Spielberg, Jul 7 (IANS): Indian racer Jehan Daruvala will be fired up to reignite his title assault with a return to the podium this weekend, as he heads to Austria's Red Bull Ring for the eighth round of the Formula 2 championship.

The 23-year-old Red Bull-backed driver missed out on a top-three finish for only the second time in seven rounds this year during last week's outing at Silverstone.

But the Prema Racing driver is ready to bounce back around the 4.3-km long venue, host of the Austrian Formula One Grand Prix, which will also mark the start of the second half of the F2 season.

"The Red Bull Ring is like a home track for us Red Bull juniors and I love racing here. It's a short but extremely fun lap to drive and the track also undulates quite a bit which makes it similar to riding a rollercoaster. This race marks the start of the second half of our season and, even though Silverstone didn't quite go our way, I'm fully focussed on fighting back, qualifying strongly and racing at the front in both races this weekend," Daruvala said.

Daruvala has a strong record at the Red Bull Ring. He finished on the podium on his first visit to the track while racing in Formula Renault in 2015. He followed that up with a second-place finish while fighting for the Formula 3 title in 2019.

Daruvala has finished on the podium five times so far this season, four of which have been second-placed finishes. A three-time F2 winner, he aims to become the first Indian to win the title and only the third to make the step up to Formula One.