Daruvala finishes creditable fourth in action-packed sprint race

India's Jehan Daruvala jumped six places in an action-packed final three laps to finish fourth in the sprint race here on Sunday, his best result so far in the FIA Formula 2 Championship.

It was a much-needed result for Daruvala, who had to endure slow starts in the earlier races due to clutch issues including the feature race on Saturday, when he finished 12th after starting seventh on the grid.

The Indian driver, who is a Red Bull junior, overtook the feature race winner Nikita Mazepin on the final lap to secure eight points from the weekend, taking his overall tally to 18 points after four rounds of the Championship.

https://twitter.com/DaruvalaJehan/status/1289642387606839296?s=20

Dan Ticktum, who is also into his maiden Formula 2 season like Daruvala, won the race from pole position with another rookie, Christian Lundgaard, finishing second. Louis Deletraz was third.

A Safety Car intervention in the late stages of the race allowed Daruvala to pit for fresh tyres, allowing him to charge through the field in the dying moments of the 21-lap race.

His Carlin teammate Yuki Tsunoda could not finish the race. The next round of the Formula 1 support series takes place in a week's time.

The 21-year-old from Mumbai is tipped to become the third Indian to reach Formula 1 after Narain Karthikeyan and Karun Chandhok.