Indian national anthem echoes at Monte Carlo as Kush Maini makes history with F2 Sprint win at Monaco GP
Indian motorsport witnessed a proud moment on Saturday as Kush Maini etched his name in history, becoming the first Indian to win a Formula 2 race at Monaco. Driving for DAMS Lucas Oil, Maini delivered a flawless, lights-to-flag performance to clinch the Sprint Race victory on the iconic streets of Monte Carlo.
The win marked Maini's maiden F2 triumph and his first podium finish of the season — one that couldn't have come at a more prestigious venue. Starting from pole courtesy of the reverse grid rule (having qualified 10th for the feature race), the BWT Alpine F1 reserve driver made a solid getaway and held his nerve across 30 high-pressure laps.
Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel.
SUBSCRIBE NOW!
An emotional Maini stood atop the podium, singing the Indian national anthem as it played across Monaco's legendary street circuit.
'P1 and first Indian to win at Monaco. It's a great honour and dream come true really. We keep believing,' said Maini, thanking DAMS and his long-time supporters after the win.
WATCH:
In the pit lane, Indian business magnate Gautam Singhania was seen celebrating with the 24-year-old, underlining the continued support from JK Racing and TVS Racing — the two entities that have backed Maini since his junior racing days.
Shubman Gill story: From a remote village near the border to India's Test captain
Having endured a challenging start to the 2025 F2 season, this win comes as a timely boost. Maini now shifts focus to Sunday's feature race and will aim to carry his momentum to Barcelona next weekend.
Get
IPL 2025
match
schedules
,
squads
,
points table
, and live scores for
CSK
,
MI
,
RCB
,
KKR
,
SRH
,
LSG
,
DC
,
GT
,
PBKS
, and
RR
. Check the latest
IPL Orange Cap
and
Purple Cap
standings.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Hindustan Times
an hour ago
- Hindustan Times
Aldrin, Shaili struggles weigh on India's long jump
New Delhi: Murali Sreeshankar's 8.13m winning effort at Sunday's World Athletics Continental Tour meet in Bhubaneswar continues his steady comeback after a year out due to injury, but Indian long jump otherwise seemed to have tapered off. Murali Sreeshankar won with a 8.13m effort at Sunday's World Athletics Continental Tour meet in Bhubaneswar. (IIS) Sreeshankar's final jump that ensured victory, although still 14 cm shy of automatic qualification for next month's World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, was among the positives from India staging a meet of this stature. The men's javelin competition taking place around the same time at the Kalinga Stadium on a hot and humid evening saw a bunch of Indian throwers perform at a promising level, perhaps a reflection of the Neeraj Chopra effect. It didn't seem the case in long jump. While Sreeshankar was straining to win the event from 21-year-old Shahnavaz Khan – his 8.04m was the best till the 26-year-old bettered it in his final attempt – young national record holder Jeswin Aldrin had hobbled off without a jump, citing a left ankle niggle. At 23, Aldrin, whose national mark of 8.42m was set in 2023, should be touching his prime. However, the Reliance trainee has been grappling with a series of injuries instead. His best this season is 7.83m, at the federation championships in Kochi in April. It wasn't very promising in women's long jump either. Shaili Singh, the Anju Bobby George academy product who is trained by her husband Bobby George, only managed a modest 6.28m. The 21-year-old former junior world silver medallist has a best of 6.76m and touched 6.64m at the April federation championships, but she also said an ankle problem in her take-off leg hampered her. When Sreeshankar was ruled out of the 2024 Paris Olympics with injury, Aldrin was expected to provide a good impression of Indian long jump's progress. But he was eliminated after a best of 7.61m in qualification. The last time Aldrin hit 8 metres was in August 2023. He has also struggled with his left knee that he injured during the Budapest World Championships that year. In 16 competitions since, his best is 7.99m. James Hillier, athletics director at Reliance High Performance Centre, said: 'Jeswin is a tremendous talent but unfortunately he is struggling a little with his body. He'll be back stronger next season.' Last year, only one Indian, Aditya Kumar Singh of Uttar Pradesh, crossed 8m. Shaili's stagnation is surprising. Seen as the one likely to surpass Anju's national mark of 6.83m – it was set in 2004 – since her success as a junior, she finished fifth in the 2023 Hangzhou Asian Games (6.48m). In Bhubaneswar, Shaili managed only two legal jumps, though her 6.28m was good to win from a depleted field. Ancy Sojan, the Hangzhou silver medallist, pulled out citing a muscle strain in her take-off leg. Since May 2023, Shaili has crossed 6.60m only twice and her chance of qualifying for Tokyo looks dim. The entry standard is 6.86m while Shaili's Road to Tokyo ranking is 61 where only the top 36 qualify. Shaili said: 'I am not too disappointed with the result considering that I was competing with a niggle in the take-off ankle. I'll end my season at the Inter State in Chennai (August 20-24) and take time off for rest and recovery.' Perhaps Aldrin and Shaili will benefit from proper recovery and rehabilitation. Shahnavaz though holds some promise. Sreeshankar's younger training partner at SAI Thiruvananthapuram had a second best effort of 7.88m. 'He is a great kid and an amazing talent to watch out for,' Sreeshankar said. 'Even if I had lost to Shahnavaz, I would have been alright because he is a very good talent.' Bihar's 24-year-old Sunny Kumar is also seen as having potential. He disappointed on Sunday – he was 10th with a best of 7.25m – although Kumar jumped a personal best of 7.90m at the Indian Open in Bengaluru in June. Sreeshankar, Shahnavaz and Kumar are all expected to take part in the Chennai Inter State meet.
