Lirim Zendeli (born 18 October 1999 in

Bochum Bochum ( , also , ; wep, Baukem) is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia. With a population of 364,920 (2016), is the sixth largest city (after Cologne, Düsseldorf, Dortmund, Essen and Duisburg) of the most populous Germany, German federal state o ...

) is a German racing driver of Macedonian-Albanian descent who is set to compete in the

2023 USF Pro 2000 Championship The 2023 USF Pro 2000 Championship is the 25th season in series history and the first under the USF Pro 2000 moniker. When the top rung of the Road to Indy ladder system, Indy Lights, was bought by Penske Entertainment (owners of INDYCAR) in ...

with TJ Speed Motorsports. He last competed as a substitute driver for Campos Racing in Formula 2. He competed in the FIA Formula 3 Championship with Charouz Racing System in

2019 File:2019 collage v1.png, From top left, clockwise: Hong Kong protests turn to widespread riots and civil disobedience; House of Representatives votes to adopt articles of impeachment against Donald Trump; CRISPR gene editing first used to experim ...

as the reigning German Formula 4 champion. After the 2019 F3 season, Zendeli competed in the 2020 Toyota Racing Series in New Zealand before joining Trident for the 2020 FIA Formula 3 Championship, where he won a race at

Spa A spa is a location where mineral-rich spring water (and sometimes seawater) is used to give medicinal baths. Spa towns or spa resorts (including hot springs resorts) typically offer various health treatments, which are also known as balneothe ...

. He made the step up to Formula 2 in

2021 File:2021 collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: the James Webb Space Telescope was launched in 2021; Protesters in Yangon, Myanmar following the 2021 Myanmar coup d'état, coup d'état; A civil demonstration against the October–November 2021 ...

with MP Motorsport.

Racing career

Karting

Zendeli began his motorsport career in karting in 2010. In his home country, he finished third in the KF3 class of the ADAC Kart Masters in 2013 and won the KFJ class of the series in 2014. That year he also made the switch to European championships and competed in the CIK-FIA World Championship in the KF Junior class, among other categories. In 2015, he concluded his karting career in the KF class of the South Garda Winter Cup, where he finished 11th.

ADAC Formula 4

2016

2016 was Zendeli's first season in single-seaters, racing in ADAC Formula 4 with ADAC Berlin-Brandenburg. He failed to score points in the opening two rounds, but after that, regularly finished in the top 10. He even achieved a podium finish with a second position in the penultimate race weekend at Zandvoort. With 74 points he finished in 13th place in the championship, whilst he ended up fifth in the rookie class.

2017

The following year Zendeli contested a double programme in both the ADAC and Italian Formula 4 championships, again with ADAC Berlin-Brandenburg. In the German series, Zendeli took his maiden single-seater win at Oschersleben. However, his title challenge was derailed when he suffered two retirements and two non-scoring finishes in the next three rounds. Despite this, he would win again in the

Nürburgring The is a 150,000 person capacity motorsports complex located in the town of Nürburg, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It features a Formula One, Grand Prix race track built in 1984, and a long "North loop" track, built in the 1920s, around t ...

and during the penultimate race at the

Hockenheimring The Hockenheimring Baden-Württemberg () is a motor racing circuit situated in the Rhine valley near the town of Hockenheim in Baden-Württemberg, Germany, located on the Bertha Benz Memorial Route. Amongst other motor racing events, it has hos ...

. The German classified fourth in the standings with 164 points, he also had a further two podiums. In the Italian championship, the German scored two podium finishes, but was not included in the final standings as he did not take part in the final race weekend at

Monza Monza (, ; lmo, label=Lombard language, Lombard, Monça, locally ; lat, Modoetia) is a city and ''comune'' on the River Lambro, a tributary of the Po River, Po in the Lombardy region of Italy, about north-northeast of Milan. It is the capit ...

2018

For 2018, Zendeli moved to the US Racing-CHRS team, partnering David Schumacher, Mick Wishofer and Tom Beckhäuser, for a year that would prove to be his breakout. Zendeli dominated throughout the campaign, winning four of the first six races. Amazingly, Zendeli won at every round, and this allowed him to claim the title during the penultimate round at the

. Zendeli rounded the season with two wins. He dominated the season by taking eight

pole position In a motorsports race, the pole position is usually the best and "statistically the most advantageous" starting position on the track. The pole position is usually earned by the driver with the best qualifying times in the trials before the rac ...

s of a possible 14, winning 10 races out of 21 and finishing over 100 points ahead of nearest rival Liam Lawson.

FIA Formula 3 Championship

2019

Zendeli progressed to

Formula 3 Formula Three, also called Formula 3, abbreviated as F3, is a third-tier class of open-wheel formula racing. The various championships held in Europe, Australia, South America and Asia form an important step for many prospective Formula One driv ...

