Kush Maini
Kush Maini (born 22 September 2000) is an Indian racing driver who currently races for MP Motorsport in FIA Formula 3. He has previously competed in Formula 4, the Formula Renault Eurocup and the FIA World Endurance Championship, and is a race winner in the BRDC British Formula 3 Championship. He is the younger brother of Arjun Maini, also a racing driver who competed in GP3 and Formula 2, and the nephew of Indian business magnate Chetan Maini. Career. Lower formulae. 2016. Maini started his single-seater career in 2016, competing for BVM Racing in the Italian F4  Championship. His campaign started in a strong fashion, scoring points in the first six races of the year. After a difficult middle part of the year, the Indian scored his first podium in car racing, taking third place at the final race in Vallelunga. He finished the season 16th in the standings and ended up fifth in the rookies' championship. 2017. For 2017 Maini moved to Jenzer Motorsport, once again racing in Italian F4, partnering Giorgio Carrara, Federico Malvestiti, Giacomo Bianchi and Job van Uitert. Maini's sophomore year would prove to be more successful, with two podiums at Imola  and Monza, as well as a slew of top five finishes helping him finish eighth in the end results. Progression in single-seaters. 2018. In 2018 the Indian driver stepped up to the British Formula 3 Championship with Lanan Racing. The season ended up being a breakthrough year, winning the reversed-grid race at Rockingham and scoring seven further podiums, which meant that Maini would end up third in the standings. 2019. The following year, Maini switched to the Formula Renault Eurocup with M2 Competition. He hit the ground running with a podium in his first race at Monza, but  was unable to replicate such result again throughout the season. He was a consistent points scorer though, and came sixth in the standings with 102 points, as the second highest placed rookie. 2020. Initially intending to remain in the Eurocup in 2020 with 3-time champions R-ace GP, the Indian changed his plans following the COVID-19 pandemic and returned to the British F3 series, teaming up with Hitech Grand Prix. Maini finished second in the standings, having won three races throughout the year. 2021. Maini began 2021 competing for new Indian outfit Mumbai Falcons in the F3 Asian Championship  during the winter, partnering Formula 2 driver Jehan Daruvala. He endured a tough start to the season, but a run of seven points finishes in the last nine races, including a podium at the last round in Abu Dhabi, moved him up to 11th place in the standings. He was unable to find a full-time drive for the main season, his sole other race of the year coming at the 6 Hours of Bahrain of the 2021 FIA World Endurance Championship, as a one-off replacement in ARC Bratislava's LMP2 squad. FIA Formula 3 Championship. Maini progressed to  the FIA Formula 3 Championship in 2022, driving alongside Caio Collet and Alexander Smolyar at MP Motorsport. Maini was quoted as saying that he was "excited to join MP Motorsport for [his] first year in FIA F3", and that the team's results the previous year showed "their ability to coach rookie drivers on their way to immediately performing well in the series". Racing record. Racing career summary. As Maini was a guest driver, he was ineligible to score points. <nowiki>*</nowiki> Season still in progress. Complete FIA Formula 3 Championship results. <nowiki>*</nowiki> Season still in progress