M2 Competition are proud to announce Indian rising star Kush Maini as the first driver for their expansion into the Formula Renault Eurocup in 2019.
The highly-rated 18-year-old joins the Belgian-based team after sampling the Tatuus T-318, which will be used in the series in 2019, at Sepang, Malaysia, last week.
Kush enjoyed his best season to date in 2018 as he claimed third place in the hotly-contested BRDC British F3 Championship; taking a maiden series win at Rockingham early in the year, eight podiums and two pole positions.
Prior to that, he was a multiple champion in karting with titles won in India and Italy and significantly finished fourth in the 2014 CIK-FIA World KF Junior Championship to become the youngest driver from his country to finish in the top five of a World Championship.
The Banaglore-born driver, who is now UK-based, scored a podium finish in just his second car race in the JK Tyre National Racing Series in 2015 and added more rostrum finishes in two seasons of Formula 4 competition in Italy before moving into British F3 for 2018.
Kush is the latest in a long line of rising stars to join M2; who have raced exclusively in New Zealand’s Toyota Racing Series to date with incredible success.
The team; founded by Jonathan Moury and Mark Pilcher in 2010, have won four Drivers’ Championships in the past six years with Nick Cassidy, Lance Stroll, Lando Norris and Robert Schwartman, and four consecutive Teams’ crowns.
The Maini family are no strangers to M2. Kush’s elder brother Arjun – now racing in the FIA Formula 2 Championship – won twice in the TRS in 2015 and helped them to the Teams’ title that season.
Having moved into their new premises close to Brussels earlier this month, M2 are now eagerly awaiting delivery of three new Formula Renault machines ahead of their pre-season testing programme.
The Formula Renault Eurocup comprises a 10-round calendar in 2019 with highlights including support slots at the Formula 1 Monaco Grand Prix and at GT3 racing’s jewel in the crown; the Spa 24 Hours.
Kush Maini said: “I’m thrilled to join M2 Competition. My brother, Arjun, raced with them New Zealand in 2015 and said it’s probably the best team he’s been a part of, so when we heard they were going to start a Formula Renault Eurocup team; I knew we had to reach out to them. This is a championship that has produced so many successful F1 drivers over the years so it’s obvious that it’s going to be a huge challenge not only to adapt to a new car-engine-tyre package, but also to the circuits as five of the 10 venues will be totally new to me. I’ll be working hard during the winter to be as prepared as I possibly can be for the first collective test at Magny-Cours in March. I can’t wait.”
Jonathan Moury, Team Principal, said: “We are delighted to bring Kush Maini into the team as our first driver for our debut season in the Formula Renault Eurocup. To win in a series as fiercely-competitive as British F3 on only your second weekend takes speed and maturity and Kush certainly has both of these qualities in abundance. He adapted extremely well to the new Tatuus when he drove it at Sepang and I’m sure that he can perform strongly, despite the intense level of competition we’re sure to experience. We can’t wait to start our pre-season test programme.”
