Marko Asmer

Marko Asmer
Born	(1984-07-30) July 30, 1984 Tallinn, Estonia
Occupation	Racing driver
Years active	1995–present
Known for	2007 British Formula 3 Championship title; first Estonian to test a Formula One car

Marko Asmer (born 30 July 1984) is a retired Estonian racing driver notable for securing the British Formula 3 Championship title in 2007. He made history as the first Estonian to test a Formula One vehicle, joining the Williams BMW team in 2003 after only half a season competing in British Formula Ford. His father, Toivo Asmer, also has a background in motorsport and held the position of Estonian Minister of Regional Affairs between 1999 and 2003.

Racing career

Originating from Tallinn, Asmer began his karting journey in 1995 and amassed numerous championship victories throughout Estonia, the Baltic states, Finland, and Scandinavia by 2001. He transitioned to car racing in 2003 with the British Formula Ford squad JLR, where he notched six wins and achieved runner-up status at the Formula Ford festival. That year, he also briefly competed in the Formula Renault V6 Eurocup, but primarily concentrated on Formula Three competitions in both Britain and Japan.

Asmer entered the British Formula 3 Championship with Hitech Racing in 2004 and maintained his association with the team except for a stint in Japan during 2006. Upon returning to Britain in 2007, he dominated much of the championship and secured the title at Croft Circuit with three rounds remaining. His involvement in Japan’s All-Japan F3 series spanned one and a half seasons driving for Three Bond Racing during 2006 and part of 2007.

In 2008, Asmer took on the role of second test driver for BMW Sauber alongside Christian Klien while competing in seven out of ten rounds of the GP2 Series representing FMS International.

Retirement

Following the conclusion of the 2008 GP2 campaign, Asmer parted ways with Fisichella Motor Sport and was unable to obtain a GP2 seat for the subsequent season. The introduction of new Formula 1 testing limitations also brought an end to his position as BMW F1’s test and reserve driver. Lacking a competitive drive, he transitioned into a test and reserve role within the Superleague Formula series. On 8 April 2010, Toivo Asmer announced that Marko had officially retired from professional motorsport due to financial constraints and limited opportunities. Nevertheless, he promptly returned to testing duties with Atech during a GP3 Series session held in Barcelona just one week later.

Return to competitive racing

In February 2011, Asmer participated in testing for Double R Racing’s British Formula 3 car at Silverstone, where he posted promising lap times. He made his racing comeback at the Pau Grand Prix in May 2011, qualifying tenth and recovering from an unsatisfactory start to finish seventh, showcasing competitive speed throughout the event.

In an interview with Autosport, Asmer disclosed that during his break from full-time racing he concentrated on vehicle testing, karting activities, and coaching drivers. While no definitive plans were set, he expressed interest in competing at the Macau Grand Prix and remained open to opportunities beyond a full-season return to British F3.

On 28 July 2011, Asmer re-entered British F3 competition with Double R at Spa-Francorchamps driving a Dallara-Mercedes. Although he qualified eighteenth for Race One, he delivered Double R’s best qualifying performance of that year by starting second in the Feature Race. Despite failing to finish the initial two races, he completed the Feature Race in sixth place but was not eligible for championship points as an invitational entrant. Sponsorship was arranged enabling him to contest the 2011 Macau Grand Prix with Double R alongside GP3 champion Valtteri Bottas and GP3 competitor Mitch Evans.

During the Macau Grand Prix weekend, Asmer reiterated his ambition to resume full-time racing activities and indicated that his future plans might include participation in Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters (DTM).

Resumption of Competitive Racing

In recent times, Asmer made a comeback to international motorsport competition. He partnered with Formula 2 champion Kazim Vasiliauskas in a McLaren MP4-12C GT3 during the 2014 24 Hours of Spa, representing the GT Russian Team. Additionally, he took part in multiple rounds of the ADAC GT Masters. Continuing with GT Russian Team in the 2015 Blancpain GT Series, Asmer secured his best result with a 7th place finish in the season's final event at Zandvoort. He also participated in the premier A6 class at the Dubai 24 Hour race for GT Russia Team.

Role in Motorsport Management

Beginning in mid-2020, Marko Asmer has been overseeing the career of Estonian race driver Jüri Vips, aiding his advancement within the global motorsport arena.

Complete GP2 Series results

(key) (Races highlighted in bold denote pole position; those in italics signify fastest lap)

Year	Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	Final Position	Points Scored
2008	Fisichella Motor Sport International	CAT FEA	CAT SPR	IST FEA	IST SPR	MON FEA	MON SPR	MAG FEA 17	MAG SPR 11	SIL FEA 20	SIL SPR 13	HOC FEA 14	HOC SPR 13	HUN FEA 18	HUN SPR Ret	VAL FEA DNS	VAL SPR Ret	SPA FEA 16	SPA SPR Ret	MNZ FEA Ret	MNZ SPR Ret	28th	0