Charles Pic (French pronunciation: [ʃɑʁl ˈpik]; born 15 February 1990) is a French former racing driver and motorsport executive, who competed in Formula One from 2012 to 2013.
Charles Pic | |
|---|---|
 Pic in 2013 | |
| Born | 15 February 1990 Montélimar, Drôme, France |
| Relatives |
|
| Formula One World Championship career | |
| Nationality |  French |
| Active years | 2012–2013 |
| Teams | Marussia, Caterham |
| Entries | 39 (39 starts) |
| Championships | 0 |
| Wins | 0 |
| Podiums | 0 |
| Career points | 0 |
| Pole positions | 0 |
| Fastest laps | 0 |
| First entry | 2012 Australian Grand Prix |
| Last entry | 2013 Brazilian Grand Prix |
| Previous series | |
| 2010–2011 2009–2011 2008–2009 2007 2007 2006 | GP2 Series GP2 Asia Series Formula Renault 3.5 Formula Renault Eurocup French Formula Renault French FRenault Campus |
Born and raised in Montélimar, Drôme, Pic began karting aged 13 with help from his godfather Éric Bernard, a former Formula One driver. Graduating to junior formulae in 2006, Pic achieved top-three championship finishes in several Formula Renault categories before progressing to the GP2 Series in 2010. After achieving several wins across two seasons in GP2, Pic signed for Marussia in 2012 to partner Timo Glock, making his Formula One debut at the Australian Grand Prix. After Marussia failed to score points all season with the MR01, Pic moved to Caterham for 2013. Another point-less campaign followed for Pic, who was released by Caterham at the end of the season, becoming a reserve driver for Lotus. Pic moved to Formula E for its inaugural 2014–15 season, finishing fourth in the season-opening Beijing ePrix for Andretti but being replaced by Matthew Brabham the following round. He competed for China Racing at four further ePrix, including a points finish in Monaco, but retired after the Berlin ePrix.
Upon his retirement from motor racing, Pic moved into business and asset management. Since 2022, Pic has maintained full ownership of French racing team DAMS, who have competed in FIA Formula 2.
Early career
editKarting and Formula Renault
editBorn in Montélimar, France, Pic entered karting at a late age of 13 years. With the help of his godfather Éric Bernard, Pic achieved "strong results" in Italian and French championships.[1]
In 2006, Pic made his Formula Renault debut, racing for La Filière. He finished the season as third and also became the rookie champion.[1]
Formula Renault 3.5 Series
edit
For 2008 Pic moved to Tech 1 Racing to contest the Formula Renault 3.5 Series.[2] He was partnered by Julien Jousse and finished sixth in the points thanks to two wins at Circuit de Monaco – having dominated the entire weekend with pole position and fastest lap – and at Le Mans. He remained with Tech 1 for the following season and won twice more, at Silverstone and the Nürburgring, which helped him to finish third in the final standings. In 2009 he was also a member of the Renault Driver Development Programme.[3]
GP2 Series
editAt the end of 2009 Pic switched to the 2009–10 GP2 Asia Series season with Arden International, and remained with the team into the 2010 GP2 Series season.[4] Pic won on debut with the British outfit during the Asia Series' season-opener at Bahrain, before repeating the feat in the main series at the start of 2010 at Circuit de Catalunya.[5] He eventually finished 10th in the drivers' standings.[6]
For 2011 Pic moved to the Barwa Addax squad alongside future Formula 1 team-mate Giedo van der Garde.[7] Despite failing to score any points in the preceding Asia Series campaign, he hit back with a second career GP2 win at Catalunya where he led home Van der Garde for an Addax one-two finish. Another victory, this time on the streets of Monaco, helped move him up to third place in the drivers' championship. The two points he then scored for taking pole position at Valencia briefly moved Pic into the championship lead but, after retiring from both races and dropping back in the standings as a result, he eventually finished the season fourth overall, three points clear of Van der Garde.[6]
