Sacha Fenestraz Jules (born 28 July 1999) is a
French-Argentine racing driver currently competing in the
Super Formula Championship
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) and ...
with
Kondō Racing. He is the
2017 Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0
The 2017 Formula Renault Eurocup is a multi-event motor racing championship for open wheel, formula racing cars held across Europe. The championship features drivers competing in 2 litre Formula Renault single seat race cars that conform to the ...
champion. Currently, he drives for the
Nissan Formula E Team in
Formula E
Formula E, officially the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship, is a single-seater motorsport championship for electric cars. The series was conceived in 2011 in Paris by FIA president Jean Todt and Spanish businessman Alejandro Agag, who is ...
Early career
Karting
Born in France to Argentine and French parents, but raised in
Córdoba, Argentina
Córdoba () is a city in central Argentina, in the foothills of the Punilla Valley, Sierras Chicas on the Primero River, Suquía River, about northwest of Buenos Aires. It is the capital of Córdoba Province, Argentina, Córdoba Province a ...
, Fenestraz began karting in 2006 at the age of seven, partaking in events across France and Argentina.
Formula 4
In 2015, Fenestraz graduated to single-seaters. He partook in the
French F4 Championship
French F4 Championship, formerly known as Formula Renault Campus France, Formula Campus, Formul'Academy Euro Series, F4 Eurocup 1.6 is a form of open wheel racing founded in 1993 by Louis Drouet. It is based in France and aims at karting graduate ...
, where he claimed three victories and eleven junior victories. As a result, he finished as Junior F4 champion and vice-champion in the overall standings.
Formula Renault 2.0
![Formula Renault 2](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/32/Formula_Renault_2.0-Sacha_Fenestraz_%282%29.jpg)
In 2016, Fenestraz switched to
Formula Renault 2.0 with
Tech 1 Racing
Tech 1 Racing is a racing team based in Toulouse, France. They currently compete in the World Series by Renault and Eurocup Mégane Trophy.
Tech 1 also operate the Panis Racing LMP2 entry to the European Le Mans Series and the Ultimate LMP2 Pro ...
. He claimed his first pole position at the Monaco round, following the exclusion of former pole sitter
Lando Norris
Lando Norris (born 13 November 1999) is a Belgian-British racing driver currently competing in Formula One with McLaren, racing under the British flag. He won the MSA Formula championship in 2015, and the Toyota Racing Series, Eurocup Form ...
, and subsequently took his first victory in the race. He followed that up with a second pole and victory at the final race at
Estoril
Estoril () is a town in the Municipality of Cascais, Portugal, on the Portuguese Riviera. It is a tourist destination, with luxury hotels, beaches, and the Casino Estoril. It has been home to numerous royal families and celebrities, and has host ...
to finish fifth in the overall standings. He also claimed a victory and finished fifth in the Northern European Cup.
After testing with them in the post-season test at Estoril, Fenestraz signed with team champions
Josef Kaufmann Racing
Josef Kaufmann Racing is a motorsport team from Germany. It mainly operates in the Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 as well as Formula Renault 2.0 Northern European Cup. The team was founded in 1982.
History
In 1982, Josef Kaufmann Racing was founded ...
for 2017. Fenestraz won the championship with a race to spare.
He won seven races and had finished another eleven races on the podium position. After he became a champion he was included into the
Renault Sport Academy
The Alpine Academy – formerly known as the RF1 Driver Programme, Renault Driver Development and Renault Sport Academy – is a program to support young racing drivers through their careers. The programme was created by Renault F1 in 2002.
In ...
.
FIA European Formula 3 Championship
In September 2017, Fenestraz joined
Carlin for the eighth round at 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 ...
. In
2018, he contested with the team full-time. He scored his first podium and victory of the season during the second race in
Pau. He started this race from
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 ...
and also managed to set the fastest lap of the race, but could only manage eleventh in the championship. At the
Macau Grand Prix
The Macau Grand Prix ( pt, Grande Prémio de Macau; ) is a motorsport road race for automobiles and motorcycles held annually in Macau. It is the only street circuit racing event in which both cars and motorcycles participate, and one of onl ...
, Fenestraz came away with third in the race.
GP3 Series
Fenestraz partook in the final two rounds of the
2018 GP3 Series with
Arden International
Arden International is a multiple formula racing team created and run by Christian Horner and Garry Horner. It currently runs teams in the Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 and F4 British Championship, and formerly ran in the FIA Formula 2 Championship ...
.
Japanese Formula 3
After losing his backing from Renault, Fenestraz moved to Japan to contest the
Japanese Formula 3 Championship
was a national motor racing championship that takes place in Japan. It is a junior-level feeder formula that uses small single seater Formula Three chassis.
As a result of Formula 3 naming regulations by the FIA, on 13 August 2019, series pro ...
with
B-Max Racing with Motopark.
