Max Chilton
Max Chilton | |
|---|---|
| Born | April 21, 1991 Redhill, Surrey, England |
| Occupation | Racing driver (former) |
| Years active | 2005–2022 |
| Known for | Formula One driver for Marussia (2013–2014), IndyCar Series driver (2016–2021) |
Maximilian Alexander Chilton (born 21 April 1991) is a former British racing driver who participated in Formula One between 2013 and 2014, and later competed in the IndyCar Series from 2016 through 2021.
Originating from Redhill, Surrey, Chilton is the younger sibling of fellow racer Tom Chilton. He took part in the GP2 Series from 2010 until 2012, concluding the 2012 season in fourth place while driving for Carlin. His Formula One career involved driving for the Marussia team during the 2013 and 2014 seasons. Following his tenure in F1, Chilton competed in the IndyCar Series from 2016 to 2021 representing both Chip Ganassi and Carlin. In 2022, he set a new hillclimb record at the Goodwood Festival of Speed behind the wheel of the McMurtry Spéirling.
Early life
Chilton was born in Redhill and grew up in nearby Reigate. His father, Grahame Chilton, was co-owner of the insurance firm Benfield Group until its acquisition by Aon plc in 2008 for £738 million. After this deal, Grahame Chilton assumed the role of vice-chairman at Aon and realized an estimated £77 million from his shares. Max Chilton attended Ardingly College between 2000 and 2008. His brother, Tom Chilton, also pursued a career in racing.
Karting
Starting at age ten, Chilton began his karting career, initially competing in cadet categories before moving up to junior-level TKM. He earned recognition through consistent podium placements in J.I.C.A while contesting the Super 1 National Kart Championships, prior to transitioning into car racing at fourteen years old.
T Cars
In 2005, alongside karting, Chilton entered the T Cars championship designed for drivers aged between fourteen and seventeen. In his first season, he finished eighth overall and secured third place in the Autumn Trophy. The following year, he narrowly missed out on the championship title by three points to Luciano Bacheta, winning seven races compared to Bacheta’s six victories.
Formula Three
Chilton made his debut in the 2007 British Formula 3 season with Arena International, joining at the second round after obtaining special permission to race before turning sixteen. His top results included eleventh-place finishes at both the Bucharest circuit and Brands Hatch. Additionally, he appeared as a guest competitor in the Star Mazda Championship event at Laguna Seca, although he was not eligible to earn points. Together with his brother Tom, Chilton achieved sixth place overall in the 2007 1000km of Silverstone, driving for Arena.
In 2008, Chilton switched to David Hayle's Hitech Racing, concluding the season tenth overall with pole positions secured at both Monza and Rockingham, as well as podium finishes at Oulton Park and Rockingham. For the 2009 British Formula 3 season, he joined Carlin Motorsport, claiming three pole positions within the first four races and winning twice—once at the Autódromo Internacional do Algarve in Portimão and again during his final F3 race at Brands Hatch.
GP2 Series
Chilton progressed to compete in the GP2 Asia Series during the 2009–10 season, driving for the team Barwa Addax. He then participated in the full 2010 GP2 Series season with Ocean Racing Technology, achieving a highest race finish of fifth place.
In 2011, he joined his father’s outfit, Carlin Motorsport, as they entered their inaugural GP2 campaign. His teammates included former champion of the Formula Renault 3.5 Series, Mikhail Aleshin, along with driver Álvaro Parente. That year, Chilton ranked 22nd in the Asia series and 20th in the main GP2 series standings. Retaining his seat with Carlin for 2012—now backed by the Marussia F1 team—he raced alongside teammate Rio Haryanto. During this season, Chilton achieved his first podium finish in Malaysia and went on to secure his maiden pole position followed by a victory during the Hungarian feature race. Consistent point-scoring performances elevated him to fourth place overall in the drivers’ championship.
Force India (2011)
In November 2011, Chilton took part in the Young Driver test for Force India at the Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi. This marked his second encounter with Formula One cars, following an earlier aerodynamic evaluation conducted with the team.
Marussia (2012–14)
Starting from the Japanese Grand Prix in the latter half of 2012, Chilton was appointed as the testing and reserve driver for Marussia F1. He also participated in the opening practice session at the 2012 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix representing Marussia.