Formula One
editIn November 2011 Pic made his debut at the wheel of a Formula One car, driving for Marussia Virgin Racing at the young driver test held at Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi.[8] He was due to drive for a day and-a-half of the test, but the Virgin team decided to give him a further half-day of running after he encountered engine problems on the second day of the test.[9]
During the test, several news sources reported that Pic had agreed a deal to race with the team in the 2012 season.[10][11]
Marussia (2012)
edit
After the conclusion of the 2011 Brazilian Grand Prix it was confirmed that Pic would indeed partner Timo Glock at the renamed Marussia F1 in 2012.[12] It was also confirmed that Pic would be mentored by ex-F1 driver and fellow countryman Olivier Panis.[13] It was reported at the 2012 Hungarian Grand Prix that a feud was brewing between Pic and his team-mate after Pic blocked Glock during qualifying.[14] He made his debut in the Australian Grand Prix finishing 15th.[15] He however, retired in three consecutive races in Bahrain Grand Prix, Spanish Grand Prix and Monaco Grand Prix.[16][17][18] In the next race, the Canadian Grand Prix, Pic finished 20th.[19] In the British Grand Prix, Pic was given a five place grid penalty for changing his gearbox.[20] In the season Pic was overtaken 70 times, which is a F1 record.[21] Stefano Modena's Brabham, the previous record holder, was overtaken no fewer than 68 times in 1989.[citation needed]
Caterham (2013)
edit
In November 2012 it was announced that Pic had signed a multi-year contract at the Renault-powered Caterham squad, with former GP2 team-mate and F1 rookie Giedo van der Garde later confirmed alongside him.
Pic made his Caterham debut at the 2013 Australian Grand Prix, finishing in 16th place, then finished 14th in Malaysia where he narrowly lost out to the Marussia of Jules Bianchi.
His season began to gather pace in Bahrain where Pic comfortably beat both Marussia cars and a Sauber, before a major upgrade to his Caterham at the Spanish Grand Prix established Pic as the quickest of the younger teams' drivers. He would continue this trend throughout the European portion of the season, scoring 15th-place finishes at Silverstone and the Hungaroring while displaying pace close to that of the established midfield runners.
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Pic would equal his season-best result at the Korean Grand Prix, taking the chequered flag in 14th spot and within striking distance of Williams drivers Pastor Maldonado and Valtteri Bottas. However, as the campaign reached its final stretch the Frenchman suffered a succession of difficult races in India, Abu Dhabi and the United States, where balance issues prevented him from extracting the full potential of his car.
Pic recovered well at the season-closing Brazilian Grand Prix, where he qualified over half a second clear of team-mate van der Garde and well clear of the Marussias. However his race ended early when a suspension failure forced him into retirement on lap 58.
On 21 January 2014, Caterham's Team Principal Cyril Abiteboul confirmed that Pic would not be driving for Caterham in 2014:
Unfortunately Charles won't be with us next season. It's a pity that the adventure between Caterham and Charles is ending. On a personal level I want to thank Charles for the work he achieved last year.