Fighting throughout the season with
TOM'S
is a factory supported racing team and tuner of Toyota and Lexus vehicles. The name stands for Tachi Oiwa Motor Sport. Their head office is located in Tokyo, Japan. They are currently heavily involved with Super GT, Super Formula and Super Form ...
racer Ritomo Miyata, Fenestraz claimed eight wins and secured the title at
Motegi with a round to spare, thus becoming the first rookie driver to win the title since
Nick Cassidy
Nick Cassidy (born 19 August 1994) is a New Zealand racing driver, currently competing in Formula E for Envision Racing, and in the World Endurance Championship and Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters with AF Corse. He has won the 2017 championship in ...
in
2015
File:2015 Events Collage new.png, From top left, clockwise: Civil service in remembrance of November 2015 Paris attacks; Germanwings Flight 9525 was purposely crashed into the French Alps; the rubble of residences in Kathmandu following the Apri ...
.
Super Formula
In 2020, Fenestraz moved up to
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 ...
with
Kondō Racing. He continued to compete with Kondo Racing, but could only drive in the last three rounds given that Fenestraz had been unable to enter Japan because the government had closed its borders due to the pandemic. Fenestraz continued racing with the same team, but this time he had his best season in Super Formula, where he clinched his maiden win in
Sportsland SUGO, and adding a couple of podiums to his name.
Super GT
In addition to his 2019 Japanese Formula 3 campaign, Fenestraz also partook in the GT300 class of the
Super GT championship with
Kondō Racing, finishing sixth overall.
The following year, Fenestraz graduated to the GT500 class with
Lexus
is the luxury vehicle division of the Japanese automaker Toyota. The Lexus brand is marketed in more than 90 countries and territories worldwide and is Japan's largest-selling make of premium cars. It has ranked among the 10 largest Japanese ...
rebranded
Toyota Gazoo Racing
Toyota Gazoo Racing (or Toyota GR/TGR) is a motorsport/performance brand of the Japanese automaker Toyota.
Many divisions in various racing disciplines use the branding, including Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT, Toyota's World Rally Championship te ...
replacing
Kazuki Nakajima
is a retired Japanese professional racing driver who drove in Formula One for the Williams-Toyota team from to . In 2012 and 2014, he won the Super Formula Championship driving for TOM'S. Racing for Toyota Gazoo Racing, he won the 2018, 2019 a ...
at
TGR TOM'S au and partnering
Yuhi Sekiguchi
is a Japanese racing driver. He currently competes in the GT500 class of the Super GT Series for TGR Team au TOM's, where he is the 2021 series champion. He also competes in the Super Formula Championship for Carenex Team Impul.
Career
For ...
. Four podiums to his name alongside Sekiguchi placed 4th in the standings. Fenestraz stayed with the same team, but nmove to the KeePer car pairing up with
Ryo Hirakawa Ryo may refer to:
* Ryō, a gold currency unit in pre-Meiji Japan Shakkanhō system
* Ryō (actress) (born 1973), Japanese model, actress, and singer
* Ryō (given name), a unisex Japanese given name
* Ryo, Georgia Ryo is an unincorporated communit ...
. Unfortunately he was denied entry to Japan for long time due to border restriction caused by the pandemic. He raced in the fifth round of the series, and by end of season clinched 1 podium. He continues to compete same team, but with new teammate of
Ritomo Miyata
(born August 10, 1999) is a Japanese racing driver currently competing in Super Formula for Kuo Vantelin Team TOM'S and Super GT for TGR Team WedsSport Bandoh. He is a 2 time Japanese F4 champion and the 2020 Super Formula Lights champion.
...
. In that season, Fenestraz and Miyata clinched their GT500 maiden win in
Fuji Speedway
is a motorsport race track standing in the foothills of Mount Fuji, in Oyama, Suntō District, Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan. It was built in the early 1960s. In the 1980s, Fuji Speedway was used for the FIA World Sportscar Championship and nati ...
.
Formula E
In February 2020, Fenestraz was named as one of
Panasonic Jaguar Racing's entrants into the rookie test in Marrakesh. In the test, Fenestraz set the fourth fastest time of the morning session and finish tenth overall in the afternoon session and overall classification. The following year, Fenestraz was named as Jaguar's reserve driver for the
2021 season opener at Riyadh.
Dragon / Penske Autosport (2022)
2021–22 season
In August 2022, Fenestraz made his Formula E debut in the second
Seoul ePrix
The Seoul ePrix is an annual race of the single-seater, electrically powered Formula E championship, to be held at the Seoul Street Circuit in Seoul, the capital of South Korea. It was first raced in the 2021–2022 season as the first ePrix ...
, replacing
Antonio Giovinazzi
Antonio Maria Giovinazzi (; born 14 December 1993) is an Italian racing driver who currently serves as the reserve driver for Scuderia Ferrari, Haas and Alfa Romeo Racing. He was the 2015 FIA Formula 3 European Championship runner-up and rac ...
who suffered a hand injury in the previous race.
