Mumbai Falcons End F3 Asia Season Finale With Podiums

Mumbai Falcons bounced back from a difficult of the 2021 F3 Asian Championship, by taking podiums in the season finale at the Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi. Jehan Daruvala's slim chance to take the drivers' championship ended thanks to a seventh place finish in the first of three races of the fifth and final round. Daruvala's third place finishes in rounds two and three consolidated third place in the standings while fellow F2 rival, Guanyou Zhou won the title, 55 points ahead of the Mumbai native. France's Pierre-Louis Chovet finished second, 16 points behind Zhou.

While Jehan Daruvala set the third quickest time in Qualifying 1, a three-place grid penalty from the previous round's race dropped him to 6th on the grid. This promoted teammate Kush Maini to 4th place. The opening laps saw Daruvala drop to 8th, whereas Maini managed to hold on to his position. A late-race retirement up front promoted Daruvala to 7th place, and Maini upto to 3rd to finally score his maiden podium of the season.

The fastest lap times from the previous race saw Daruvala and Maini line up 3rd and 5th for Race 2. This time, Daruvala did manage to hold on to his position off the line, and stayed there until the chequered flag. Finishing right behind was his teammate, Maini, who gained a position early on to a strong result for the Mumbai Falcons squad.

Qualifying 2 meant Daruvala yet again lined up 3rd on the grid, with Maini in 8th for the final race of the season. While Daruvala did apply consistent pressure on Patrick Pasma for second, he eventually had to settle for the final spot on the podium. Kush Maini had a relatively quiet race to finish where he started in 8th position.

By taking 3rd in the driver's standings, Jehan Daruvala is awarded 12 FIA Super Licence points. This is important for Daruvala's Formula One aspirations as 40 points are required to be eligible for an FIA Super License. This license allows the driver to compete in the FIA Formula One World Championship.