Nineteen years ago, Narain Karthikeyan was the only Indian who was a part of the British Racing Driver’s Club (BRDC) Formula 3 Championship, and won it as well.
He continued to maintain the legacy until a 19-year-old from Kolhapur managed to steal the show.
Krishnaraaj Mahadik has become the second Indian to win one of the most prestigious motor racing championships in the world. And here we are, beaming with pride!
It was held at the Brands Hatch circuit in Kent, England, which has hosted 12 runnings of the British Grand Prix in the past, and currently hosts a number of racing events – both British and international.
The young champ managed to ace it confidently despite cut-throat competition.
“It was very challenging because the championship has drivers competing from all around the globe and the competition is a very close one. When you are leading the race, you come under a lot of pressure. I would like to believe that I handled that very well,” said Krishnaraaj, reports The Indian Express.
Here’s everything you need to know about India’s new Formula 3 Champion:
1. Born on June 12, 1998, Krishnaraaj Dhananjay Mahadik is the only son of Kolhapur MP Dhananjay Mahadik and Arundhati Dhananjay Mahadik.
2. He hails from a family of sportspersons. While his father has been a national champion in boxing and wrestling, his mother was a national level basketball player.
3. Before racing into the world of motorsports, Krishnaraaj actively participated in sports like basketball, badminton, swimming, skating and football. In fact, he had represented his state in football and badminton.
4. His love for racing began before he turned 10. A friend’s father owned a go-kart racing track in Kolhapur where he found the sport to be very thrilling and decided to take it up.
5. At the age of 14, he went on to win the National Go-Karting Championship.
6. Following which, Krishnaraaj represented India at Rotax Max World Grand Finals, an International karting event, in 2012 and 2013. He was the only Indian to do so.
7. After showing his true worth in go-karting at different national and international platforms, Krishnaraaj wanted to take up something new and decided toswitch to single-seater racing in 2013.
8. Starting with the BMW Formula 4 series in his debut season, he finished third at the JK Tyre National Racing Championship in 2015.
9. Venturing into international grounds, Krishnaraaj was part of the BRDC Formula 3 Championship in 2016, where he drove under the professional race team of Chris Dittmann Racing.
10. While he had been preparing to compete in British F3 in 2018, his participation this year happened purely out of luck. Double R Racing, the team with which Krishnaraaj had signed the deal, had put him on the race as one of its drivers had been injured.
And the rest, as we know, is history!
Currently pursuing B.Com from a college in Kolhapur, Krishnaraaj hopes to win a Formula One race for India some day.
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