Formula Renault 2.0 NEC Hockenheim: Mixed final weekend for Jehan Daruvala

Sahara Force India protege Jehan Daruvala had a mixed weekend at the final round of Formula Renault 2.0 Northern European Cup (NEC) at Hockenheim as he failed to build on his podium finish in the first of three races.

Daruvala arrived at Hockenheim second in the rookie cup, 11.5 points behind ART’s Max Defourny who has a season’s worth of car racing experience under his belt.

In race one, Daruvala held on to his third place grid slot to score his third podium of the season. With Defourny finishing only eighth, the gap was reduced to just 4.5 points going into the final two races of the season.

Neither of the those races went according to plan. In race two, Daruvala was caught out by torrential conditions, running wide multiple times before hitting the wall. Defourny, meanwhile, finished ninth.

In the final race, Daruvala tried to take remedial action after a jump start, falling down to fourth place as a result. Now in the thick of the battle, the Indian driver made contact with Dries Vanthoor, which dropped him in the bottom half of the top 10.

But the worst was yet to come. The stewards handed Daruvala a drive through penalty for the jump start, plummeting him further down the order.

The 17 year old recovered to finish 11th, but it was a race of what could have been, considering his second place grid slot.

Nevertheless, a poor day at Hockenheim takes nothing away from a strong debut season in car racing. Jehan Daruvala scored three podium finishes in total and finished second in the rookie standings, behind a driver who has raced in competitive single seater championships before.