Arjun Maini learned to walk and drive around the same time. After all, his first birthday gift was an electric formula car. It was a sampler of what was to follow.
A few weeks ago, Arjun (19) was signed up as a development driver by the Haas F1 team and three days later, in his first racing weekend of the year, became the first Indian driver to win a GP3 series race. "It's unbelievable," he says, smiling back at a room crammed with eager faces in his hometown Bengaluru, adding, "The feeling of walking from the GP3 paddock to the F1 paddock cannot be put into words. I'm not going to lie, it's overwhelming but when you get over it the racing is still the same. You've still got to win."
Only two Indians - Narain Karthikeyan and Karun Chandhok - have been contracted with and raced in F1 and Arjun, who is supported by JK Tyres and TVS Motorsports, is bidding to be the third. The development driver status is offered by teams to talents they're interested in nurturing and helping transition over the course of a few seasons to F1. "The most important part of my role (as development driver) is to basically trying to understand how drivers work with engineers and how teams operate at the peak of motorsport. So it's a crucial experience for me. They mainly want me to focus on GP3 for this year because if the season goes well it could open up a lot of possibilities. My GP3 results will determine whether or not I'll get to drive the F1 car anytime soon," said Arjun. GP3 is a feeder series for F1 with quite a few drivers of late making a successful transition, most notably this year's Russian Grand Prix winner, Mercedes' Valtteri Bottas.
"I'm very lucky to be in the position I'm in now. I think I'm a lot more prepared than Karun and Narain were at this stage."
Arjun's GP3 campaign this year will be fortified by assistance from Haas F1 race engineers and his stint includes simulator sessions and maybe even testing with the American team on GP weekends. "We got a few days in the simulator," he says, "At the moment we haven't spoken about testing yet. It's a busy month ahead in terms of races (he'll be competing in races in Austria, Great Britain and Hungary in July) so we'll see how it goes." Racing for Jenzer Motorsports, who are currently third in the championship standings, Arjun finished six seconds ahead of Frenchman Dorian Boccolacci, with whom he was caught in a feisty on-track tussle, before winning his first race in the GP3 series in Barcelona last month. "Those two laps, they were the best laps of my career," he says. "Even though I knew it was important for me to win I cherished the intense battle. When I pulled away and crossed the flag, the first feeling was relief and then so many mixed emotions came gushing."
What's worked hugely in Arjun's favour is having the right guidance at his disposition through every stage of his career. Being mentored and managed by Karun, who played a key role in the teen bagging a role in the F1 team, made his path smoother. "Karun has guided me through everything and has always been there," he says. "It started a lot on track initially but over time he's backed [off] on that and now he's helping me more with off-track decisions."
A need for speed runs in the family, with Arjun's father Gautam a former single-seater racer himself, and brother Kush, at 16, already making waves in the European racing circuits. "I'm very lucky to be in the position I'm in now. I think I'm a lot more prepared than Karun and Narain were at this stage," Arjun says.
Getting his first engine-powered Go-kart at the age of five and watching his father race at the Sriperumbadur track were experiences and images his mind safely stashed away. His first National Championship title came at the age of 10 and Arjun went on to participate in the ambitious nationwide driver training program - 'One in a billion'- in a field of over 8000 participants competing in a single-make karting championship organised by Force India F1 team. Impressed by young Arjun's potential, the panel of judges, which included Lewis Hamilton's father Anthony Hamilton and Nico Hulkenberg, declared him winner, offering him a full year's scholarship to race in the 2012 British Karting Championships under Force India's auspices.
Following numerous wins and podium finishes he switched to open-wheel machines, going on to clinch the 2013 Formula BMW Super Six Series in Asia and finishing second overall in the 2014 BRDC Formula 4 championship. A fourth-place finish in the 2015 Toyota Racing Series New Zealand led him to GP3 in 2016. "From karts I think I managed to adapt to cars pretty quickly. The main difference is size of the car and gears because in the end driving style is pretty similar. There's lot of race craft you learn in Go-kart anyway so I don't think it was as much of a step up as some people think it is."
Mental training, Arjun explains, forms a crucial part of his preparation. Most importantly, getting behind the wheel with a relaxed and clutter-free mind. "You need to be able to connect corner to corner much ahead of when you actually get there," he says. "You have to let your subconscious mind do the driving and not think too much about it."
With brother Kush, currently racing in Formula 4, waiting in the wings to climb up the ladder to F1, there's a healthy sibling rivalry going. "We're always in a competitive mood, pushing each other be it in gym or simulator sessions. One of us leaves unhappy but that's how it's always going to be."
At an age when his peers are still tossing between career options, trying to figure where they're headed, Arjun, living by himself and cooking his own meals in England, has his priorities on track. "I've been very lucky," he says, beaming. "I love everyday of living this life."