2019 Macau GP: Indian Formula 3 ace Jehan Daruvala to sit out

A training injury just weeks before the 66th Macau Grand Prix will see Jehan Daruvala miss out on the storied event this year.

After being relegated to third in the 2019 Formula 3 Championship at the final round in Russia, more disappointment has come the way of Jehan Daruvala. A knee injury during training has forced the 21-year-old to pull out of this year’s running of the Macau Grand Prix.

The annual event held on the famous Guia Circuit in Macau, Hong Kong, sees the finest up-and-coming drivers from the junior levels of single-seater racing fighting it out for a shot at racing immortality. Motorsport luminaries such as Michael Schumacher and Ayrton Senna have won the storied event before going on to forge legendary careers in Formula 1.

After two F3 seasons in 2017 and 2018 with the Carlin team, where he finished 6th and 12th, Daruvala signed with Prema Powerteam this year and enjoyed a breakout year in the FIA Formula 3 Championship. A win in the opening round in Barcelona, Spain, was followed up by another triumph at Paul Ricard, France, but a formation lap issue in the final race of the year in Russia saw him end up third in the standings behind his teammates Robert Shwartzman, who won the title, and runner-up Marcus Armstrong.

All three drivers were entered for the 66th Macau Grand Prix under the SJM Theodore Racing by Prema banner, in a tie-up with the legendary Theodore Racing team, who won the event a record eight times.

Daruvala is no stranger to the event, having finished 10th and 12th in 2017 and 2018 with the Carlin team.
“While this is certainly a blow for the 2019 Macau operation, the team reckons that Jehan’s health and fitness must come first and everyone at SJM Prema Theodore Racing wishes him a really quick recovery,” was the official statement from Prema Powerteam.

No replacement has been announced for Daruvala’s No. 3 car yet.

Written by: Sandeep Banerjee