, continuing with Charouz and alongside Fabio Scherer and

Raoul Hyman Raoul Joshua Hyman (born 12 May 1996) is a South African racing driver scheduled to compete in the Super Formula Championship for B-Max Racing. He is the 2022 Formula Regional Americas and 2018 F3 Asian Champion. Career Lower formulae Hyman ...

. Zendeli's only points came at the

Red Bull Ring The Red Bull Ring is a motorsport race track in Spielberg, Styria, Austria. The race circuit was founded as Österreichring (translation: Austrian Circuit) and hosted the Austrian Grand Prix for 18 consecutive years, from to . It was later sh ...

, finishing eighth and seventh place. In the latter result, Zendeli had started on reverse pole but lost out to the faster cars. He was set for another strong result in

, but suffered a puncture while battling for the lead. He missed the final round, and ended 18th in the championship with six points. Following the season, Zendeli made a one-off appearance in the 2019 Formula Regional European Championship. He claimed two second places and ended 14th in the standings.

2020

During 2020 pre-season, he competed in the Toyota Racing Series with Giles Motorsport. Zendeli took four podiums but no wins, and managed to end up eighth in the standings. In Formula 3, Zendeli signed for Trident Racing to partner

David Beckmann David Alexander Beckmann (born 27 April 2000) is a German racing driver currently racing in the Formula 2 with Van Amersfoort Racing. Career Karting Beckmann began karting in 2008, collecting major karting wins in 2009, 2012 and 2014. He rema ...

and

Olli Caldwell Oliver "Olli" Caldwell (born 11 June 2002) is a British racing driver who is competing for Alpine in the FIA World Endurance Championship. He is a race winner in the FIA Formula 3, Formula Regional European, Italian F4 and ADAC Formula 4 champ ...

in the 2020 season. Zendeli managed to qualify second in his first race at the

, but dropped to fifth at the flag despite momentarily being in the lead, and followed it up with fifth in Race 2. He scored his first Formula 3 podium finish at the rain-shortened first race of the second Red Bull Ring round. The German made a brilliant start from sixth, soaring to second on the first lap and nearly snatching the lead from the Frederik Vesti. He remained in the position until the conclusion of the race. The next two rounds went poorly for Zendeli, starting at the Hungaroring where he suffered collision damage in Race 1 and had to retire, with 16th place in the following race. In

Silverstone Silverstone is a village and civil parish in Northamptonshire, England. It is about from Towcester on the former A43 main road, from the M1 motorway junction 15A and about from the M40 motorway junction 10, Northampton, Milton Keynes and B ...

, he had no pace and did not score. During the second Silverstone round in Race 2, Zendeli lined up on reverse pole and led for most of the race. On the final lap, he battled with

Bent Viscaal Bent Max Calvin Viscaal (born 18 September 1999 in Almelo) is a Dutch racing driver who is set compete in the 2023 FIA World Endurance Championship with Prema Racing. He last competed in the 2022 European Le Mans Series for Algarve Pro Racing. H ...

and the Dutchman won out, and eventually Zendeli crossed the finish line second, only 0.189 seconds behind Viscaal. After a scoreless weekend in Barcelona, Zendeli took his first Formula 3 pole position at Spa-Francorchamps. He led every lap to take his first victory by four seconds. He ended Race 2 in eighth place. In

, Zendeli qualified second but was given a ten-place grid penalty for dangerous offences. After a quiet Race 1 in eighth, he had a wild Race 2, taking the lead early but made a mistake and fell to seventh. He eventually worked his way to finish in fourth. He took a second pole position at the season finale at Mugello. He remained in the lead for seven laps and later fought with Jake Hughes but Zendeli would fall to fourth place at the finish. Race 2 ended in disappointment as he was eliminated on the opening lap after colliding with Logan Sargeant. Zendeli ended the season eighth in the championship with 104 points with one win, two poles and two podiums – behind Beckmann but considerably ahead of Caldwell – and helped his Trident team to achieve second place in the teams' championship.

2022

Zendeli returned to Charouz Racing System for a cameo appearance for the

2022 Barcelona Formula 3 round The 2022 Barcelona Formula 3 round was a motor racing event held on 21 and 22 May 2022 at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, Montmeló, Catalonia, Spain. It was the third round of the 2022 FIA Formula 3 Championship, and was held in support of the ...

, taking over David Schumacher's seat. Starting 22nd, in both races, Zendeli managed to progress up in both races, taking 20th and 15th in the sprint and feature races respectively. Zendeli was replaced by Zdeněk Chovanec for the

onwards. The German was ranked 31st in the standings.

