The Indian racer, who claimed victory in the final round of the 2020 season, will be aiming to maintain his winning streak as he remains with the British team for his second season in the series.
Daruvala made the step up to FIA F2 in 2020 after graduating from the FIA Formula 3 Championship. Daruvala was a championship contender during 2019, claiming seven podiums including two wins on his way to third in the standings. A step-up to F2 in 2020 coincided with the Indian racer joining the prestigious Red Bull Junior team, whose support the 22-year-old will retain for 2021.
“I’m extremely excited to be staying in F2 and with Carlin for 2021,” said Daruvala. “We made a lot of progress last year and overcame some issues to put together a really strong package. It was great to end the season on such a high with my first F2 win and then to back that up with front running pace in post-season testing. We have a lot of momentum behind us and although we know that other drivers and teams will have made steps forward over the winter, we will be aiming for the top step in every race. Consistency will be the key to a successful championship campaign so we need to be on the pace from the start.
“I’m extremely proud to be carrying Red Bull colours again this season and I thank Dr Marko and my sponsors for their continued support and belief in me which I will be looking to repay from the very first race.”
Speaking about Daruvala, Team Principal Trevor Carlin added, “We’re extremely pleased that we have the opportunity to carry on the great progress we have been making with Jehan and have another attack on the FIA F2 Championship. Thank you to Red Bull and Jehan’s sponsors for entrusting us with this important year in his career. Jehan did a great job last season as an F2 rookie, he kept his head and kept pushing through to really show his true potential by the second half of the season. To finish the year off with a third place and then a win really confirms what we knew from the start. I expect Jehan to continue where he left off – challenging for wins from the outset in the new season.”
In a new format for the 2021 season, the FIA F2 Championship will feature eight race weekends, but will see the weekend schedule expanded to include three rather than two races, taking the season total to 24 races in all. The normal practice and qualifying sessions will remain on Friday, while two Sprint races will form the F2 activity for Saturday, while an hour-long Feature Race will take place on Sunday morning ahead of the Formula 1 Grand Prix. The season will kick off in Bahrain from 26 – 28 March.