NEW DELHI: Buoyed by a second-place finish in the first race of the season in Bahrain. Jehan Daruvala has exuded confidence of performing well in Saudi Arabia’s Jeddah Corniche circuit.

The 23-year-old from Mumbai, who races for Prema and is part of the Red Bull Junior Team, is determined to bounce back from a difficult Sakhir Feature race, undone after an aggressive move by Roy Nissany damaged his front wing.

The 6.1-km long Jeddah Corniche circuit, a thrilling combination of flat-out sweeps and high-speed corners hemmed in by walls, made its debut on the calendar last year.

The second-fastest venue on the calendar after Italian ‘Temple of Speed’ Monza, it is one of Jehan’s favourites. He made a stunning double-overtake, hailed as one of the moves of the
season, on champion Oscar Piastri and Christian Lundgaard in the first Sprint race there last year.

He was classified 14th in the second Sprint event due to a time penalty but actually finished second on the road after a race-long battle for the win with Piastri.

“Jeddah is a high-speed, challenging track that I really enjoyed driving at last year,” said Jehan, who is aiming to become the first Indian to win the Formula 2 title.

“The tracksuits the team well, so we can aim for a big result together this weekend.” 

The Jeddah track also played to Prema’s strengths last year. The team locked out the front row in qualifying and won two of the three races, including scoring a one-two in the Feature race.

(Harpal Singh Bedi)