Manuel Maldonado
Manuel Maldonado | |
|---|---|
| Born | October 5, 1999 Venezuela |
| Occupation | Racing driver |
| Known for | Competing in European Le Mans Series, GT World Challenge, Asian Le Mans Series |
Manuel Maldonado Vargas (born on 5 October 1999) is a Venezuelan race car driver currently active in the European Le Mans Series, representing United Autosports. He is related to former Formula One competitor Pastor Maldonado, being his cousin.
Italian F4
Maldonado launched his single-seater racing journey in the Italian F4 during the 2016 season, competing for Cram Motorsport alongside teammate Leonard Hoogenboom. His rookie year proved demanding, as he did not manage to score points and recorded a highest finish of 12th place over a total of 23 races.
MRF Challenge
He earned his initial championship points in the opening round of the 2016–17 MRF Challenge Formula 2000 Championship, finishing in 9th position. By the end of that season, Maldonado ranked 14th overall, with his best results being two 8th-place finishes at the Buddh International Circuit. Returning for the subsequent season, he showed progress by achieving seven points-scoring finishes and twice placing 5th. A notable incident occurred when he originally crossed the line third but was disqualified following a photo finish review; additionally, a drive-through penalty was imposed for a jump start, which removed him from point contention.
British F3
In 2017, Maldonado signed with Fortec Motorsport to contest the BRDC British F3 season. His top performance that year was a 6th-place finish at Silverstone Circuit. He concluded the season with a points tally 20 ahead of competitor Guilherme Samaia yet 11 points shy of Omar Ismail. The following year, Maldonado claimed his inaugural victory at a rain-affected Oulton Park, where starting from fifth on the grid he took the lead immediately after the first corner. Despite interruptions caused by a safety car and red flag, he held onto first place to secure the win, sharing the podium with teammate Tristan Charpentier and Douglas Motorsport's Jamie Chadwick. He added another race win that year and finished seventh overall behind Billy Monger.
During his third campaign in the British F3, still with Fortec, Maldonado joined forces with American Kris Wright and British driver Johnathan Hoggard. Over the season, he attained five podium finishes and delivered a commanding victory at Silverstone, crossing the line four seconds clear of second-place finisher Nicolás Varrone.
Euroformula Open
Maldonado moved to German outfit Motopark for his participation in the 2020 Euroformula Open. This season represented his most successful stint in single-seaters to date, securing four podium placements and concluding fourth in the championship standings. His consistent performance included two front-row qualifying positions at both the Red Bull Ring and the final round held at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.
Asian Le Mans Series
Making his endurance racing debut in 2021, Maldonado competed in the Asian Le Mans Series with UK-based team United Autosports. Piloting the LMP3 Ligier car number 23 alongside teammates Wayne Boy and Rory Penttinen, their squad clinched the title by winning both Dubai events as well as the last race in Abu Dhabi. The only notable issue was a retirement caused by alternator failure during Abu Dhabi’s initial race.
GT World Challenge
Manuel stepped into GT competition in 2022 driving for Garage 59. He raced a McLaren 720S GT3 in the Silver category alongside Nicolai Kjærgaard and Dean MacDonald. Throughout that season, their team achieved three podium finishes including a class-best second place at the 3 Hours of Barcelona.
European Le Mans Series
Manuel made his debut in the European Le Mans Series in 2021, competing with United Autosports alongside teammates Nico Jamin and Job van Uitert. During that season, they secured a podium finish by coming third at the 4 Hours of Le Castellet and concluded the year ranked 12th overall. Following a season spent in the GT World Challenge, he rejoined the ELMS in 2023 with Panis Racing, once again partnering with Job van Uitert and Tijmen van der Helm. This effort resulted in four podium placements and a third-place finish in the championship standings.