In December 2012, Nikolai Fomenko, Marussia’s engineering director, confirmed that Chilton would be a full-time race driver for the team in 2013. The team officially announced his signing the next day. On his debut at the 2013 Australian Grand Prix, Chilton qualified 20th and secured his best race finish of 14th at Monaco, aided by multiple retirements. His top qualifying result was 16th at Belgium during a challenging mixed-weather session where he was one of the few drivers to switch to slick tyres toward the end.
Remarkably, Chilton completed every race in his rookie year, setting a distinctive record.
On 11 January 2014, Marussia confirmed Chilton’s continuation with them for another season. That year, he achieved his best race results with two 13th place finishes at Australia and Bahrain.
Chilton extended his streak of finishing every Formula One event until the 2014 Canadian Grand Prix, amassing 25 consecutive classified finishes—19 of which were during his debut season—establishing a rookie record. The streak ended following a first-lap collision with teammate Jules Bianchi that resulted in Bianchi’s crash. For this incident, Chilton received a three-place grid penalty for the subsequent race. His season was cut short when Marussia entered administration and eventually ceased operations, leaving him without a drive for 2015.
Indy Lights
After being unable to secure an F1 seat in 2015, Chilton returned to Carlin for testing purposes to support their Indy Lights program, targeting a full-time drive in the IndyCar Series for 2016. He earned his first pole position and victory in Indy Lights on the same weekend as Jules Bianchi’s passing, dedicating these achievements to his former Formula One teammate and karting rival.
Chip Ganassi Racing (2016–2017)
On 1 February 2016, Chilton signed with Chip Ganassi Racing to compete in the IndyCar Series. During the 2017 Indianapolis 500, he led for 50 laps and controlled much of the final segment, ultimately finishing fourth.
Carlin (2018–2021)
Chilton rejoined Carlin Motorsport on 13 December 2017 for the 2018 IndyCar season. In June 2019, he decided to withdraw from oval races except for the Indianapolis 500, with Conor Daly taking over Carlin’s other oval entries.
In February 2022, Chilton announced his retirement from IndyCar competition to concentrate on other pursuits, including participation in the Le Mans endurance racing events.
Nissan (2015)
In 2015, Chilton joined Nissan Motorsports to compete in the FIA World Endurance Championship. He took part in the 24 Hours of Le Mans driving for Nissan but retired after completing 234 laps due to suspension issues.
Career summary
| Season | Series | Team Name | Races | Wins | Poles | Fastest Laps | Podiums | Points | Final Standing |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | T Cars | ? | ? | ? | ? | 7 | ? | 8th place | |
| T Cars Autumn Trophy | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 106 | 3rd place | ||
| 2006 | T Cars | Tomax | 20 | 7 | 7 | ? | 14 | 167 | 2nd place |
| 2007 | British Formula 3 Championship | Arena Motorsport | 20 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 18th place |
| 2008 | British Formula 3 Championship | Hitech Racing | 22 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 72 | 10th place |
| 2009 | British Formula 3 Championship | Carlin Motorsport | 20 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 5 | 171 | 4th place |
| Formula Renault 3.5 Series | Comtec Racing | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 40th place | |
| 2010 | GP2 Series | Ocean Racing Technology | 20 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 25th place |
| 2011 | GP2 Series | Carlin | 18 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 20th place |
| GP2 Final | Carlin | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 23rd place | |
| Formula One | Sahara Force India F1 Team | colspan="7" |Test driver role | |||||||
| 2012 | GP2 Series | Carlin | 24 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 169 | 4th place |
| Formula One | Marussia F1 Team | colspan="7" |Test/Reserve driver position | |||||||
