Kush Maini’s F1 dreams got a massive fillip as the young Indian racer will be mentored by two-time world champion Mika Hakkinen.

In the past, Hakkinen played a significant role in the development of former Mercedes F1 race winner and current Alfa Romeo Sauber driver Valtteri Bottas.

Maini, a 23-year-old from Bangalore, has had a fine year with several top five positions in qualifying and a podium in Melbourne.

Now, Maini is looking to mount a more serious challenge in 2024 under the guidance of Hakkinen.

“I think from next year, my approach and that of my team is going to be a lot more structured thanks to Mika.

“Basically, the way Mika works is you narrow down everything to the point where the driver just has one job,” said Maini in a media release.

Maini, the younger brother of ace racer Arjun Maini, has raced in F2 and was a development driver for Haas F1 team.

He currently drives for Mercedes AMG in Europe.

The younger Maini had finished runner-up in the 2020 British F3 Championship, a series Hakkinen himself won back in 1990.