Lotus (2014)
editAfter being dropped by Caterham, Pic signed for Lotus F1 as their official reserve driver. This was announced at the car launch in Bahrain on 20 February 2014.[22]
Formula E
edit
Pic participated in the 2014–15 Formula E season, the inaugural season of the championship. He competed in the first round in Beijing for Andretti Autosport and finished in fourth position. Despite this points-scoring result, Pic was replaced prior to the second round by Matthew Brabham. Pic returned to Formula E for the fifth round of the championship in Miami driving for China Racing. He replaced Ho-Pin Tung at the team.[23]
Post-motorsport
editIn 2015, Pic moved into a management role at French logistics company Charles André Group, of which he is now Managing Director of the Assets Department.[24][25]
In 2022, Pic acquired full control of the French racing team DAMS.[26][27]
Racing record
editCareer summary
edit| Season | Series | Team | Races | Wins | Poles | F/Laps | Podiums | Points | Position |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Formula Renault Campus France | La Filière | 13 | 1 | 2 | ? | 8 | 162 | 3rd |
| 2007 | Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 | SG Formula | 14 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 6 | 88 | 3rd |
| French Formula Renault 2.0 | 13 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 69 | 4th | ||
| 2008 | Formula Renault 3.5 Series | Tech 1 Racing | 17 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 69 | 6th |
| 2009 | Formula Renault 3.5 Series | Tech 1 Racing | 16 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 94 | 3rd |
| 2009–10 | GP2 Asia Series | Arden International | 8 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 18 | 5th |
| 2010 | GP2 Series | Arden International | 20 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 28 | 10th |
| 2011 | GP2 Asia Series | Barwa Addax Team | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 18th |
| GP2 Series | 18 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 52 | 4th | ||
| 2012 | Formula One | Marussia F1 Team | 20 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 21st |
| 2013 | Formula One | Caterham F1 Team | 19 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 20th |
| 2014 | Formula One | Lotus F1 Team | Test driver | ||||||
| 2014–15 | Formula E | Andretti Autosport | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 16 | 18th |
| China Racing | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||
Complete Championnat de France Formula Renault 2.0 results
edit(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | Pos | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | SG Formula | NOG 1 9 |
NOG 2 4 |
LED 1 Ret |
LED 2 5 |
DIJ 1 Ret |
DIJ 2 2 |
VIE 1 Ret |
VIE 2 Ret |
MAG1 Ret |
MAG2 1 3 |
MAG2 2 2 |
CAT 1 3 |
CAT 2 4 |
4th | 69 |
Complete Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 results
edit(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | Pos | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | SG Formula | ZOL 1 10 |
ZOL 2 28 |
NÜR 1 2 |
NÜR 2 1 |
HUN 1 6 |
HUN 2 Ret |
DON 1 10 |
DON 2 Ret |
MAG 1 2 |
MAG 2 10 |
EST 1 2 |
EST 2 8 |
CAT 1 3 |
CAT 2 3 |
3rd | 88 |
Complete Formula Renault 3.5 Series results
edit(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | Pos | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Tech 1 Racing | MNZ 1 9 |
MNZ 2 3 |
SPA 1 Ret |
SPA 2 12 |
MON 1 1 |
SIL 1 15 |
SIL 2 13 |
HUN 1 18 |
HUN 2 9 |
NÜR 1 Ret |
NÜR 2 12 |
LEM 1 1 |
LEM 2 6 |
EST 1 Ret |
EST 2 2 |
CAT 1 8 |
CAT 2 8 |
6th | 69 |
| 2009 | Tech 1 Racing | CAT 1 DNS |
