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While the dramatic crash between Carlos Sainz and Sergio Perez in the final laps of the Formula 1 (F1) 2024 Azerbaijan Grand Prix took the headlines, Indian driver Kush Maini was involved in a horror crash in the Formula 2 (F2) race on Sunday (September 15).
The incident happened just after the start of the F2 race, with Maini's car failing to leave the starting grid. After qualifying fifth, Maini was looking for a strong start, but his car engines stopped working when the race started, leaving him stuck on the spot.
While a few cars managed to pass by Maini, Josep Maria Marti and Oliver Goethe crashed into him, triggering a scary collision that left fans distraught. Maini's car was badly damaged; the rear of his vehicles was blown away, but to the relief of many, he came out of the car safely without suffering any injuries. The others two drivers were also safe.
The incident that triggered a red flag at the start of the F2 Feature Race 🚩Drivers ok #F2#AzerbaijanGPpic.twitter.com/VFjNA8M3SQ
— Formula 2 (@Formula2) September 15, 2024
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How Is Kush Maini's Health ?
Maini's father confirmed that his son is fine and has not suffered any significant injuries and a medical check-up was performed on him.
"He is doing okay. As part of the standard protocol all medical check ups were conducted on Kush and all reports are normal," Maini's father Gautam told Press Trust of India.
Kush Maini Penalised
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Due to his vehicle's engine failure causing the accident, the stewards punished Maini for the incident. He was given a 10-second time penalty, which has been converted to a five-place grid penalty. The 23-year-old will serve his punishment in the Qatar GP on 30th November.
"After the race, the Stewards heard from the Team Representative and examined available video evidence before determining that the driver of Car 9 had failed to engage the Start Set Up Procedure for the start of the race, an error that led to the car stalling on the grid causing the subsequent collision.
"The Stewards determined that because of this, Maini was wholly responsible for the collision and, as a result, elected to hand him a 10-second time penalty. With Maini not finishing the Feature Race, his time penalty has been converted into a five-place grid penalty," a statement from F2 read.
Who Is Kush Maini?
Maini races for Invicta Racing and in his second season in F2. He is currently 11th on the drivers standings with 74 points. Last year, he raced for Campos Racing and finished 11th with 62 points. He joined the Alpine Academy in 2023 and tested their F1 car (Alpine A522) at the Red Bull Ring.