Antônio Pizzonia
Reginaldo Pizzonia Antonio Jr. ( born September 11, 1980 in Manaus ) is a Brazilian automobile racing driver.
After several championship titles in national formula series and two years in Formula 3000 Pizzonia from 2003 to 2005 in Formula 1 active and started to 20 races. He denied any season throughout. He then joined in several racing series of individual races. Between 2008 and 2011, he participated in three seasons of the Superleague Formula. Since 2007, Pizzonia driving in the Stock Car Brasil.
- 3.1 Career stations
- 3.2 Statistics in Formula 1 3.2.1 Individual Results
Career
Beginnings in motorsport (1991-2000)
Pizzonia began his motorsport career in 1991 in karting. After winning the city championship came at the weekend in São Paulo to kart racing to become more competitive in the local races. In 1996 he won the Brazilian Karting Championship. He then made his debut in the United States in Formula racing and immediately became second in the U.S. Barber Formula Dodge. He also started for the first time in a race of the winter series of the British Formula Vauxhall Junior in Europe. In 1997 he competed in the regular championship and was runner-up. The following winter series he chose Lewis for starting motor sport in itself. 1998 remained at Pizzonia Lewis Motorsport and also won the Drivers' Championship British Formula Vauxhall Junior. With 186 to 163 points he won against Richard Lyons.
After the season, Pizzonia moved to Manor Motorsport and went in the winter series of the British Formula Renault at the start. He won all the victories and decided the drivers' championship for themselves. 1999 Pizzonia stepped for Manor Motorsport in both the British Formula Renault, as well as the Eurocup Formula Renault. In the British Formula Renault decided Pizzonia 11 of 13 races for themselves and won the championship. In the Eurocup he lost Gianmaria Bruni with 196 to 216 points and reached with four wins from nine races finished second overall. As a bonus for his achievements in Formula Renault Pizzonia was awarded a Formula 1 test day with the Williams team. 2000 remained Pizzonia at Manor Motorsport and participated in the British Formula 3 Championship. He won 5 of 13 races and decided the championship with 200 to 161 points, ahead of Tomas Scheckter for themselves. This year Pizzonia completed Formula 1 test driving for Benetton and Arrows.
Formula 3000 (2001-2002)
In 2001, Pizzonia in the International Formula 3000 championship and went for the betreutet Supernova Racing Petrobras Junior Team at the start. At Hockenheim Pizzonia won his only Formula 3000 race. He finished the season with 22 points in sixth place and thus was subject to his team-mate and compatriot Ricardo Sperafico, who with 24 points in fifth place. Both Pizzonia, as well Sperafico completed after the season Formula 1 test driving for Williams.
2002 was followed by another season in the Formula 3000 Junior for the Petrobras team. Pizzonia was once with a third place on the podium and finished the season on top of the eighth. Internally, he was defeated so again his teammate Ricardo Sperafico, who defended the fifth. Sébastien Bourdais, who drove the sister team Super Nova Racing, won the championship this season. In addition, Pizzonia was 2002 Formula 1 test driver for Williams. Despite his streaky Formula 3000 results he got after the season praise from the Williams team boss Frank Williams, who einschätzte in very high.
Formula 1 (2003-2005)
For the 2003 Formula 1 season Pizzonia received at Jaguar Racing, a strain cockpit in Formula 1, together with Mark Webber, he formed the new driver duo 's achievements. While Webber repeatedly drove into the points, Pizzonia remained with a ninth place at the Grand Prix of Austria with no points. After the eleventh race, the Grand Prix of Great Britain, in which Pizzonia had fallen out with an engine failure, Jaguar separated by Pizzonia. Although Pizzonia his last race his team-mate Webber had the handle and one was driven until then best Formula 1 racing his Jaguar was not satisfied with his overall balance. Pizzonia was replaced by Justin Wilson. Originally Jaguar Pizzonia wanted to replace after the fifth race of Alexander Wurz. But whose commitment failed due to excessive demand release of Wurz previous racing team McLaren. Pizzonia was offered the position of the Jaguar test driver, that he however, refused.
2004 Pizzonia returned back as a test driver for Williams. After the regular driver Ralf Schumacher was sidelined due to injury for a few races after an accident at the Grand Prix of the United States, Pizzonia was the cockpit for four races. First, Williams Marc Gené, Pizzonias test driver colleagues had used, but this remained without points on two assignments. Pizzonia reached at the Grand Prix in Germany, Hungary and Italy respectively in seventh place, thus the target points. At the Grand Prix of Italy reached Pizzonia in the race a top speed of 369.9 km / h He set a new speed record in Formula 1 and triggered Michael Schumacher, who had managed the record set a year earlier on the same route at a speed of 368.8 km / h. In the drivers' standings Pizzonia reached the 15th place, the best result of his Formula 1 time.
