Bernardo Pinheiro
Bernardo Lucas Pinheiro | |
|---|---|
| Born | March 3, 2004 Portugal |
| Occupation | Racing driver |
| Years active | 2022–present |
| Known for | Competing in European Le Mans Series and Ligier European Series |
Bernardo Lucas Pinheiro (born 3 March 2004) is a Portuguese professional racing driver currently competing with Team Virage in the European Le Mans Series. In the 2023 Ligier European Series, he secured second place in the JS P4 category alongside teammate George King.
Career
Following a background in karting, Pinheiro made his car racing debut in 2022 at his father’s circuit, representing Team Virage during the final round of the Ligier European Series. Partnered with José Maria Marreiros, they ended race 1 in last place due to a spin but improved to eighth position in race 2. Pinheiro continued with Team Virage throughout the entire 2023 season, teaming up with George King, who had finished third the previous year. The pair achieved two second-place results at the season opener in Barcelona, narrowly losing out on victories to their teammate Mihnea Ștefan.
After retiring at Le Mans, Pinheiro and King established themselves as strong title contenders by finishing second at Le Castellet and third at Aragón. Pinheiro claimed his inaugural pole position at Aragón but lost the chance for victory when King encountered a fuel problem close to the finish. Their first win of the season came at Spa-Francorchamps, where Pinheiro overtook Ștefan, who eventually took the championship title. The duo closed the season by winning the finale at Portimão, securing second overall before participating in the European Le Mans Series post-season testing.
In early 2024, after achieving a podium finish in the Prototype Winter Series, Pinheiro joined Team Virage’s LMP3 lineup for the European Le Mans Series alongside 2023 Le Mans Cup champions Gillian Henrion and Julien Gerbi. The #8 team won the opening race in Barcelona but failed to score points at Le Castellet due to Pinheiro not fulfilling minimum driving time requirements. Following their participation in the Road to Le Mans event, they recorded a second-place finish at Imola, came sixth at Spa-Francorchamps, and claimed victory at Mugello thanks to a well-executed fuel-saving strategy by Henrion.
Personal life
He was the son of Paulo Pinheiro, CEO of the Algarve International Circuit, who passed away in July 2024.
Racing career summary
| Season | Series | Team | Races | Wins | Poles | F/Laps | Podiums | Points | Position |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Ligier European Series - JS P4 | Team Virage | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 23rd |
| 2023 | Ligier European Series - JS P4 | Team Virage | 11 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 8 | 167 | 2nd |
| 2024 | Prototype Winter Series - Class 3 | Mühlner Motorsport | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 11.43 | 10th |
| European Le Mans Series - LMP3 | Team Virage | 6 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 76 | 4th | |
| Le Mans Cup - LMP3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | NC† | ||
| Ultimate Cup Series - Proto P3 | Bretton Racing | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 10 | 36th |
† As Pinheiro was a guest driver, he was not eligible to earn championship points.
*Season ongoing.
Full Ligier European Series Results
(key) (Races with bold text denote pole positions; results in italics signify fastest laps)
2023 Ligier European Series Team Virage JS P4 Ligier JS P4 style="background:#DFDFDF;" | Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya2 style="background:#DFDFDF;" | Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya
2 style="background:#EFCFFF;" | Circuit de la Sarthe
'Ret' style="background:#DFDFDF;" | Circuit Paul Ricard
'2' style="background:#DFDFDF;" | Circuit Paul Ricard
'2' style="background:#EFCFFF;" | MotorLand Aragón
'Ret' style="background:#FFDF9F;" | MotorLand Aragón
'3' style="background:#DFFFDF;" | Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps
'4' style="background:#FFFFBF;" | Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps
'1' style="background:#DFDFDF;" | Algarve International Circuit
'2' style="background:#FFFFBF;" | Algarve International Circuit
'1'
| Year | Team | Category | Vehicle | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | Final Position | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Team Virage | JS P4 | Ligier JS P4 |
style="background:#DFFFDF;" | Algarve International Circuit |
23rd | 5 | ||||||||||
|
style="background:#DFDFDF;" | 2nd |
style="background:#DFDFDF;" | 167 |
Full European Le Mans Series Results
(key) (Entries in bold represent pole positions; results in italics indicate fastest laps)
| Year | Team | Category | Vehicle | Engine | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | Final Standing | Points Earned |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Team Virage | LMP3 | Ligier JS P320 | Nissan VK56DE 5.6L V8 | CAT 1 |
LEC 7 |
IMO 2 |
SPA 6 |
MUG 1 |
ALG 6 |
4th | 76 |
* Current season in progress.