate fastest lap)

(key) (Races inbold indicate pole position) (Races initalics indicate the fastest lap of top ten finishers)

(key) (Races inbold indicate pole position) (Races initalics indicate fastest lap)

(key) (Races inbold indicate pole position; races initalics indicate points for the fastest lap of top ten finishers)

(key) (Races inbold indicate pole position) (Races initalics indicate points for the fastest lap of top ten finishers)

* Season still in progress.

• Official website
• Kush Maini career summary at DriverDB.com

• Living people
• 2000 births
• Indian racing drivers
• BRDC British Formula 3 Championship drivers
• Formula Renault Eurocup drivers
• F3 Asian Championship drivers
• Sportspeople from Bengaluru
• Italian F4 Championship drivers
• ADAC Formula 4 drivers
• FIA World Endurance Championship drivers
• FIA Formula 3 Championship drivers
• BVM Racing drivers
• Jenzer Motorsport drivers
• M2 Competition drivers
• Hitech Grand Prix drivers
• MP Motorsport drivers
• Karting World Championship drivers
• Prema Powerteam drivers
• FIA Formula 2 Championship drivers
• Campos Racing drivers
• Mumbai Falcons drivers
• Virtuosi Racing drivers
• DAMS drivers

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