The 23-year-old from Bangalore joins the Indian team after an impressive rise through the FIA single-seater pathway over the last seven years.
Starting in Italian F4 back in 2016, Maini has subsequently enjoyed success in British Formula 3, the Formula Renault Eurocup, FIA Formula 3 and, at present, competes in FIA Formula 2 and scored his first podium in Melbourne, Australia earlier this year.
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Maini, a protégé of two-time Formula 1 champion Mika Hakkinen will work closely with Edoardo Mortara and Nyck de Vries, and closely in conjunction with fellow Reserve Driver, Jordan King. His role will involve simulator sessions, attendance at selected E-Prix to support the team, and possible opportunities to test the team’s M10Electro race car in future.
Maini: Representing Mahindra 'a huge honour'
“It’s a huge honour to be joining Mahindra Racing," said Maini. "Being an Indian driver, and the team being Indian, it feels in many ways like coming home.
“A lot of my work will be concentrated on the simulator, and hopefully getting in the car for the Rookie Test. I’m just going to try and learn as much as I can, it’s a different style of racing.
“I’ll be doing as much work as possible on the sim with the engineers to try and be helpful for both Edoardo and Nyck, and to try and help push the team forward on-track.
“Mahindra is a huge manufacturer, so for me, it’s a massive deal to be signing with them. Being an Indian brand, it’s the cherry on top of the cake. I’m super excited to get started.”
“We are excited to welcome Kush to Mahindra Racing as a Reserve Driver," added Mahindra Racing CEO Fred Bertrand. "He has a great record that speaks for itself in the junior formulae and is an exciting talent to add to our driver lineup.
“We are a very future-focussed team, so the opportunity to support new and emerging talent, such as Kush, is one we are naturally keen to explore. We’ve been watching him in FIA Formula 2 this season, and believe he has all the key skills and attributes to help Mahindra Racing push on for greater success in the future.
“His synergy with Edoardo, Nyck and Jordan will play an important role in the team’s continued push for better performance on-track, and off-track he is a superb ambassador for India within motorsport.”