BENGALURU: Indian racer
Arjun Maini
is on the fast track to achieving his dream of becoming a
Formula One
driver.
The 18-year-old from Bengaluru, who was roped in by
Haas F1
as a developmental driver last week, rewarded the American team for its faith by becoming the first Indian to post a GP3 Series victory when he prevailed in Barcelona just three days later on Sunday.
Thrust into the spotlight, Maini told TOI that he was still coming to terms with his progress. "The journey has been surreal and the past week has been lifechanging. It has inspired me to work harder towards my goal of being a Formula One driver," said the youngster, who will continue to drive for Switzerland-based Jenzer Motorsport, while also testing with Haas - on track and in their simulator.
"This past week has undoubtedly been overwhelming.
I had goosebumps hearing the national anthem and seeing the Indian tricolour dis played on the podium just over me and that will definitely be one of my favourite memories from the weekend," he said, reflecting on his podium finish in
Race 2
at the
Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya
.
Maini said his immediate goal would be to triumph in the GP3 Series. "Right now, I am third in the championship with seven more race weekends to go and I plan to learn as much as I can from the Haas association as I go along. I'm working hard with my team to slowly achieve my goals one step at a time," he said.
Arjun progressed from junior-level karting before winning a year-long scholarship to develop his skills as part of Force India's One from a Billion hunt in 2011. He then had a stint in the British Formula 4 championship and the European Formula 3 championship before switching over to GP3.