Ugo Ugochukwu Orlandi (born April 23, 2007) is an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

racing driver of

Nigerian Nigerians or the Nigerian people are citizens of Nigeria or people with ancestry from Nigeria. The name Nigeria was taken from the Niger River running through the country. This name was allegedly coined in the late 19th century by British jour ...

and Italian descent. He currently competes in the

Italian F4 Championship Italian Formula 4 Championship is the first formula racing series regulated according to FIA Formula 4 regulations. The inaugural season was the 2014 Italian F4 Championship, effectively replacing the Formula Abarth. History Gerhard Berger and th ...

with Prema Racing, having previously finished third in the

F4 British Championship F4 British Championship (full name ROKiT F4 British Championship certified by FIA, formerly known as F4 British Championship certified by FIA — powered by Ford (2016–21), MSA Formula (2015)) is a single-seater motorsport series based in ...

racing for Carlin. He is a member of the McLaren Driver Development Programme connected to the McLaren F1 Team.

Career

Karting

Ugochukwu began his karting career in America, winning the Micro ROK Cup USA in 2014 and the Florida Winter Tour in 2015 before moving to Italy to compete in European championships. He went on to win the X30 Mini category of the IAME International Open in 2017 and the Junior ROK category of the Challenge of the Americas in 2018. In 2020 he took victory in the FIA OK-Junior European Karting Championship.

Formula 4

In 2021 Ugochukwu took part in an F4 testing program with

Motopark Motopark Academy (raced under Lotus moniker from 2012 to 2014) is an auto racing team based in Oschersleben, Germany, next to the Motorsport Arena Oschersleben race track. In 2013, the team competed in the GP2 Series under the name Russian Time ...

, including tracks like Estoril and Oschersleben. In 2022 he progressed onto the junior formula ladder, driving for Carlin in British F4 alongside Williams junior

Oliver Gray Oliver "Ollie" Gray (born 28 April 2005) is a British racing driver set to compete in the 2024 European Le Mans Series with Inter Europol Competition. He most recently competed in the 2023 FIA Formula 3 Championship for Rodin Carlin, and was th ...

and New Zealander Louis Sharp. On the day of his first weekend, when Ugochukwu turned 15 which allowed him to be eligible to race in

Formula 4 FIA Formula 4, also called FIA F4, is an open-wheel racing car category intended for junior drivers. There is no global championship, but rather individual nations or regions can host their own championships in compliance with a universal set of r ...

, the American took his first pole position. He would be unable to convert it into a victory, taking third place along with the fastest lap in race 1 at

Donington Park Donington Park is a motorsport circuit located near Castle Donington in Leicestershire, England. The circuit business is now owned by Jonathan Palmer's MotorSport Vision organisation, and the surrounding Donington Park Estate, still owned b ...

. In the remainder of the season Ugochukwu took two race wins at

Brands Hatch Brands Hatch is a motor racing circuit in West Kingsdown, Kent, England, United Kingdom. Originally used as a grasstrack motorcycle circuit on farmland, it hosted 12 runnings of the British Grand Prix between 1964 and 1986 and currently host ...

and

Knockhill Knockhill Racing Circuit is a motor racing circuit in Fife, Scotland. It opened in September 1974 and is Scotland's national motorsport centre. The circuit is located in the countryside about north of Dunfermline. It is the only FIA approved ...

to finish third in the championship behind Alex Dunne and Oliver Gray and also became Rookie Cup champion. In August Ugochukwu joined Prema Racing to race in some of the remaining rounds of the

and ADAC Formula 4 Championship, where he achieved multiple podium finishes. He remained with Prema for 2023 competing in the

Formula 4 UAE Championship Starting in the 2016–17 season, the all new Formula 4 UAE Championship was launched by the Federation Internationale de l'Automobile, and its national affiliate the Automobile & Touring Club of the United Arab Emirates (ATCUAE), who acted as t ...

and

. In the UAE championship he took five wins en route to third in the standings. In the Italian championship he became vice-champion after fighting

Kacper Sztuka Kacper Sztuka (Polish pronunciation: ; born 28 January 2006) is a Polish people, Polish racing driver who is currently competing in the 2024 FIA Formula 3 Championship with MP Motorsport, having last competed in the 2023 Italian F4 Championshi ...

for the title until the final round at Vallelunga Circuit. In 2023 Ugochukwu also became the first champion of the new Euro 4 Championship.

Formula Regional

In 2024 Ugochukwu will remain with Prema Racing to compete in the Formula Regional European Championship.

FIA Formula 3

Ugochukwu took part in post-season testing of the

2023 FIA Formula 3 Championship The 2023 FIA Formula 3 Championship is a planned motor racing championship for Formula 3 cars that is sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The championship will be the fourteenth season of Formula 3 racing and the ...

with Rodin Carlin. He will also compete in the non-championship Macau Grand Prix with

Trident A trident is a three- pronged spear. It is used for spear fishing and historically as a polearm. The trident is the weapon of Poseidon, or Neptune, the God of the Sea in classical mythology. The trident may occasionally be held by other marine ...

Formula One

Following his victory in the FIA OK-Junior European Karting Championship with the Sauber Karting Team in 2020, Ugochukwu signed a long-term deal with the McLaren Driver Development Programme in 2021 to facilitate his transition from karts to cars.

Personal life

Ugochukwu is the son of Nigerian model

Oluchi Onweagba Oluchi Onweagba-Orlandi (born 1 August 1980) is a Nigerian model based in New York City. Growing up in the suburbs of Lagos, she won "The Face of Africa" contest at the age of 16. Early life Onweagba grew up in the suburbs of Lagos, Nigeria, ...

and Italian fashion designer

Luca Orlandi The last universal common ancestor (LUCA) is the most recent population from which all organisms now living on Earth share common descent—the most recent common ancestor of all current life on Earth. This includes all cellular organisms; t ...

Karting record

Karting career summary

Complete CIK-FIA Karting 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)

Racing record

Racing career summary

* Season still in progress. † Driver participated as a guest driver and was thus ineligible to score points.

Complete F4 British Championship results

(

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

Complete Italian F4 Championship results

(

) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in ''italics'' indicate fastest lap) *Season still in progress. † Ugochukwu finished 1st on track, but received three post-race penalties - one ten-second penalty for dangerous driving, and two five-second penalties for overtaking off-track.

Complete F4 UAE Championship results

(

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

Complete Euro 4 Championship results

(

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

Complete Macau Grand Prix results

Complete Formula Regional Middle East Championship results

(

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

Complete Formula Regional European Championship results

(

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

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Ugochukwu, Ugo 2007 births Living people American sportspeople of Nigerian descent American people of Italian descent Racing drivers from New York City Racing drivers from New York (state) British F4 Championship drivers Italian F4 Championship drivers ADAC Formula 4 drivers UAE F4 Championship drivers Formula Regional European Championship drivers Sauber Motorsport drivers Carlin racing drivers Prema Powerteam drivers Trident Racing drivers African-American racing drivers Karting World Championship drivers Formula Regional Middle East Championship drivers Mumbai Falcons drivers