| 2013 | Formula One | Marussia F1 Team | 19 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 23rd place |
| 2014 | Formula One | Marussia F1 Team | 16 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 21st place |
| 2015 | Indy Lights | Carlin Motorsport | 13 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 6 | 258 | 5th place |
| FIA World Endurance Championship | Nissan Motorsports | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 34th place | |
| 2016 | IndyCar Series | Chip Ganassi Racing | 16 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 267 | 19th place |
| 2017 | IndyCar Series | Chip Ganassi Racing | 17 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 396 | 11th place |
| 2018 | IndyCar Series | Carlin | 17 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 223 | 19th place |
| 2019 | IndyCar Series | Carlin | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | =184 | =22nd place |
| 2020 | = IndyCar Series | = Carlin | =9 | =0 | =0 | =0 | =0 | =147 | =22nd place |
| 2021 | = IndyCar Series | = Carlin | =12 | =0 | =0 | =0 | =0 | =135 | =25th place |
Complete British Formula Three Championship results
(key) (Races highlighted in bold denote pole positions; those in italics indicate fastest laps)
| Year | Team | Car Chassis | Engine Supplier | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | Final Position | Total Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | Arena International Motorsport | Dallara F307 | Mercedes | OUL 1 |
OUL 2 |
DON 1 20 |
DON 2 17 |
BUC 1 19 |
BUC 2 19 |
SNE 1 11 |
SNE 2 14 |
MNZ 1 13 |
MNZ 2 16 |
BRH 1 11 |
BRH 2 20 |
SPA 1 17 |
SPA 2 14 |
SIL 1 Ret |
SIL 2 26 |
THR 1 20 |
THR 2 Ret |
CRO 1 Ret |
CRO 2 Ret |
ROC 1 15 |
ROC 2 22 |
18th | 0 |
| OUL 1 2 |
OUL 2 14 |
CRO 1 22 |
CRO 2 10 |
MNZ 1 Ret |
MNZ 2 4 |
ROC 1 4 |
ROC 2 3 |
SNE 1 16 |
SNE 2 7 |
THR 1 14 |
THR 2 12 |
BRH 1 Ret |
BRH 2 10 |
SPA 1 17 |
SPA 2 10 |
SIL 1 7 |
SIL 2 10 |
BUC 1 6 |
BUC 2 16 |
DON 1 21 |
DON 2 11 |
10th |
72 |
|---|
|
Carlin Motorsport |
Dallara F309 |
Volkswagen |
OUL 1 (17) |
OUL 2 (4) |
SIL1 1 (2) |
SIL1 2 (3) |
ROC 1 (5) |
ROC 2 (10) |
HOC 1 (5) |
HOC 2 (16) |
SNE 1 (6) |
SNE 2 (7) |
DON 1 (6) |
DON 2 (7) |
SPA 1 (8) |
SPA 2 (6) |
SIL2 1 (4) |
SIL2 2 (7) |
ALG 1 (6) |
ALG 2 (3) |
BRH 1 (2) |
BRH 2 (1) |
colspan=2 | |
4th |
171 |
|---|
Full GP2 Series Outcomes
(legend) (Races highlighted in bold denote pole position; those in italics signify fastest lap)
Full GP2 Asia Series standings
(legend) (Events in bold denote pole position; events in italics denote fastest lap)
| 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 | 24 | Final Position | Points Earned |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Ocean Racing Technology | CAT Feature |
CAT Sprint |
MON Feature |
MON Sprint |
IST Feature |
IST Sprint |
VAL Feature |
VAL Sprint |
SIL Feature |
SIL Sprint |
HOC Feature |
HOC Sprint |
HUN Feature |
HUN Sprint |
SPA Feature |
SPA Sprint |
MNZ Feature |
MNZ Sprint |
YMC Feature |
YMC Sprint |
24th | 3 | ||||
| Carlin Motorsport | IST Feature < br > |
IST < br > Sprint < br > | CAT < br > Feature < br > | CAT < br > Sprint < br > | MON < br > Feature < br > | MON < br > Sprint < br > | VAL < br > Feature < br > | VAL < br > Sprint < br > | SIL < br > Feature < br > | SIL < br > Sprint < br > | NÜR < br > Feature < br > | NÜR < br > Sprint < br > | HUN < br > Feature < br > | HUN < br > Sprint < br > | style = "background: #CFCFFF;" Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps SPA Feature
Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps SPA Sprint Autodromo Nazionale Monza MNZ Feature Autodromo Nazionale Monza MNZ Sprint |
20th | 4 |
| Season | Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | Final Position | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009–10 | Barwa Addax Team | YMC1 FEA 16 |
YMC1 SPR 17 |
BHR1 FEA 18 |
BHR1 SPR 12 |
BHR2 FEA 19 |
BHR2 SPR 15 |
18th | 2 | ||
| Ocean Racing Technology | YMC2 FEA 8 |
YMC2 SPR 6 |
|||||||||
| 2011 | Carlin | YMC FEA 12 |
YMC SPR 18 |
IMO FEA 22 |
IMO SPR 15 |
22nd | 0 | ||||
Full GP2 Final standings
(legend) (Events in bold signify pole position) (Events in italics signify fastest lap)
