Kush Maini Becomes Test Driver For Alpine F1 Team In 2025

India's Kush Maini has been appointed as one of Alpine's test and reserve drivers for the 2025 Formula 1 season. Alongside these new responsibilities, he will also compete in the Formula 2 championship with DAMS, marking his third season in this series. This opportunity brings him closer to his dream of racing in F1.

Maini joined Alpine's young driver programme in 2023. Since then, he has participated in four test sessions using an older-spec F1 car. As a test and reserve driver, Maini will focus on car development and set-up at Alpine's Enstone factory simulator. He will also engage in more on-track F1 test sessions this year as part of the team's Testing of Previous Cars (TPC) programme.

Kush Maini's Journey to F1

The 24-year-old follows in the footsteps of his older brother, Arjun Maini, who was Haas F1 team's development driver in 2017. Kush expressed immense pride and gratitude for this opportunity, stating, "Being a reserve driver for the BWT Alpine F1 Team is an incredible opportunity and a moment of immense pride for me and my family, as it's been my dream to represent the Tricolour in F1. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and I'm deeply grateful for the trust the team has placed in me. I'm excited to kickstart 2025 and continue this remarkable journey."

Julian Rose, director of Alpine Academy, commented on Maini's expanded role: "We are very happy to announce the expansion of Kush's role in the Alpine Academy to include Test and Reserve Driver duties for the team this season. Kush has impressed the team across his TPC performances and Formula 2 results while we have been working with him, and we expect he will continue to do so in 2025. His wider role allows us to further expand our pool of driving talent who can provide support and resource to the whole team during the busy season."

Formula E Success

Maini began 2025 with a strong performance by topping the Formula E rookie Free Practice session in Jeddah while driving for Mahindra Racing. He clocked a fastest time of 1 minute and 17.184 seconds, surpassing competitors like Theo Pourchaire, Daniil Kvyat, and Jamie Chadwick.

2024 was was a challenging year for Maini in Formula 2. Despite securing five podium finishes including a win in Hungary, he ended up 13th overall. This year his F2 Season will begin at F1's season opener in Melbourne this weekend.