For the 2005 Formula 1 season Williams had already taken Webber under contract. For the award of the second cockpit Williams hosted a shoot-out between Pizzonia and Nick Heidfeld. Heidfeld decided these duels with 5:2 for himself and finally got the cockpit while Pizzonia test driver remained. By an accident of Heidfeld at the tests came Pizzonia during the Italian Grand Prix again at Williams used. Right away, he managed to retract two points with a seventh place. After a bicycle accident Heidfeld dropped out for the rest of the season, so Pizzonia completed the remaining four races. In these he had no points.
For the Formula 1 2006 season, Pizzonia was at Williams, who had committed a new pilot with Nico Rosberg not be considered.
Involvement in various racing series (since 2006)
In 2006, Pizzonia in the North American Champ Car series to Rocket Sports Racing. After he had scored in the season opener in tenth place, but he lost his cockpit again. In the rest of the season he was used in three other races in the second Rocket Sports-Auto. Pizzonia was 18th in the driver standings. 2007 Pizzonia returned to the framework program of Formula 1 and received at FMS International a cockpit in the GP2 Series, the successor series of the formula 3000th After he had scored a point in the first three events, he was replaced by Adam Carroll. The rest of the season, he played in the Stock Car Brasil, a Brazilian touring car series. It was his first race in touring car. A 15th place was Pizzonias best result. Since 2007, Pizzonia starts both in single-seater racing, as well as in touring car series.
2008 Pizzonia first took part in a race in the IndyCar Series. He started again for Rocket Sports Racing. He subsequently received at Euro International a cockpit in the Superleague Formula, a new racing series in which the vehicles represented football clubs. Pizzonia took over from the second event that Andy Souček in the car Corinthians São Paulo. A second place was Pizzonias best result. In addition, he continued his involvement in the Stock Car Brasil. A 13th place was his best result in this championship. 2009 Pizzonia started the season in the Stock Car Brasil and got out during the year. With a third place in the season opener, he scored his first podium this year placement in a touring car. In the drivers' standings he was 15th in the Superleague Formula, he joined Alan Docking Racing, which supervised the vehicle Corinthians this season. Pizzonia scored twice in third place.
2010 Pizzonia was active only in touring car and GT series. Although he played in the Stock Car Brasil for the first time the entire season, he lost some positions in the Drivers' Championship and finished the season with a third place as best result onto the 23th Place. In the Brazilian GT3 Championship he was 19, 2011 Pizzonia returned to the Superleague Formula back to Alan Docking Racing. However, the season was stopped after the first two events. Pizzonia was launched for the Brazilian national team and reached a second and third place two podium finishes in five starts. In addition, he was active in several Brazilian touring car and GT series and participated in individual races.
2012 Pizzonia denied his second full season in the Stock Car Brasil. With a fourth place as best result he was 15th in the driver standings. In the Brazilian GT3 Championship, he also took part in a race. In addition, he made a race for the ALMS Conquest Endurance first experience in an endurance race. Made the headlines Pizzonia in 2012 but in Formula racing. For the Brazilian event of the Auto GP World Series in Curitiba, he received a cockpit at Ombra Racing. Without having previously participated in test drives, succeeded Pizzonia to win his debut race. A day later, Pizzonia benefited in the sprint race from the failure of a competitor and also decided this for themselves. Pizzonias two wins put the only podium finishes of an Ombra - driver in the 2012 season dar. for the subsequent race weekend he received a cockpit at Zele Racing, remained after a failure in the first race but without points. In the Auto GP Appreciation Pizzonia took the end of the season in ninth place.
Personal
Pizzonia was born in Manaus, a city in the middle of the Amazon jungle of Brazil and is thus composed of an environment that is quite different nature than that of those compatriots who are dedicated to motor sports and mostly from São Paulo or Rio de Janeiro. British racing journalists who would like to provide driver with noticeable performance labels, so quickly missed him the nickname Jungle Boy. Pizzonia is married to the athlete Maurren Higa Maggi.
Statistics
Career stations
- 2002: Formula 1 ( test driver )
- 2003: Formula 1 ( No. 21 )
- 2004: Formula 1 ( 15th place)
- 2005: Formula 1 ( 22nd place)
- 2006: Champ Car ( 18th place)
- 2007: GP2 Series ( No. 27 )
- 2007: Stock Car Brasil ( place 40)
- 2008: IndyCar Series (No. 45)
- 2008: Superleague Formula
- 2008: Stock Car Brasil ( place 31 )
- 2009: Superleague Formula
- 2009: Stock Car Brasil ( 15th place)
- 2010: Stock Car Brasil ( place 23 )
- 2010: Brazilian GT3 ( 19th place )
- 2011: Superleague Formula
- 2011: Stock Car Brasil ( place 26)
- 2011: Brazilian GT3 ( 24th place )
- 2011: Petrobras de Marcas Cup ( # 28 )
- 2012: Stock Car Brasil ( 15th place)
- 2012: Auto GP ( 9th place)
- 2012: Brazilian GT3 ( place 30)
- 2012: ALMS, P2