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Kush Maini believes that Indian drivers are at a geographical disadvantage when pursuing a career in motorsport. Speaking to Sportskeeda in an exclusive interview, the F2 driver believes that Indian motorsport needs better infrastructure and the right support.
A junior driver in the Alpine Academy Programme and backed by Mika Hakkinen, Maini is one of the Indian drivers to have the right structure in place to pursue the F1 dream. In comparison to his European counterparts who were privileged to have better motor racing facilities in their vicinity, the 23-year-old felt that relocating at a young age to another continent poses its own challenges.
Maini felt that Indian motorsport needed better infrastructure and the right people to guide racing talent. One of the few Indian drivers to have a decent support structure in terms of mentoring and a racing program, the Bengaluru-born race driver is one of the better-placed motor racing talents from India to have a shot at F1.
Asked by Sportskeeda where Indian racing talent struggled on their path to F1, Kush Maini said:
“Honestly, it's obviously rising now with the whole Drive to Survive and everything. But you know for us it's so much harder to get to where I am even right now. Because you know if you want to race at the top level, then you need to leave home when you are 12 years old maybe and go race in Europe. For them it’s like a one-hour flight or even a drive sometimes, for us we have to leave home and basically live there. It’s a shock for a kid. And we need better infrastructure, we need people. I mean it’s definitely rising right now, it's not going to happen overnight.”
“But we need people who know what they are talking about to try and help young kids achieve what they want to achieve. And having people around you is what I have noticed and what Mika has helped me notice. Having the right people around you and the right guidance is very important in this sport.”
Kush Maini reflects on the family sacrifices for a motorsport career
Most motorsport households have one race driver, but in the Maini household groomed two talents with Kush Maini and Arjun Maini. With motorsport being an expensive sport to pursue, a single racing career itself comes with its challenges, let alone two.
Explaining the sacrifices, the Indian F2 driver acknowledged the efforts invested and sacrifices made by his family. He acknowledged being aware of the struggles that came with the motorsport at a young age but he feels they also require their fair share of sacrifices and efforts.
Asked what efforts it takes to have two race drivers in a motorsport household, Kush Maini said:
“It’s a very tough sport. It’s yeah I mean me and Arjun always have good competition. I always wanted to beat him from when I was young. So that's why honestly, I probably started racing to try and beat him. But you know we both understand each other and we both understand struggle. So you know it's so hard. My dad’s worked so hard and my whole family has worked so hard to get me to where I am right now. And you really do have to give up everything. There’s a lot of sacrifices."
While Kush Maini has been tipped off for the F2 title bid in the 2024 season, Arjun moved to the DTM championship where he races with the Mercedes AMG team GetSpeed. While both traverse their journey to become successful motor racing drivers, the story of a motorsport household and its sacrifices is one that is rarely spoken of.
Currently fifth in the championship, the Saudi Arabian round of the F2 championship was a solid weekend for the Invicta Racing team driver. According to Maini, it’s weekends like the ones in Jeddah that make the family's efforts and sacrifices worth it.
Asked what it feels like when the sacrifices pay off, he replied:
“Yeah like days like today when we get a podium and get good points, it makes it all worth it. In motorsport you are always going to have more bad days than good. But the good days make up for the bad days. So it's important to keep a level head throughout and when you are having a bad day, to think clearly. And when you are having a good day, not to get too happy. So you got to just always be in the medium and that's where you find the sweet spot really."
