Arjun Maini to Drive with Trident in the FIA Formula 2 Championship

by Shrutee K/DNS 

20 February 2018, Bangalore: Arjun Maini, supported by JK Racing and TVS Racing, today confirmed his association with Trident for the upcoming 2018 season of the FIA Formula 2 Championship. Arjun moves to the F2 after competing in the GP3 Series where he achieved a historical victory at Barcelona, as the first Indian to win a race in the GP3 Series and followed the victory with a podium in Race 1 at the season ending Abu Dhabi round. His victory in Barcelona was also judged the best win of the year by the GP3 paddock. Testing in the post-season FIA F2 as a rookie, Arjun also displayed remarkable pace, topping two out of the six sessions, making the transition to Formula 2 a natural progression.

Talking about his association for the season, an enthusiastic Arjun shared, "I’m very excited to be competing in the FIA Formula 2 championship with Trident Motorsport. I felt we were quite competitive during the post-season test and given that the series is using all new cars for the coming season, I’m quite excited for the year ahead. Trident is a very strong team and I’m sure if we work hard we’ll be in for some strong results during the course of the season.”

Trident, a team based in Italy began competing in the GP2 Series (now FIA Formula 2) in the year 2006 and was founded by Italian entertainment mogul Maurizio Salvadori. The team has a strong pedigree in the series having run ex-Formula One driver Gianmaria Bruni in its first year of racing and featured several notable names in motorsport including the likes of former Formula One driver and race winner Pastor Maldonado and ex-Ferrari Driver Academy star Raffaele Marciello.

Team owner Maurizio Salvadori said, “Arjun is an undoubtedly valuable prospect who has all that it takes to be among the future stars of motorsports for the years to come. It is certainly not by chance that Haas F1 Team selected him to join their development driver program. Team Trident will provide Arjun with the experience and energy needed for him to continue growing up and reach his ultimate professional goals."

Giacomo Ricci, Team Manager added, "We have been following Arjun Maini for a while and he is an undoubtedly talented driver. He showed great driving skills and race conduct which are going to be some really important aspects in a demanding series like Formula 2. We hope to see him bring home solid results and to have a really competitive season together."

Along with racing for Trident, Arjun will continue his association with Haas F1 Team as a development driver, which will see him embedded with the team, attending races and tests throughout the year while also participating in the team’s simulator program.

Guenther Steiner, Haas F1 Team Principal said, “As Haas F1 Team continues to mature, we must look toward our future and develop potential talent. Arjun was successful in karting and has transitioned well to various Formula series, winning quickly in GP3. We’ll keep a keen eye on his progress this year in F2.”

Arjun’s mentor, former F1 driver Karun Chandhok added “Racing in F2, which was of course called GP2, was the most important phase of my junior Formula career. It’s a great way to put yourself on the radar of the F1 team bosses, and really without winning races and getting podiums in the category, I would never have ended up in F1 or at Le Mans. Arjun did a very good job at the F2 winter tests and this is a logical next step in his career. He will learn about racing a big and powerful car with tyres that are very similar to F1 so it should be a good education for him.”

Tuhin Mishra, the Managing Director & Co Founder of Baseline Ventures had this to say, “Arjun is one of the most promising motorsports athletes of India. It's been an honor & privilege for Baseline Ventures to exclusively represent him and play a small role towards his success. We see a huge future ahead of him. His strong will to succeed in a very difficult sport makes a great case for brands to associate with him and his continued success ensures that he keeps on raising the bar for himself and the other future athletes to emulate him.”

The FIA Formula 2 Championship kicks off at the Sakhir International Circuit in Bahrain from 6th of April 2018.

About Arjun Maini: Arjun Maini, who recently turned 20 has secured over 80 podium finishes including 23 wins in the last six years of his racing career. Arjun made his GP3 debut with Jenzer Motorsport at Silverstone in 2016. He carved himself into Indian racing history the following race weekend when he secured a maiden podium at Hungary. Arjun continued with Jenzer Motorsport for his second stint in the GP3 Series in 2017; which included a history making victory at Barcelona where he became the first ever Indian to win a race in the GP3. Arjun also got a step closer to joining the elite club of Indians in the Formula One when he became a development driver for Haas F1 Team. He was also awarded the 'Best Young Sportsperson' award for 2017 at the SWAB Awards.