Time of India
3 hours ago
- Time of India
Gadkari: Farmers will have to become fuel producers to reduce biofuel import
Pune: Stressing on the need to increase the biofuel production to make India self-sufficient, Union minister of road transport and highways Nitin Gadkari on Monday said the country's farmers would have to produce it. He said, "Indian farmers will have to be encouraged to become fuel producers, along with food producers, to reduce the burden of biofuel import," he said, addressing the 10th anniversary of the World Biofuel Day event organised by Praj Industries in the city on Monday. Founder chairman of Praj Industries Pramod Chaudhary and managing director of Kirloskar Brothers Sanjay Kirloskar were present at the event. Lauding the efforts of the automobile industry in the country's development, Gadkari said surpassing Japan, India had become the third biggest automobile producer in the world and it gave maximum revenue to the country. But the minister reminded the audience that the industry was also contributing to air pollution. You Can Also Check: Pune AQI | Weather in Pune | Bank Holidays in Pune | Public Holidays in Pune "Nearly 40% of the air pollution is because of motor transport. We are still not being serious about its ill-effects. Along with economic development, we also need to balance our ecology, and for that, biofuel will play the most important role in the coming years," Gadkari said. The minister said India was still heavily dependent on the import of biofuel. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like 20 Unforgettable Cars from the Past Undo "India has to import biofuel worth Rs22 lakh crore per annum. If we encourage the production of biofuel in the country, it will not only address the ecological issue but also reduce the economic burden on the country," he said. Gadkari stressed on the need to increase the agriculture sector's share in the Indian economy to improve the rural economy. He said, "While the country's economy is growing, the situation of the rural sector is deteriorating. Nearly 60 to 65% of the population is still dependent on agriculture, but its share in the Indian economy is merely 12 to 14%. If we want to achieve the goal of becoming the third largest economy, the agriculture sector will have to contribute 22 to 24%. The govt has adopted a policy of diversification of the agriculture sector to promote power and energy generation." He said, "Today we have ample production of agricultural produce, but farmers are not getting the desired remuneration. If we utilise the production for creating biofuel, it will help farmers to get more money and change the rural economy. Stay updated with the latest local news from your city on Times of India (TOI). Check upcoming bank holidays , public holidays , and current gold rates and silver prices in your area.
Deccan Herald
3 hours ago
- Deccan Herald
Kujur, Sreeshankar, Annu shine
Star sprinter Animesh Kujur, veteran javelin thrower Annu Rani, and long jump ace Murali Sreeshankar lived up to expectations by winning their respective events at India's maiden World Athletics Continental Tour competition here on Sunday. The bronze level event went off smoothly but the quality of competitions did not rise to any great heights. There was drama in store for Kujur. The 22-year-old pulled up after a few paces in his men's 100m heat race in the morning. He then came out to run his 200m heat half an hour later and qualified for the final with a time of 20.99 seconds. In the evening, he ran 20.77 seconds in the 200m final to win the gold. Ko Seunghwan of Korea (20.95 seconds) and Indian Ragul Kumar (21.17 seconds) were second and third respectively. Kujur, representing Odisha, holds national records in both 100m (10.18 seconds) and 200m (20.32 seconds). Sreeshankar, representing JSW, was up against rising teenager Shahnavaz Khan, who won gold in the Uttarakhand National Games in February. The 17-year-old Khan was leading with his fourth round jump of 8.04m, while Sreeshankar was second with 7.95m. But the 26-year-old produced 8.13m in his final attempt to take the gold in dramatic fashion for his fourth title in a row since coming back from a long injury lay-off. He is, however, yet to breach the Tokyo World Championships direct entry mark of 8.27m. In women's javelin, Asian Games champion Annu Rani bagged the gold with a fourth round throw of 62.01m, thereby strengthening her chances of making it to the Tokyo World Championships in September. The men's javelin event disappointed the crowd at the Kalinga Stadium as the Indian participants barely crossed the 80m mark. India's 20-year-old Shivam Lohakare, the latest entrant in the 80m club at the Indian Open Athletics Meet in Pune last month with 80.95m, took the silver with 80.73m.
