Kush Maini’s 2025 F2 season with DAMS Lucas Oil delivered mixed results across 14 rounds. The Indian driver finished 16th in the Drivers’ Standings with 32 points. His campaign featured a dominant Monaco Sprint Race victory but suffered from inconsistent qualifying and a four-weekend drought from Belgium to Qatar.
Early struggles that soon turned into a breakthrough
Maini’s 2025 F2 season began disappointingly with points-less weekends in Melbourne and Bahrain. He qualified P20 in Bahrain, struggling to find pace throughout the weekend. His first point-scoring outing came in Jeddah with a P10 finish during the Feature Race, where he demonstrated improved race craft despite the difficulties he faced during qualifying.
Disaster struck in Imola when Maini crashed during qualifying, bringing out the red flag with six minutes remaining. Starting P13 for both races limited his potential. In the Feature Race, he finished a distant P21 after getting caught up in midfield chaos.
Monaco delivered the season highlight of Maini’s 2025 F2 campaign. He qualified P10 to secure reverse-grid pole for the Sprint Race. The DAMS driver dominated from lights to flag, leading every lap to claim his second career F2 victory. Sunday’s Feature Race added to his success as he climbed from P10 to finish P6, securing his biggest points haul of the season with 14 points combined.
Barcelona showed promise with P3 in qualifying, Maini’s highest qualifying position of the year. However, poor starts derailed both races. He dropped from P8 to P16 in the Sprint and recovered from P13 to P7 in the Feature Race. The weekend emphasised his raw pace despite execution errors during Maini’s 2025 F2 season.
Devastating mid-season drought
The period from Barcelona to Speilberg saw Maini score just six points. Qualifying struggles consistently left him on the back foot. The mid-season phase proved mentally demanding, as repeated setbacks and lack of momentum made it difficult to reset confidence. However, these challenging weekends also became a learning phase, forcing greater resilience and adaptation under pressure.
Maini’s 2025 F2 season hit its lowest point from Belgium to Qatar. He failed to score any points across four consecutive weekends, enduring a devastating drought. Races during this stretch became survival focused rather than competitive, with little rhythm or clarity developing across race weekends. Confidence in the car was lacking, and qualifying, typically one of his stronger areas, became a significant weakness that severely compromised his race prospects.
Penalties compounded his struggles in Baku after he misjudged the braking zone and hit Cordeel at Turn 2. The stewards converted his five second penalty to a three-place grid drop after he was not classified in the Sprint.
Technical issues struck during qualifying in Qatar when rear tyres were fitted to the incorrect side of Maini’s car. As a result, his fastest time was deleted, forcing him to settle for P20 on the grid. The four weekend drought continued as Maini remained points-less heading into the season finale.
Positive end to Maini’s 2025 F2 season and future opportunities
The season concluded in Abu Dhabi, where Maini finally ended his run of points-less finishes. He secured P6 in the Feature Race for six points, providing a positive end to his difficult 2025 F2 season.
Despite the challenges, Maini received an Alpine F1 Test opportunity during Abu Dhabi post-season testing. His performance impressed ART Grand Prix, who signed him for his fourth F2 campaign.
Maini’s 2025 F2 season ultimately fell short of expectations with just 32 points and 16th place. The Monaco win demonstrated his capability, but consistency proved elusive. He joins ART Grand Prix in 2026 seeking redemption and regular points finishes in his fourth season.
