Arjun Maini Siblings: All About Kush Maini
Racing driver Arjun Maini PHOTO/Getty Images
Arjun Maini, born on December 10, 1997, in Bengaluru, India, is a professional racing driver whose passion for motorsport ignited at a tender age.
He received his first go-kart, an 80cc Comer Kart, when he was just five years old, courtesy of his father.
This early exposure transformed a childhood fascination into a lifelong pursuit, leading him to become one of India’s most prominent figures in international racing circuits.
Maini has transitioned from karting prodigy to a seasoned competitor in high-stakes series, representing not only his nation but also pioneering new frontiers for South Asian drivers on the global stage.
His journey reflects resilience, marked by triumphs in single-seaters and endurance racing, and he continues to compete as a Ford Factory driver.
Siblings
Arjun has a younger brother, Kush Maini.
Born on September 22, 2000, Kush is three years Arjun’s junior and has carved a parallel path in professional racing, currently competing in the FIA Formula 2 Championship for DAMS as part of the Alpine Academy.
Like Arjun, Kush hails from Bengaluru’s racing-centric environment, where the brothers shared go-karting weekends that fueled their competitive fire.
Kush’s career highlights include podium finishes in the British Formula 3 Championship, where he secured third place in 2018 and mounted a strong title challenge in 2020 with three race wins, as well as stints in Formula Renault Eurocup and FIA Formula 3.
Their father, Gautam Maini, a former National Racing Championship competitor in the late 1990s, and uncle Chetan Maini, the visionary behind India’s first electric car, the REVA, further embed the family in a legacy of speed and engineering excellence.
Career
Maini’s racing odyssey began in earnest at age eight, when he clinched his inaugural championships in the MRF Mini Max series, dominating both the Rotax and 4-stroke Cadet classes in his debut season.
This precocious success propelled him into international karting, where he amassed victories abroad, including the Royal Kelantan Kart Prix in Malaysia and a second-place finish in the Junior category of the Indonesia Kart Prix in 2012.
By 2011, at just 13, Maini had already etched his name in history as the winner of Force India’s ‘One in a Billion’ driver hunt, a nationwide talent search that catapulted him into single-seater racing.
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Transitioning to cars in 2013, he claimed the Asia Cup Series title and runner-up honors in the JK Tyre Racing India Series, before making his European breakthrough in 2014 with a vice-championship in the BRDC Formula 4, narrowly missing the crown to George Russell by three points.
The following years saw Maini navigate the steep learning curve of junior formulae: a fourth-place finish in the 2015 Toyota Racing Series, sporadic points in the FIA Formula 3 European Championship across 2015 and 2016, and a pivotal shift to GP3 with Jenzer Motorsport in 2016.
There, he blossomed, securing ninth overall in 2017 with a landmark victory at the Hungaroring—the first by an Indian driver in the series—alongside a fastest lap record.
Elevated to FIA Formula 2 in 2018 with Trident, Maini’s season was tumultuous, overshadowed by team tensions but yielding valuable experience.
He returned briefly in 2019 for six races with Campos Racing after a mid-season call-up.
Pivoting to endurance racing amid F1’s elusive grasp, Maini joined the European Le Mans Series in 2019 with RLR MSport in LMP2, finishing 21st overall, and notched a win en route to fifth in the 2019-2020 Asian Le Mans Series.
His sportscar tenure expanded with entries in the 24 Hours of Le Mans and consistent runs through 2021.
In 2021, Maini made headlines as the first Indian to race in the Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters (DTM) with Mercedes-AMG Team GetSpeed, later switching to Haupt Racing Team in 2022.
Now in his fourth DTM season as of 2024, elevated to AMG Performance Driver status, he balances this with GT World Challenge Europe duties for Haupt Racing Team, showcasing adaptability in GT3 machinery while mentoring emerging Indian talent.
Accolades
From his karting youth, Maini captured the JK Tyre Rotax Max National Karting Championship in the Junior Max category in 2011, alongside wins in the AKOC race in Macau and the Ask KF3 Race in Elite, Malaysia, cementing his reputation as a prodigy.
His single-seater ascent yielded the 2013 Super 6 Series title and a runner-up spot in the JK Tyre Racing Series, followed by the near-miss vice-championship in BRDC Formula 4 in 2014.
In GP3, his 2017 Hungaroring triumph stands as a pinnacle—the first race win and fastest lap by an Indian—earning him ninth in the standings despite missing events.
Formula 2 brought grit over glory, but his 2017 Haas F1 Team development driver role from 2017 to 2019 highlighted his potential on the F1 periphery.
Endurance racing added depth: a victory and fifth place in the 2019-2020 Asian Le Mans Series, plus 21st overall in the 2019 European Le Mans Series.
DTM immortality arrived in 2021 with a second-place podium at the Norisring—the first by an Indian in the series’ storied history—bolstered by two fourth-place finishes in 2022.
By 2023, his upward trajectory in GT World Challenge Europe included two podiums in the Gold class, including at Hockenheimring.
Promoted to AMG Performance Driver in 2024, Maini’s accolades not only tally personal victories but also shatter barriers, inspiring a new generation while amassing over 320 race starts with a 4.1% win rate and 16.3% podium percentage across disciplines.