Jehan Daruvala on Friday took a big step towards realising his Formula 1 dream with four-time champions Red Bull Racing inducting the young Indian driver into their junior program. The Red Bull junior program has played an instrumental role in the rise of Sebastian Vettel, with whom the team won four titles from 2010-2013, Daniel Ricciardo, Alex Albon and the outfit's current star Max Verstappen. It was also announced that the 21-year-old from Mumbai will return to Carlin Racing for his maiden stint in the FIA Formula 2 Championship, which runs alongside the Formula 1 season. Daruvala, who is aiming to become the third Indian to race in Formula 1 after Narain Karthikeyan and Karun Chandhok, knows the association with Red Bull brings added pressure but he is ready for the challenge.

"Red bull approached me at the end of last year and it is a big honour to be associated with them. Yes, there is added pressure but I have come to a stage where I don't let it get the better of me," an ecstatic Daruvala told PTI. The Indian finished an impressive third in the Formula 3 Championship last season, missing out on the second spot by just one point. He was also in the title running for the major part of the season alongside Prema teammates Marcus Armstong and Robert Shwartzman, who eventually won the championship by a comfortable margin. Daruvala returns to Carlin for his first season in Formula 2 after having an ordinary time with them in Formula 3 in 2018 when he finished 10th in the Championship. "They are a good team in Formula 2 and I am looking forward to the challenge. I obviously need to perform but at this stage, I want to take things as they come," Daruvala said. "It's great to be working with some of the same people again on the engineering side (at Carlin) as I make the step up to F2.