Photo: Alpine F1 Team
The Alpine Formula 1 team now has four reserve drivers for 2025, as Formula 2 racer Kush Maini gets handed the role.
Two-time World Endurance champion Ryo Hirakawa and F2 race-winner Paul Aron were the first two to be signed, then Alpine poached F1 points-scorer Franco Colapinto from Williams on a multi-year contract.
Maini joined the Alpine Academy in October 2023, shortly after two-time F1 world champion Mika Hakkinen began overseeing his career, and less than a month after that he became Mahindra’s reserve driver in Formula E. He has not retained that role for the 2024-25 season, which has left space in his schedule that he can now fill with F1 reserve driver duties instead.
“I am delighted to step up to the role of test and reserve driver for Alpine F1 Team this season. Since joining the Alpine Academy ahead of last year, I have been incredibly welcomed in the entire Alpine family and I am thankful to Flavio [Briatore] and Oliver [Oakes, team principal] for their continued support,” said Maini.
“I am looking forward to getting more track time in F1 machinery in this role and to build on what I have already learned with the team in 2024. I’m very excited to begin the role as soon as possible but for now my focus is on my third season in F2 kicking off this weekend in Australia.”
The 24-year-old Indian came 11th and 13th in his first two F2 campaigns, making the podium once as a rookie and taking five podiums last year which included a sprint race win at the Hungaroring. This year he will race for DAMS.
Away from race weekends, Maini’s role with Alpine and its academy will include plenty of simulator work and also participation in F1’s Testing of Previous Cars programme. His F2 team-mate Jak Crawford does the same with Aston Martin.