Formula 1: Kush Maini breaking into F1 is a big deal for an Indian

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An Indian in Formula 1 has been nothing more than a footnote in the high-octane sport. News of Kush Maini joining the ranks of test drivers in BWT Alpine Formula One team has caused a flutter among die-hard fans of the sport.

At a time when the focus is on yet another block-bluster season opener in Melbourne's Albert Park, Kush breaking into the top level is news to be celebrated. This writer is fortunate to have tracked the Bengaluru-based boy from his nascent days of racing in India.

He has also emerged from the stables of JK Tyres Racing and is still supported by them. Of course, a tyre manufacturer from India never gets big mileage in the dense world of F1. Rewind to the time of Indian speed king Narain Karthikeyan getting a feel of the wheels in a Jaguar in Britain in 2001, it has been big news.

NK, as he is known to fans, has been in racing as a reputed driver, an icon who stormed many bastions. There is, almost, no series Narain had not competed in. And even in Japan, in the tough series of Formula Nippon, Narain was a legend.

When Narain broke into Formula One, well over two decades back, he was with a very average team. Everyone knew he wasn't going to be in the front row, since the team was a low-budget one. Even for that seat for Narain, massive sponsorship was needed. Not many would know, in motorsport, drivers spend more than they earn. One should not get swayed by emotions or misled by the glitz ands glamour of F1 where the top drivers rake in money.

Narain has been with JK for a very long time, yet when he was there in F1 at his peak, it was courtesy a big sponsorship from the Tatas. Narain was with the British Williams team as well, though he could never make it big. It was a tough ask, since very limited drivers make it big.

In Europe and South America, of yesteryears, when there was no recession like today, nations could pump in massive money for a driver to be on the F1 grid. It is no exaggeration, even Colombian druglords had the green bags to pitch for a driver to be on the grid. Times have changed.

Yet, in essence, at the lower levels of Formula racing, drivers don't make money. When Karun Chandhok, now a celebrity commentator and based on the outskirts of London was also there with a F1 team, there was hype. His stint at a very average F1 team was also not very attractive, dating back to 15 years ago. Karun was part of the F1 circus at the BIC as well in Noida one year but there was plenty of behind the scene politics, so typical of F1. Indians did not get to see race at the BIC.

The story is, how Indians have still made it this far, since F1 is a tough sport to break into. Even though Karun had been based in Britain from his Formula 3 days, graduating to F1 was not easy. In contrast, what Kush Maini has been doing consistently needs to be appreciated.

For those who have tracked his career, he had raced in India as well at the Buddh International Circuit in 2019 in a domestic series, which today runs as the IRL. Where the young man from Bengaluru showcased his speed, consistency and skills was in Formula 2, which is a very important series. To be there in it and keep delivering, Kush may not have made headlines as big as a club cricketer in India does in the Indian Premier League.

"Being a reserve driver of the BWT Alpine team is an incredible opportunity and a moment of intense pride for me and my family. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity," said Kush Maini. For someone mentored by legend Mika Hakkinen, the opportunity created for Kush Maini in 2025 needs to be appreciated. Not every other day does an Indian break into F1.