Maini "definitely feeling comfortable" in DAMS after P3 in Barcelona qualifying

Written by Vyas Ponnuri

For the best part of four Formula 2 weekends, DAMS racer Kush Maini had failed to break into the upper echelons of the top ten. Several factors beyond the Indian's control had hampered the start to a new season with his new team, before a breakthrough weekend in Monaco followed up a season best third in qualifying at Spain.

Maini qualified third for Sunday's feature race | Credit: Kush Maini via X

Thanking his team and the fans for their support, Maini radioed, "Our season starts now" after his sprint victory in Monaco. It was a collective statement of intent from the Alpine junior, finally breaking ground after a string of difficult weekends to kick off his third Formula 2 season.

Sixth in a chaotic Monaco sprint (chaotic being an understatement) helped Maini gather momentum, and the Indian came into Barcelona in high spirits. The Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya is a venue DAMS have gone well around earlier, with teammate Jak Crawford having won around the circuit in 2024.

Both drivers brought up strong form in practice, with Maini a steady fifth, while Crawford wound up 12th, a strong baseline for the 30-minute qualifying session.

Come qualifying, both drivers looked to be on the pace, with Crawford initially setting a time good enough for fourth, while Maini sat just outside the top ten. But as the final runs played out, Maini shot to the forefront, rising up to second on the road, before settling in third, while Crawford put himself an excellent seventh on the road.

Speaking on his stellar qualifying performance and the swift turnaround at DAMS, Maini reiterated how he took a few weekends to find his groove and move past the learning phase with DAMS, his third team in three Formula 2 seasons:

Maini mentioned he was starting to feel comfortable in the DAMS car in 2025 | Credit: Formula 2 via X

"It's obviously difficult to change teams. I've changed teams every year I've been in F2, and every team has a different philosophy, a different way of working. So, learning that (how the team runs) has taken a bit of time, I would say," Maini mentioned.

DAMS endured a horror showing in the first two weekends, with Crawford and Maini taking the team's first points of 2024 at the end of F2's third weekend in Jeddah. The team found themselves in strife even before the opening weekend in Australia begun, being one of three outfits caught in an attempt to drill sensors and gauge aerodynamic loads during pre-season testing.

As a result, both DAMS drivers copped heavy penalties for the Australian weekend. Poor pace overall saw both Maini and Crawford qualify and finish outside the top 10 in Bahrain, before Jeddah provided the breakthrough for the team.

"We were very limited in the start of the year with things out of our control. But as soon as it was solved, we came back with good speed," Maini expressed.

"Obviously without the mistake in Imola (his spin at Tamburello), we could have fought higher up the order, for sure, so yeah, I would say I definitely feel comfortable now," he continued.

"It's been a while since I've enjoyed my F2 weekends, but I've really started to enjoy it. So I think that's the key. I really like it with the team (DAMS)," a delighted Maini expressed.

Crawford has taken two victories and led DAMS' charge in 2025 | Credit: Formula 2

Another major motivating figure at the French outfit has been none other than Crawford. The American has established his presence at the team, joining them ahead of the 2024 season, and bringing their first F2 victory in over a year at Barcelona.

The American has lifted DAMS to victory twice in 2025, spearheading their charge as he sits fifth in the championship standings, despite not scoring a point for the first five F2 races this season.

"Jak (Crawford) has also been a great teammate," Maini responded. "It's nice to have two quick drivers in the same team, because we can try different stuff and get up to speed quicker.

"He (Crawford) been great as well. We get along really well, and I really enjoy it now. I'm just giving it everything, really," Maini concluded, speaking glowing words of his teammate, who is also into his third Formula 2 season.

Maini will definitely be revelling starting towards the front of the grid for the feature race in Spain. However, him and teammate Crawford will have to traverse the sprint in Spain on Saturday, with both drivers starting in the top eight, in the running for points once again.