The 2026 F2 Silverstone round saw ART Grand Prix’s Kush Maini deliver a strong and well-rounded weekend, qualifying P3 on Friday before securing a double-points finish, including a podium in Sunday’s Feature Race, to round out the seventh round of the season.
Having launched strongly off the line alongside Campos Racing’s Nikola Tsolov, who ultimately claimed victory, Maini took the lead and became the effective race leader before the Bulgarian’s unstoppable pace saw him move ahead.
Speaking in the post-Feature press conference attended by Pit Debrief, the Indian driver reflected on his opportunistic and timely launch that saw him take the lead.
“No, I think the top two, the front row, had a slight slow getaway. I think me and Niko [Tsolov] actually had good getaways.”, he explained. “I managed to find my way through the middle of them and had clear air, which was important for us. So yeah, that went perfectly to plan, really.”
Maini on Tsolov’s “inevitable” move into Maggots and Becketts
Throughout the weekend, Tsolov’s blistering pace was undeniable, with the Red Bull Junior claiming both victories at Silverstone. Speaking about the changes the team made overnight and his battle with Tsolov, Maini said: “Yeah, I think yesterday we had great pace. And today the conditions is slightly different. So we tweaked the car a bit. We still had really strong pace during the first half of the stint.
“But yeah, I just started to lose the rears. I had no traction in the end.”, he admitted. “And Niko [Tsolov] just had much more grip. And I didn’t want to risk it, really. I knew that if I kept him behind for maybe three or four laps, maybe his tyres would overheat.”
“But yeah, I mean, he passed me into Maggots and Becketts. So that move was inevitable, even though I tried hanging on. And then it was about just trying to let the tyres breathe, especially the rears, and bring it home, really.”
When asked if the issue with his tyres stemmed from their setup, the ART driver admitted they may have overdone it and noted that he struggled with the rear tyres in both stints.
“I mean, obviously when it’s hotter, you expect a bit more rear deg. And when it’s colder, you expect front deg or more. From yesterday, I think, yeah, we probably went a bit too much.”
“The rear was just a bit loose after the first half of the stint and on both tyres. And then, yeah, I was just suffering a bit with overheating.”
A solid weekend for Indian motorsport and the Maini family
After a strong weekend for the French outfit, Pit Debrief asked Maini how important a result like this was in demonstrating the team’s progress heading into the second half of the season, he said: “Yeah, for sure. Quali was good, and we’ve had a good weekend overall, P4 and P3.”
“And I think, again, flashes of a lot of speed. I think we had a good gap to Niko. It was honestly on the limit today, just sort of overcooked the rears, and then there was no coming back, really.”
He added: “But for ART as well, the last two years have been difficult, so I’m really happy to give them this string of decent results and hope that it’s only halfway through the season, so everything’s to play for.”
Maini’s F2 Silverstone podium came alongside another family achievement, as his brother Arjun Maini also claimed a first-ever podium finish in DTM. In continuation, when asked by Pit Debrief what the weekend meant for his family, the ART driver highlighted the significance for Indian motorsport and shared his pride in representing his country.
“And on the other side, obviously, Arjun getting a podium yesterday. It’s a great weekend for Indian motorsport in general. And I’m just very thankful and grateful that I’ve had the opportunity to do it and to fly my flag. And it’s always very proud to see it up there.”
Starting fresh with a clean slate every year
Despite his wealth of experience, Maini believes returning to a track each year presents a new challenge and experience, noting that he has raced with a different team each season since the start of his Formula 2 career. Having also lived near the track, he shared that he considers Silverstone a home race of sorts, particularly as a race in India does not feature on the current calendar.
“I think obviously for Silverstone, I’ve come up in the British ranks, really, in British F3 and I did it for two years, so this place has always been like home for me. I always really enjoy it, I live 15 minutes away, so yeah, it’s basically my second home race, because India isn’t on it.”
He added: “I would say experience-wise, I think every year is different. I’ve been with four different teams. Every single team has a different way to get the lap time out of the car, so that’s been very interesting.”
Highlighting the unpredictable nature of Formula 2, Maini was pleased to have delivered a well-executed weekend where he felt consistent from start to finish.
“And like I say, F2 is, you know, I still remember in Abu Dhabi last year, I qualified, I think, 18th in F2, and then three days later I was in the F1 and on the pace.”
“So it can be very strange sometimes, but I’m just happy that this has probably been the most consistent I’ve felt week in, week out for a very long time. And I’m happy to have found that stride with my team.”