CAT 2 6 |
SPA 1 4 |
SPA 2 Ret |
MON 1 9 |
HUN 1 11 |
HUN 2 8 |
SIL 1 7 |
SIL 2 1 |
LEM 1 6 |
LEM 2 Ret |
ALG 1 4 |
ALG 2 2 |
NÜR 1 6 |
NÜR 2 1 |
ALC 1 13 |
ALC 2 11 |
3rd | 94 |
Complete GP2 Series results
edit(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Entrant | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | DC | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Arden International | CAT FEA 1 |
CAT SPR 7 |
MON FEA 11 |
MON SPR 7 |
IST FEA Ret |
IST SPR DNS |
VAL FEA 6 |
VAL SPR 5 |
SIL FEA 10 |
SIL SPR 8 |
HOC FEA 3 |
HOC SPR 17 |
HUN FEA 11 |
HUN SPR 9 |
SPA FEA 4 |
SPA SPR Ret |
MNZ FEA 11 |
MNZ SPR 8 |
YMC FEA 20 |
YMC SPR 11 |
10th | 28 |
| 2011 | Barwa Addax Team | IST FEA 7 |
IST SPR 4 |
CAT FEA 1 |
CAT SPR 19 |
MON FEA 8 |
MON SPR 1 |
VAL FEA Ret |
VAL SPR Ret |
SIL FEA 11 |
SIL SPR 10 |
NÜR FEA 2 |
NÜR SPR DSQ |
HUN FEA 2 |
HUN SPR 13 |
SPA FEA Ret |
SPA SPR 19 |
MNZ FEA 2 |
MNZ SPR Ret |
4th | 52 | ||
Complete GP2 Asia Series results
edit(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Entrant | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | DC | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009–10 | Arden International | YMC1 FEA Ret |
YMC1 SPR 15 |
YMC2 FEA 10 |
YMC2 SPR 8 |
BHR1 FEA 5 |
BHR1 SPR 1 |
BHR2 FEA 3 |
BHR2 SPR 19 |
5th | 18 |
| 2011 | Barwa Addax Team | YMC FEA 9 |
YMC SPR 21 |
IMO FEA 21 |
IMO SPR 11 |
18th | 0 | ||||
Source:[28]
| |||||||||||
Complete Formula One results
edit(key)
| Year | Entrant | Chassis | Engine | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | WDC | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | Marussia F1 Team | Marussia MR01 | Cosworth CA2012 2.4 V8 | AUS 15† |
MAL 20 |
CHN 20 |
BHR Ret |
ESP Ret |
MON Ret |
CAN 20 |
EUR 15 |
GBR 19 |
GER 20 |
HUN 20 |
BEL 16 |
ITA 16 |
SIN 16 |
JPN Ret |
KOR 19 |
IND 19 |
ABU Ret |
USA 20 |
BRA 12 |
21st | 0 |
| 2013 | Caterham F1 Team | Caterham CT03 | Renault RS27-2013 2.4 V8 | AUS 16 |
MAL 14 |
CHN 16 |
BHR 17 |
ESP 17 |
MON Ret |
CAN 18 |
GBR 15 |
GER 17 |
HUN 15 |
BEL Ret |
ITA 17 |
SIN 19 |
KOR 14 |
JPN 18 |
IND Ret |
ABU 19 |
USA 20 |
BRA Ret |
20th | 0 | |
| 2014 | Lotus F1 Team | Lotus E22 | Renault Energy F1-2014 1.6 V6 t | AUS | MAL | BHR | CHN | ESP | MON | CAN | AUT | GBR | GER | HUN | BEL | ITA TD |
SIN | JPN | RUS | USA | BRA | ABU | – | – | |
† Did not finish, but was classified as he had completed more than 90% of the race distance.
Complete Formula E results
edit(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Team | Chassis | Powertrain | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | Pos | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014–15 | Andretti Autosport | Spark SRT01-e | SRT01-e | BEI 4 |
PUT | PDE | BUE | 18th | 16 | |||||||
| China Racing / NEXTEV TCR | MIA 17 |
LBH 16 |
MCO 8 |
BER 15 |
MSC | LDN | LDN | |||||||||
References
edit- ^ a b "A decade in the making". Charles Pic. Archived from the original on 10 March 2014. Retrieved 10 March 2014.
- ^ English, Steven (6 February 2008). "Tech 1 aiming to retain crown". Autosport. Haymarket Publications. Retrieved 6 March 2008.
- ^ "The Renault Driver development Programme announces its 2009 class". f1technical.net. f1technical. 19 January 2009. Retrieved 30 November 2011.
- ^ Beer, Matt (15 January 2010). "Pic to contest full season with Arden". Autosport. Haymarket Publications. Retrieved 15 January 2010.
- ^ Glendenning, Mark (8 May 2010). "Pic wins eventful season opener". Autosport. Haymarket Publications. Retrieved 8 May 2010.
- ^ a b "Charles Pic in GP2 Asia Series". GP2 Series. Retrieved 11 March 2014.