| Season | Team | 1 | 2 | Final Position | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Carlin | YMC FEA Retired |
YMC SPR 16 |
23rd | 0 |
Full Formula One results
(legend) (Events in bold indicate pole position; events in italics indicate fastest lap)
Indy Lights
| Year | Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | Final Position | Points Accumulated |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Carlin Motorsport | STP 12th |
STP 4th |
LBH 5th |
ALA 5th |
ALA 3rd |
IMS 4th |
IMS 3rd |
INDY Did Not Start |
TOR | TOR | MIL 6th |
IOW 1st |
MOH 2nd |
MOH 2nd |
LAG 11th |
LAG 3rd |
5th | 258 |
IndyCar Series
(key)
... (rest omitted for brevity)Indianapolis 500
| Year | Team | Car No. | Chassis | Engine Manufacturer | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | Final Standing | Total Points | Reference | ||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Chip Ganassi Racing | 8 | Dallara DW12 | Chevrolet | STP |
PHX |
LBH |
ALA |
IMS |
INDY |
DET |
DET |
ROA |
IOW |
TOR |
MOH |
POC |
TXS |
WGL |
SNM |
"19th" | "267" | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 2017 | Honda |
style = "background : #CFCFFF ;" | STP < br > |
style = "background : #CFCFFF ;" | LBH < br > |
style = " background : #CFCFFF ; " | ALA < br > |
style = " background : #EFCFFF ; " | PHX < br > |
style = " background : #CFEAFF ; " | IMS < br > |
style = " background : #DFFFDF ; " | INDY < br > |
style = " background : #CFCFFF ; " | DET < br > |
style = " background : #CFCFFF ; " | DET < br > |
style = " background : #CFEAFF ; " | TXS < br > |
style = " background : #CFEAFF ; " | ROA < br > |
style = " background : #CFCFFF ; " | IOW < br > |
style = " background : #CFEAFF ; " | TOR < br > |
style = " background : #CFCFFF ; " | MOH < br > |
style = " background : #EFCFFF ; " | POC < br > |
style = " background : #EFCFFF ; " | GTW < br > |
style = " background: # CFEAFF ;"| | WGL< br > |
style = " background: # CFCFFF ;"| | SNM< br > |
style =" background: # CFCFFF;" |
"11th" |
style =" background: # CFCFFF;" |
"396" | ||||||||||||||||||||
rowspan=4| |
rowspan=4| 59 |
rowspan=4| |
style =" background: # CFCFFF;" |
style =" background: # CFCFFF;" |
style =" background: # CFCFFF;" |
style =" background: # EFCFFF;" |
style =" background: # CFCFFF;" |
style =" background: # CFCFFF;" |
style =" background: # CFCFFF;" |
style =" background: # CFCFFF;" |
style =" background: # CFCFFF;" |
style =" background: # CFCFFF;" |
style =" background: # CFCFFF;" |
style =" background: # EFCFFF;" |
style =" background: # CFCFFF;" |
style =" background: # CFCFFF;" |
style =" background: # CFCFFF;" |
style =" background: # CFCFFF;" |
style =" background: # CFCFFF;" |
style =" background: # CFCFFF;" |
"19th" |
style =" background: # CFCFFF;" |
"223" |
| Year | Chassis | Engine | Starting Position | Finishing Position | Team |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Dallara | Chevrolet | 22 | 15 | Chip Ganassi Racing |
| 2017 | Dallara | Honda | 15 | 4 | Chip Ganassi Racing |
| 2018 | Dallara | Chevrolet | 20 | 22 | Carlin |
| 2019 | Dallara | Chevrolet | DNQ | Carlin | |
| 2020 | Dallara | Chevrolet | 30 | 17 | Carlin |
| 2021 | Dallara | Chevrolet | 29 | 24 | Carlin |
FIA World Endurance Championship Full Results
| Year | Entrant | Category | Chassis | Engine | Round 1 | Round 2 | Round 3 | Round 4 | Round 5 | Round 6 | Round 7 | Round 8 | Final Standing | Points Earned |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Nissan Motorsports | LMP1 Class | Nissan GT-R LM Nismo | Nissan VRX30A 3.0L Turbocharged V6 | SIL | SPA | LMS Retired |
NÜR | COA | FUJ | SHA | BHR | 34th Place | 0 Points |
24 Hours of Le Mans Complete Results
| Year | Team Name | Co-Drivers | Vehicle | Category | Total Laps Completed | Pos. | Class Pos. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Template:Country data JPNTemplate:Namespace detect showall Nissan Motorsports | Template:Country data FRATemplate:Namespace detect showall Olivier Pla Template:Country data GBRTemplate:Namespace detect showall Jann Mardenborough |
Nissan GT-R LM Nismo | LMP1 Category | 234 | DNF | DNF |