Arjun Maini Bags India's First Ever Podium Finish In GP3

Bangalore-based racing driver Arjun Maini finished in second place in the second GP3 race in Hungary, to claim his first podium in GP3 in just his second race weekend since joining the series.

Maini's podium finish at the Hungaroring was also the first time an Indian driver stepped onto a GP3 podium since the start of the racing series in 2010.

arjun maini gp3

Maini started the first race of the weekend in ninth spot and finished in eighth to claim pole position for the second race thanks to the reverse grid qualification process in GP3.

When Race 2 kicked off, eventual winner and ART Grand Prix driver Alexander Albon swooped past Maini on the very corner of the race. However, Maini couldn't deal with Albon as he was pressurised for most of the race by Albon's teammate and Scuderia Ferrari Team development driver Charles Leclerc, who was trying to preserve his championship lead.

Maini kept Leclerc at bay and finished the race in second, 3.3 seconds behind Albon who now leads the GP3 championship by three points from Leclerc.

Speaking after the race, Maini said, "I didn't make the best start as Albon got a pretty good jump on me. I really wanted to hold onto my lead so I tried to out brake him going into Turn 1, but he was wise to it and blocked me off. I had a good safety car re-start but I think the ART Grand Prix cars were holding back a little bit. In the middle part of the race Albon started to edge away a bit. Leclerc was quite quick behind me and I think he was trying really hard to get fastest lap as he was backing off and pushing again. Overall I think it was a good race."

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Article Published On: Monday, July 25, 2016, 10:12 [IST]
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