Who is Kush Maini? First Indian racer to join Formula One since 2012
ByTuhin Das Mahapatra
Mar 12, 2025 10:43 AM IST
Indian driver Kush Maini has been appointed as the test and reserve driver for the BWT Alpine F1 Team following his successful stint in Formula 2.
Indian racing driver Kush Maini has joined the BWT Alpine F1 Team as a test and reserve driver.
Kush Maini steps up as BWT Alpine F1 Team's test and reserve driver for 2025(X/Kush Maini)
Kush Maini steps up as BWT Alpine F1 Team's test and reserve driver for 2025(X/Kush Maini)
“I am delighted to step up to the role of Test and Reserve Driver for BWT Alpine Formula One Team this season,” Maini said, per the F1 official website.
Who is Kush Maini?
Born on September 22 in Bengaluru, Kush was born to a family also filled with a racer in his older brother Arjun. On the official Formula 3 website, Maini stated that he spent the initial part of his childhood in Garden City, moved to the UK to practice karting, and spent some time in Italy and Switzerland.
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In 2016, Maini began his single-seater career in the Italian F4 championship with BVM Racing. After that, Maini would head to British Formula 3 where he would pick up a couple of wins and finished second in the same year for Hitech Grand Prix. He also competed in the Formula Renault Eurocup along the way.
With an impressive track record, it was set up he secured a seat in Formula 2 (F2) – Formula 1’s final step. In 2024, he claimed five podiums, including Budapest’s iconic victory.
Maini first took a leap forward in Alpine Academy in October 2023. “Since joining the Alpine Academy ahead of last year, I have been incredibly welcomed in the entire Alpine family and I am thankful to Flavio (Briatore) and Oliver (Oakes) for their continued support,” the Indian driver expressed.
Following his success in Formula 2, Alpine rewarded Maini with a test and reserve driver role for the 2025 Formula 1 season while he continued racing in F2 with DAMS Lucas Oil.
Maini all set to ‘step up to the role of test and reserve driver for BWT’
Maini will now contribute to the team’s car development program by working in Alpine’s state-of-the-art simulator at Enstone, UK. Plus, he will gain valuable on-track experience through TPC (Testing of Previous Cars) sessions. “I am delighted to step up to the role of test and reserve driver for BWT Alpine Formula 1 Team this season,” he shared.
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“I am looking forward to getting more track time in Formula 1 machinery and building on what I have already learned with the team in 2024.”
“Kush has impressed the team across his TPC performances and Formula 2 results. We expect he will continue to do so in 2025,” Julian Rouse, Alpine Academy Director, said.
Notably, before Maini, Narain Karthikeyan and Karun Chandhok were the other two Indian drivers who joined the Formula One lineup.
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