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Charles Pic

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Charles Pic
Pic at the 2013 Race of Stars
NationalityFrance French
Born (1990-02-15) 15 February 1990 (age 34)
Montélimar, Drôme, France
Related toArthur Pic (brother)
Formula One World Championship career
Active years20122013
TeamsMarussia, Caterham
Entries39 (39 starts)
Championships0
Wins0
Podiums0
Career points0
Pole positions0
Fastest laps0
First entry2012 Australian Grand Prix
Last entry2013 Brazilian Grand Prix
Formula E career
Debut season2014–15
Car number88
Former teamsAndretti Autosport, China Racing
Starts5
Wins0
Poles0
Fastest laps0
Best finish18th in 2014–15
Finished last season18th
Previous series
201011
200911
20082009
2007
2007
2006
GP2 Series
GP2 Asia Series
Formula Renault 3.5 Series
Eurocup FRenault
French Formula Renault
FRenault Campus France

Charles Pic (French: [ʃɑʁl ˈpik]; born 15 February 1990) is a French retired professional racing driver[1] who drove in Formula One for two full seasons in 2012 and 2013, racing for Marussia F1 Team in the first season and then for Caterham in the second season.

Early career

[edit]

Karting and Formula Renault

[edit]

Born 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.[2]

In 2006, Pic made his Formula Renault debut, racing for La Filière. He finished the season as third and also became the rookie champion.[2]

Formula Renault 3.5 Series

[edit]
Pic competing at the Silverstone round of the 2008 Formula Renault 3.5 Series season

For 2008 Pic moved to Tech 1 Racing to contest the Formula Renault 3.5 Series.[3] 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.[4]

GP2 Series

[edit]

At 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.[5] 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.[6] He eventually finished 10th in the drivers' standings.[7]

For 2011 Pic moved to the Barwa Addax squad alongside future Formula 1 team-mate Giedo van der Garde.[8] 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.[7]

Formula One

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In 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.[9] 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.[10]

Pic at the 2012 US Grand Prix

During the test, several news sources reported that Pic had agreed a deal to race with the team in the 2012 season.[11][12]

Marussia (2012)

[edit]
Pic driving for Marussia at the 2012 Canadian Grand Prix

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.[13] It was also confirmed that Pic would be mentored by ex-F1 driver and fellow countryman Olivier Panis.[14] 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.[15] He made his debut in the Australian Grand Prix finishing 15th.[16] He however, retired in three consecutive races in Bahrain Grand Prix, Spanish Grand Prix and Monaco Grand Prix.[17][18][19] In the next race, the Canadian Grand Prix, Pic finished 20th.[20] In the British Grand Prix, Pic was given a five place grid penalty for changing his gearbox.[21] In the season Pic was overtaken 70 times, which is a F1 record.[22] Stefano Modena's Brabham, the previous record holder, was overtaken no fewer than 68 times in 1989.[citation needed]

Caterham (2013)

[edit]
Pic driving for Caterham at the 2013 Malaysian Grand Prix

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.

Pic testing for Lotus in 2014

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)

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After 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.[23]

Formula E

[edit]
Pic competing at the 2015 Berlin ePrix

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.[24]

Post-motorsport

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In 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.[25][26]

In 2022, Pic acquired full control of the French racing team DAMS.[27][28]

Racing record

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Career 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
Sources:[29][30][31]

Complete Championnat de France Formula Renault 2.0 results

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(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

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(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
Sources:[29][30]

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
Sources:[29][30]

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:[29]

Complete Formula One results

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(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  –  –
Sources:[30][32]

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
Sources:[29][30]

References

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  1. ^ "Charles Pic's LinkedIn profile". LinkedIn.com. Retrieved 21 November 2018.
  2. ^ a b "A decade in the making". Charles Pic. Archived from the original on 10 March 2014. Retrieved 10 March 2014.
  3. ^ English, Steven (6 February 2008). "Tech 1 aiming to retain crown". Autosport. Haymarket Publications. Retrieved 6 March 2008.
  4. ^ "The Renault Driver development Programme announces its 2009 class". f1technical.net. f1technical. 19 January 2009. Retrieved 30 November 2011.
  5. ^ Beer, Matt (15 January 2010). "Pic to contest full season with Arden". Autosport. Haymarket Publications. Retrieved 15 January 2010.
  6. ^ Glendenning, Mark (8 May 2010). "Pic wins eventful season opener". Autosport. Haymarket Publications. Retrieved 8 May 2010.
  7. ^ a b "Charles Pic in GP2 Asia Series". GP2 Series. Retrieved 11 March 2014.
  8. ^ "GP2 - Lagardère Unlimited signs French F1 prospect Charles Pic". Nextgen. 21 June 2011. Retrieved 11 March 2014.
  9. ^ Elizalde, Pablo (11 November 2011). "Charles Pic joins Virgin for Abu Dhabi test". Autosport. Haymarket Publications. Retrieved 22 November 2011.
  10. ^ "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.
  11. ^ Noble, Jonathan (15 November 2011). "Charles Pic set to race with Virgin in 2012". Autosport. Haymarket Publications. Retrieved 22 November 2011.
  12. ^ 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.
  13. ^ "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.
  14. ^ 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.
  15. ^ Teammate feud brewing at Marussia Archived 2013-12-03 at the Wayback Machine inautonews FC
  16. ^ "2012 Australian Grand Prix". Formula1. Archived from the original on 19 March 2012. Retrieved 11 March 2014.
  17. ^ "2012 Bahrain Grand Prix". Formula 1. Archived from the original on 11 May 2012. Retrieved 11 March 2014.
  18. ^ "2012 Spanish Grand Prix". Formula 1. Archived from the original on 16 May 2012. Retrieved 11 March 2014.
  19. ^ "2012 Monaco Grand Prix". Formula 1. Archived from the original on 28 May 2012. Retrieved 11 March 2014.
  20. ^ "2012 Canadian Grand Prix". Formula 1. Archived from the original on 23 November 2012. Retrieved 11 March 2014.
  21. ^ "Gearbox-change penalty for Charles Pic in the British Grand Prix". Autosport. Retrieved 11 March 2014.
  22. ^ "Blue Flags F1 - Timeline". Archived from the original on 19 June 2014.
  23. ^ "Pic back in Formula 1 as Lotus reserve". GPUpdate. 20 February 2014. Retrieved 20 February 2014.
  24. ^ "Charles Pic to make FE return with China Racing". Autosport. Haymarket Publications. 12 March 2015. Retrieved 17 March 2015.
  25. ^ "Le Groupe Charles André va implanter sa division transport automobile (TEA) à Andancette (in French)". La Tribune. 17 October 2018.
  26. ^ "Charles Pic on Linkedin". LinkedIn. 29 April 2020.
  27. ^ "Ex-F1 driver Charles Pic to take over prestigious Formula 2 outfit DAMS | Formula 1®". www.formula1.com. Retrieved 2022-02-17.
  28. ^ "Former F1 driver Charles Pic to take over DAMS team". www.autosport.com. Retrieved 2022-02-17.
  29. ^ a b c d e "Charles Pic". Motor Sport. Retrieved 27 August 2023.
  30. ^ a b c d e "Charles Pic Results". Motorsport Stats. Retrieved 27 August 2023.
  31. ^ "Charles Pic: Racedriver biography – career and success". Speedsport Magazine. Retrieved 27 August 2023.
  32. ^ "Charles Pic – Involvement". StatsF1. Retrieved 27 August 2023.
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