FIA Formula 2 Championship

2021

In December 2020 it was announced that Zendeli would graduate to the FIA Formula 2 Championship for the season, driving for MP Motorsport alongside Richard Verschoor. He scored his first points in his first race at Bahrain, thanks to a fastest lap by finishing ninth. That saw him line up for Sprint Race 2, and he was set for points when

Christian Lundgaard Christian Lundgaard (born 23 July 2001) is a Danish professional racing driver who is driving the No. 45 Honda for Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing in the IndyCar Series. He was the 2022 IndyCar Series Rookie of the Year, and was a member of t ...

made contact with his rear-right tyre, causing the German a puncture and his retirement. In Monaco, Zendeli qualified in 17th, and in the second sprint race he would finish in seventh, scoring points due to others' misfortune. In

Baku Baku (, ; az, Bakı ) is the capital and largest city of Azerbaijan, as well as the largest city on the Caspian Sea and of the Caucasus region. Baku is located below sea level, which makes it the lowest lying national capital in the world a ...

, Zendeli had another incident in the second sprint but rescued a point with tenth in the feature race.

would be successful, as he finished close to the points in the first two races, before claiming ninth in the feature race. In

, Zendeli was on for a huge result in sprint race 1, but his race ended in the dying laps due to a engine issue. In the feature race, he had a strong race, climbing his way to his joint-best seventh place. In

Sochi Sochi ( rus, Со́чи, p=ˈsotɕɪ, a=Ru-Сочи.ogg) is the largest resort city in Russia. The city is situated on the Sochi River, along the Black Sea in Southern Russia, with a population of 466,078 residents, up to 600,000 residents in ...

, he ended tenth in the sprint, and failed to score points. Due to financial reasons Zendeli left the team in early November and was replaced by

Clément Novalak Clément Novalak (born 23 December 2000) is a French-Swiss racing driver set to race for Trident in the 2023 Formula 2 Championship, having previously drove for MP Motorsport. He previously raced in the FIA Formula Three Championship for Carl ...

. Zendeli would finish 17th overall with 13 points, six places behind teammate Verschoor.

2022

2022 File:2022 collage V1.png, Clockwise, from top left: Road junction at Yamato-Saidaiji Station several hours after the assassination of Shinzo Abe; 2022 Sri Lankan protests, Anti-government protest in Sri Lanka in front of the Presidential Secretari ...

, Zendeli made a cameo deputisation at Spa-Francorchamps, replacing the banned

at Campos Racing, which was his first F2 round since he left MP Motorsport in 2021. He finished the sprint race in 20th and retired from the feature race, with Caldwell returning for the next round at

Circuit Zandvoort Circuit Zandvoort (), known for sponsorship reasons as CM.com Circuit Zandvoort, and previously known as Circuit Park Zandvoort until 2017, is a motorsport race track located in the dunes north of Zandvoort, the Netherlands, near the North Sea ...

. His P20 finish meant Zendeli was classified 29th, last in the standings.

Super Formula

At the end of 2022, Zendeli partook in a

Super Formula The Japanese Super Formula Championship is a formula racing series. It is considered as being the top level of single-seater racing in Japan and regional motorsports in Asia. The series is sanctioned by the Japan Automobile Federation (JAF) an ...

test with B-Max Racing.

USF Pro 2000 Championship

Zendeli returned to racing in 2023, racing in the

with TJ Speed Motorsports.

Personal life

His father Jauni, who had fled from North Macedonia before settling in Germany, founded a drywall works company in

Karting record

Karting career summary

Racing record

Racing career summary

^† As Zendeli had not competed in the required number of rounds he was ineligible for a championship position.
^‡ As Zendeli was a guest driver, he was ineligible to score points.
* Season still in progress.

Complete ADAC Formula 4 Championship results

( key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in ''italics'' indicate fastest lap)

Complete Italian F4 Championship results

( key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in ''italics'' indicate fastest lap) ^† Zendeli did not compete in the required number of rounds to be eligible for a championship position.

Complete FIA Formula 3 Championship results

( key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in ''italics'' indicate points for the fastest lap of top ten finishers) ^† Driver did not finish the race but was classified as he completed over 90% of the race distance.
^‡ Half points awarded as less than 75% of race distance was completed.

Complete Formula Regional European Championship results

( key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in ''italics'' indicate fastest lap)

Complete Toyota Racing Series results

( key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in ''italics'' indicate fastest lap)

Complete FIA Formula 2 Championship results

( key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in ''italics'' indicate points for the fastest lap of top ten finishers)

American open-wheel racing results

USF Pro 2000 Championship

( key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in ''italics'' indicate fastest lap) (Races with * indicate most race laps led) *Season still in progress.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Zendeli, Lirim German racing drivers German people of Albanian descent 1999 births Living people ADAC Formula 4 drivers ADAC Formula 4 champions FIA Formula 3 Championship drivers Formula Regional European Championship drivers FIA Formula 2 Championship drivers Sportspeople from Bochum Mücke Motorsport drivers US Racing drivers Charouz Racing System drivers Trident Racing drivers MP Motorsport drivers Italian F4 Championship drivers Toyota Racing Series drivers Karting World Championship drivers Campos Racing drivers Sauber Motorsport drivers German people of Macedonian descent Albanian sportspeople