Kush Maini to drive for Alpine in F1 post-season rookie test

Alpine Formula One Team confirmed that Kush Maini will drive the A525 at the post-season young driver test in Abu Dhabi, marking another significant moment in a landmark year for the Indian racer.

While Maini has tested with the Formula 1 car for Alpine earlier, this will be his first appearance in an official F1 session. He will take part in Alpine’s structured testing programme with the A525 following the Formula 2 race weekend.

Earlier this year, he was also named one of Alpine’s test and reserve drivers for the season, making him the first Indian driver in 13 years to hold an official role within a Formula 1 team. His participation in the rookie test will make him only the third Indian to feature in an F1 session.

He has previously driven with the team through their Testing Previous Cars (TPC) programme and fulfilled extensive simulator work under the Alpine Academy.

This follows a year filled with major milestones for Maini — his historic win in Monaco made him the first Indian driver ever to triumph at the prestigious circuit.

“I’m excited to take part in the post-season test and to finally drive the A525 in an official session. Yas Marina is a track I know well from Formula 2, and it’ll be incredible to experience the performance of a Formula One car here.,” Maini said.

Published on Dec 03, 2025