- ^ "GP2 - Lagardère Unlimited signs French F1 prospect Charles Pic". Nextgen. 21 June 2011. Retrieved 11 March 2014.
- ^ Elizalde, Pablo (11 November 2011). "Charles Pic joins Virgin for Abu Dhabi test". Autosport. Haymarket Publications. Retrieved 22 November 2011.
- ^ "Yas Marina day two – Vergne still top for Red Bull". Formula1.com. Formula One World Championship. 16 November 2011. Retrieved 22 November 2011.
and an unscheduled engine change cost him more time. As a result, Virgin have decided to give Pic a further stint in the MVR-02 on Thursday morning.
- ^ Noble, Jonathan (15 November 2011). "Charles Pic set to race with Virgin in 2012". Autosport. Haymarket Publications. Retrieved 22 November 2011.
- ^ Bean, David (21 November 2011). "Brazilian Grand Prix 2011: Preview". TheCheckeredFlag.co.uk. BlackEagleMedia. Retrieved 22 November 2011.
Brazil could also be the final race for Jérôme d'Ambrosio, with Virgin Racing expected to announce Charles Pic alongside Timo Glock for next season.
- ^ "Marussia Virgin Racing Completes 2012 Race Driver Line-up". Virgin Racing. 27 November 2011. Archived from the original on 29 November 2011. Retrieved 27 November 2011.
- ^ Norman, Craig (8 December 2011). "Pic picks a good role model". BadgerGP.com. Badger GP. Archived from the original on 9 January 2012. Retrieved 21 December 2011.
- ^ Teammate feud brewing at Marussia Archived 2013-12-03 at the Wayback Machine inautonews FC
- ^ "2012 Australian Grand Prix". Formula1. Archived from the original on 19 March 2012. Retrieved 11 March 2014.
- ^ "2012 Bahrain Grand Prix". Formula 1. Archived from the original on 11 May 2012. Retrieved 11 March 2014.
- ^ "2012 Spanish Grand Prix". Formula 1. Archived from the original on 16 May 2012. Retrieved 11 March 2014.
- ^ "2012 Monaco Grand Prix". Formula 1. Archived from the original on 28 May 2012. Retrieved 11 March 2014.
- ^ "2012 Canadian Grand Prix". Formula 1. Archived from the original on 23 November 2012. Retrieved 11 March 2014.
- ^ "Gearbox-change penalty for Charles Pic in the British Grand Prix". Autosport. Retrieved 11 March 2014.
- ^ "Blue Flags F1 - Timeline". Archived from the original on 19 June 2014.
- ^ "Pic back in Formula 1 as Lotus reserve". GPUpdate. 20 February 2014. Retrieved 20 February 2014.
- ^ "Charles Pic to make FE return with China Racing". Autosport. Haymarket Publications. 12 March 2015. Retrieved 17 March 2015.
- ^ "Le Groupe Charles André va implanter sa division transport automobile (TEA) à Andancette (in French)". La Tribune. 17 October 2018.
- ^ "Charles Pic on Linkedin". LinkedIn. 29 April 2020.
- ^ "Ex-F1 driver Charles Pic to take over prestigious Formula 2 outfit DAMS | Formula 1®". www.formula1.com. Retrieved 2022-02-17.
- ^ "Former F1 driver Charles Pic to take over DAMS team". www.autosport.com. Retrieved 2022-02-17.
- ^ a b c d e "Charles Pic". Motor Sport. Retrieved 27 August 2023.
- ^ a b c d e "Charles Pic Results". Motorsport Stats. Retrieved 27 August 2023.
- ^ "Charles Pic: Racedriver biography – career and success". Speedsport Magazine. Retrieved 27 August 2023.
- ^ "Charles Pic – Involvement". StatsF1. Retrieved 27 August 2023.
External links
edit
- Official website
- Charles Pic driver statistics at Racing-Reference
- Charles Pic career summary at DriverDB.com