Jehan Daruvala Joins Champions MP Motorsport for 2023 F2 Season

Jehan Daruvala will compete in Formula 2 once more this year and has joined the reigning champions MP Motorsport for the upcoming season. He will be racing in F2, a division below F1 on the single-seater ladder, for the fourth consecutive year. Since his F2 debut in 2020, Daruvala has been able to win at least one race each season, racking up four wins and 15 podium finishes. He spent two seasons with Carlin before switching to Prema Racing last year, where he ultimately placed seventh overall for the season. Even though the 24-year-old, who had his eyes focused on the championship, didn't get the result he was hoping for, he still managed to win at Monza and finish on the podium eight times. In addition, he participated in several F1 test appearances as a part of McLaren's Testing of Previous Cars (TPC) programme.

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He will now race for MP Motorsport, which won the teams' and drivers' championships last year. Daruvala's transfer to the Dutch squad has been widely speculated since he took part in their post-season test in November 2022. He set the second-fastest time in the morning session of Day 2 in Abu Dhabi. Daruvala commented on this transfer stating, "I’m extremely excited to be racing for MP Motorsport. The team has progressed tremendously and impressed the entire F2 field with their performances last year. They showed consistent front-running pace, wrapped up both the drivers’ and team’s titles and go into the 2023 season as the team to beat." It is interesting to note that he will team up with his 2022 team member Dennis Hauger at MP Motorsport. “I am confident Dennis and I can build on that success and lead the team to more race wins, podiums and, hopefully, championship glory in 2022," he added. 

Sander Dorsman, team principal, MP Motorsport, emphasised how Daruvala's expertise will benefit the team even more. He commented on the same, saying, "He has been a consistent frontrunner right from his debut in the category, taking wins in every F2 season he has competed in. His experience will be of great value to the team, so we are very much aiming for a repeat of last year’s form." 

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This year, Daruvala will don two hats. He will compete in the 2023 Formula E season as Mahindra Racing's backup driver in addition to his F2 campaign. He will work with Mahindra engineers in a simulator as part of his Formula E reserve responsibilities, and he will also be available in the event that Lucas di Grassi or Oliver Rowland are unable to compete due to unforeseen circumstances. Bahrain will host F2 pre-season testing from February 14–16.