Jehan Daruvala to get first taste of F1 by testing McLaren's car at Silverstone

Jehan Daruvala inched closer towards realising his dream of racing in the top tier after McLaren announced on Monday that the Indian would be testing their 2021 Formula 1 car later this week.

Daruvala, currently in the third position in the Formula 2 Drivers’ Championship, will be testing the world championship-winning constructor’s MCL35M car at the Silverstone circuit in England.

Daruvala, part of Red Bull junior team, thus will get his first shot at driving a Formula One car and move closer towards becoming only the third Indian to race in the elite category after Narain Karthikeyan and Karun Chandhok.

“Enjoy your first drive in an F1 car, Jehan!,” the Woking, United Kingdom-based constructor wrote in a tweet on Monday, confirming 21 and 22 June as the dates for Daruvala’s test drive.

Daruvala, meanwhile, said that he was “incredibly grateful” for the opportunity and thanked both the Red Bull Junior Team as well as the Mumbai Falcons — the XI Racing League team that supports the race in F2.

“I’m incredibly grateful to be getting this opportunity. Testing in Formula 1 is extremely limited and opportunities like these are not easy to come by, especially with a championship-winning team like McLaren. It will be my first experience in a Formula 1 car, which I’m sure will be special.

“The support that I have received from the Red Bull Junior Team, my family and sponsors like Mumbai Falcons, coupled with this opportunity that McLaren have given me will enable me to prepare myself better to achieve my childhood dream of competing in Formula 1,” Daruvala said.

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