Jean-Paul Driot (7 October 1950 – 3 August 2019) was a French motorsport personality, co-founder of the

DAMS A dam is a barrier that stops or restricts the flow of surface water or underground streams. Reservoirs created by dams not only suppress floods but also provide water for activities such as irrigation, human consumption, industrial use, ...

team with the former driver of

Formula One Formula One (also known as Formula 1 or F1) is the highest class of international racing for open-wheel single-seater formula racing cars sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The World Drivers' Championship, ...

René Arnoux René Alexandre Arnoux (; born 4 July 1948) is a French former racing driver who competed in 12 Formula One seasons (1978 to 1989). He participated in 165 World Championship Grands Prix (149 starts) winning seven of them, achieving 22 podium fi ...

Career

In 1988, Jean-Paul Driot founded with René Arnoux the DAMS team, engaged in the

International Formula 3000 The Formula 3000 International Championship was a motor racing series created by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) in 1985 to become the final preparatory step for drivers hoping to enter Formula One. Formula Two had become t ...

championship the following year. In 2005, following the launch of the

A1 Grand Prix A1 Grand Prix (A1GP) was a "single-make" open-wheel auto racing series that ran from 2005 until 2009. It was unique in its field in that competitors solely represented their nation as opposed to themselves or a team, the usual format in most for ...

championship, he acquired the

A1 Team France A1 Team France is the French team of A1 Grand Prix, an international racing series. The team were the A1 Grand Prix champions for the inaugural season, 2005-06. Management A1 Team France's owner is Jean-Paul Driot. The team was previously mana ...

franchise. In 2014, he founded the Renault e.dams team, in partnership with

Alain Prost Alain Marie Pascal Prost (; born 24 February 1955) is a French retired racing driver and Formula One team owner. A four-time Formula One World Drivers' Champion, from 1987 until 2001 he held the record for most Grand Prix victories until Mich ...

, and entered the Formula E Championship.

Personal life

Driot died on 3 August 2019 after a long battle with leukemia. Driot left behind his wife, Geneviève and his two sons, Olivier and Grégory.

References

External links

Jean-Paul Driot and DAMS: One Year On
{{DEFAULTSORT:Driot, Jean-Paul 1950 births 2019 deaths French motorsport people