Indian racing driver Mahaveer Raghunathan recently completed a test for the McLaren F1 team in Portimao. It was a rather unexpected adventure for the 24-year-old. Raghunathan last found himself in an F1 car when he took the wheel of an Alfa Romeo machinery for the same purpose. However, he was not alone in Portimao. He has the company of former F2 competitor and current Mercedes reserve driver Mick Schumacher.
Notably, Schumacher was also there to serve the same purpose. He got a much-deserved outing in an F1 car after being parked at the bench for this season. Schumacher is a Mercedes reserve driver and McLaren can ask for his services as the customer of the Silver Arrows engine. Not just that, Schumacher can also replace the McLaren duo in a car if the situation demands as per the TPC Rules of F1.
However, the presence of Raghunathen became a huge topic of discussion as well. Fans took to various social media platforms to give their reactions to the same. Raghunathan last competed in the F1 feeder series in 2019 for MP racing where he could only manage 1 point in the entire season. Notably, he shared the grid with drivers like Nyck De Vries, Nicholas Latifi, Zhou Guanyu, and Schumacher himself.
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Raghunathen Becomes second Indian to test with McLaren F1 team
Since his F2 days, the Indian driver hasn’t been active in full-time racing. His last well-reported and significant outing was with the Alfa Romeo in 2021. However, he sent shock waves when he landed in Portimao two days ago for the McLaren MCL35M test. The Papaya team has been conducting tests all season long. The team started with F1 driver duo Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri.
Later on, Alex Palou and Pato O’Ward also came along. Most recent, however, are Mick Schumacher and Mahaveer Raghunathan. Last year, another Indian driver and current F2 star Jehan Daruvala also graced the McLaren F1 seat for mid-season testing. After him, Raghunathan becomes the second driver to drive for the legendary team.
After concluding the test, he tweeted, “Feels great to be back in an F1 car!!!! Two amazing days of testing the MCL35M at Portimao with @McLarenF1”. F1 insiders and fans spared no time before drawing insinuations for his presence at the Woking-based team’s garage. Tell us what you make this news in the comments below.
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