Career summary
| Season | Series | Team | Races | Wins | Poles | FLaps | Podiums | Points | Position |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Italian F4 Championship | Cram Motorsport | 20 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 36th |
| 2016–17 | MRF Challenge Formula 2000 | MRF Racing | 16 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 20 | 14th |
| 2017 | BRDC British Formula 3 Championship | Fortec Motorsport | 23 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 205 | 12th |
| 2017–18 | MRF Challenge Formula 2000 | MRF Racing | 15 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 39 | 11th |
| 2018 | BRDC British Formula 3 Championship | Fortec Motorsport | 23 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 292 | 7th |
| 2019 | BRDC British Formula 3 Championship | Fortec Motorsport | 24 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 348 | 6th |
| Euroformula Open Championship | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 24th | ||
| 2020 | Euroformula Open Championship | Team Motopark | 18 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | "153" | "4th" |
| 2021 | "European Le Mans Series - LMP2" | "United Autosports" | "5" | "0" | "0" | "0" | "1" | "28.5" | "12th" |
| "Asian Le Mans Series - LMP3" | "United Autosports" | "4" | "3" | "1" | "1" | "3" | "78" | "1st" | |
| "24 Hours of Le Mans - LMP2" | "United Autosports" | "1" | "0" | "0" | "0" | "0" | "N/A" | "DNF" | |
| 2022 | "GT World Challenge Europe Sprint Cup" | "Garage 59" | "10" | "0" | "0" | "0" | "0" | "4.5" | "21st" |
| "GT World Challenge Europe Sprint Cup - Silver Cup" | "Garage 59" | "0" | "1" | "0" | "1" | "54" | "7th" | ||
| "GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup" | "Garage 59" | "5" | "0" | "0" | "0" | "0" | "0" | "NC" | |
| "GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup - Silver" | "Garage 59" | "0" | "1" | "0" | "2" | "40" | "6th" | ||
| "Asian Le Mans Series - GT" | "Garage 59" | "4" | "0" | "0" | "0" | "0" | "2" | "15th" | |
| 2023 | "European Le Mans Series - LMP2" | "Panis Racing" | "6" | "0" | "0" | "0" | "4" | "86" | "3rd" |
| "24 Hours of Le Mans - LMP2" | "Panis Racing" | "1" | "0" | "0" | "0" | "0" | "N/A" | "14th" | |
| "Nürburgring Endurance Series - VT2-FWD" | "Walkenhorst Motorsport" | "4" | "1" | "0" | "0" | "2" | "0" | "NC†" | |
| 2024 | "European Le Mans Series - LMP2" | "Panis Racing by TDS Racing" | "6" | "1" | "2" | "0" | "1" | "61" | "4th" |
| 2025 | "European Le Mans Series - LMP2" | "United Autosports" | "3" | "0" | "0" | "0" | "0" | "14" | "8th*" |
† Guest driver, not eligible for points. * Season currently in progress.
Full Italian F4 Championship results
(key) (Races shown in bold denote pole positions) (Races in italics signify fastest laps)
| Year | Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | Final Position | Points Earned |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Cram Motorsport | MIS 1 |
MIS 2 21 |
MIS 3 20 |
MIS 4 DNQ |
ADR 1 18 |
ADR 2 |
ADR 3 12 |
ADR 4 21 |
IMO1 1 23 |
IMO1 2 28 |
IMO1 3 24 |
MUG 1 27 |
MUG 2 19 |
MUG 3 24 |
VLL 1 Ret |
VLL 2 Ret |
VLL 3 23 |
IMO2 1 13 |
IMO2 2 16 |
IMO2 3 18 |
MNZ 1 16 |
MNZ 2 21 |
MNZ 3 17 |
36th | 0 |
Full MRF Challenge Formula 2000 Championship results
(key) (Pole positions are marked in bold) (Fastest laps appear in italics)
| Year | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | Final Standing | Total Points |
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style = "background: #DFFFDF" |CHE < br >4 < br > !14th !20 |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |-|} nowrap=nowrap | 2017–18 MRF Challenge Formula 2000 Championship
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