Nissan Formula E Team (2023–)
2022–23 season
Fenestraz has been announced for a seat in Formula E for the
2023 season at
Nissan
, trade name, trading as Nissan Motor Corporation and often shortened to Nissan, is a Japanese multinational corporation, multinational Automotive industry, automobile manufacturer headquartered in Nishi-ku, Yokohama, Japan. The company sells ...
, partnering with
Norman Nato
Norman Nato (born 8 July 1992) is a French professional racing driver who is currently driving for Realteam Racing in the FIA World Endurance Championship. Nato is known for finishing as the runner-up in the 2010 F4 Eurocup 1.6 season and the 2 ...
.
Personal life
Fenestraz shared a flat in
Guildford
Guildford ()
is a town in west Surrey, around southwest of central London. As of the 2011 census, the town has a population of about 77,000 and is the seat of the wider Borough of Guildford, which had around inhabitants in . The name "Guildf ...
with fellow racing driver
Lando Norris
Lando Norris (born 13 November 1999) is a Belgian-British racing driver currently competing in Formula One with McLaren, racing under the British flag. He won the MSA Formula championship in 2015, and the Toyota Racing Series, Eurocup Form ...
.
Racing record
Career summary
† As Fenestraz was a guest driver, he was ineligible to score points.
Complete French F4 Championship results
(
key
Key or The Key may refer to:
Common meanings
* Key (cryptography), a piece of information that controls the operation of a cryptography algorithm
* Key (lock), device used to control access to places or facilities restricted by a lock
* Key (map ...
) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in ''italics'' indicate fastest lap)
Complete Formula Renault Eurocup results
(
key
Key or The Key may refer to:
Common meanings
* Key (cryptography), a piece of information that controls the operation of a cryptography algorithm
* Key (lock), device used to control access to places or facilities restricted by a lock
* Key (map ...
) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in ''italics'' indicate fastest lap)
Complete FIA Formula 3 European Championship results
(
key
Key or The Key may refer to:
Common meanings
* Key (cryptography), a piece of information that controls the operation of a cryptography algorithm
* Key (lock), device used to control access to places or facilities restricted by a lock
* Key (map ...
) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in ''italics'' indicate fastest lap)
† Driver did not finish the race, but was classified as he completed over 90% of the race distance.
Complete Macau Grand Prix results
Complete GP3 Series results
(
key
Key or The Key may refer to:
Common meanings
* Key (cryptography), a piece of information that controls the operation of a cryptography algorithm
* Key (lock), device used to control access to places or facilities restricted by a lock
* Key (map ...
) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in ''italics'' indicate fastest lap)
Complete Japanese Formula 3 Championship results
(
key
Key or The Key may refer to:
Common meanings
* Key (cryptography), a piece of information that controls the operation of a cryptography algorithm
* Key (lock), device used to control access to places or facilities restricted by a lock
* Key (map ...
) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in ''italics'' indicate fastest lap)
Complete Super GT results
(
key
Key or The Key may refer to:
Common meanings
* Key (cryptography), a piece of information that controls the operation of a cryptography algorithm
* Key (lock), device used to control access to places or facilities restricted by a lock
* Key (map ...
) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in ''italics'' indicate fastest lap)
‡ Half points awarded as less than 75% of race distance was completed.
Complete Super Formula results
(
key
Key or The Key may refer to:
Common meanings
* Key (cryptography), a piece of information that controls the operation of a cryptography algorithm
* Key (lock), device used to control access to places or facilities restricted by a lock
* Key (map ...
) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in ''italics'' indicate fastest lap)
Complete Formula E results
(
key
Key or The Key may refer to:
Common meanings
* Key (cryptography), a piece of information that controls the operation of a cryptography algorithm
* Key (lock), device used to control access to places or facilities restricted by a lock
* Key (map ...
) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in ''italics'' indicate fastest lap)
References
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fenestraz, Sacha
1999 births
Living people
French racing drivers
French F4 Championship drivers
Formula Renault Eurocup drivers
Formula Renault 2.0 NEC drivers
FIA Formula 3 European Championship drivers
French people of Argentine descent
Sportspeople of Argentine descent
French people of Colombian descent
Sportspeople of Colombian descent
GP3 Series drivers from France
Japanese Formula 3 Championship drivers
Super Formula drivers
Carlin racing drivers
Arden International drivers
Super GT drivers
Toyota Gazoo Racing drivers
TOM'S drivers
Motopark Academy drivers
Tech 1 Racing drivers
Josef Kaufmann Racing drivers
Auto Sport Academy drivers
Kondō Racing drivers
Formula E drivers
Dragon Racing drivers
Súper TC 2000 drivers
Nismo drivers
Michelin Pilot Challenge drivers