Robert Doornbos

Robert Doornbos
Born	Robert Michael Doornbos (1981-09-23) September 23, 1981 Netherlands
Occupation(s)	Racing driver, entrepreneur, commentator
Years active	1999–2009 (racing)
Known for	Formula One driver, Champ Car driver, IndyCar Series driver
Notable work	Co-founder of Kiiroo; Formula 1 commentator for Ziggo Sport

Robert Michael Doornbos (born 23 September 1981) is a retired Dutch racing driver who also competed under a Monégasque racing licence. He held roles as a test and third driver for the Jordan and Red Bull Racing teams in Formula One, and raced for both Minardi and Red Bull Racing during the 2005 and 2006 seasons. In 2007, Doornbos competed with Minardi Team USA in the final year of the Champ Car World Series. The following year, he participated in the 2008 Superleague Formula championship and represented the Netherlands in the 2008–2009 A1 Grand Prix season. In 2009, he took part in the IndyCar Series, initially driving for Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing before switching to HVM Racing after the event at Kentucky Speedway.

Transition from Tennis to Motorsport

Initially pursuing a career in tennis, Doornbos shifted his focus to motorsports following an invitation to attend the 1998 Belgian Grand Prix as a guest of the Williams F1 team. Upon advice from 1997 Formula One World Champion Jacques Villeneuve, who recommended Formula Ford as a suitable entry point given his physical stature and age, he decided to leave tennis behind to concentrate on racing. In 1999, Doornbos joined JR racing for the Opel Lotus UK Winter series, securing second place overall with four pole positions, fastest laps, and race victories. The year 2000 saw him compete in the Formula Ford Zetec Benelux championship, where he achieved second place in Belgium and finished fifth in the overall standings, bolstered by strong qualifying performances and multiple podium finishes.

Progression in Formula 3

Doornbos advanced to the British Formula Three Scholarship class in 2001 with FGR Racing, concluding the season fifth overall. His campaign featured two poles, race wins, and nine podiums, including a notable runner-up finish at the Formula Three support event during the British Grand Prix. He subsequently transitioned to German Formula Three with Team Ghinzani, where he earned four podium finishes and placed sixth at the prestigious Macau Grand Prix. Continuing with Ghinzani in 2003 within the European Formula Three Championship, Doornbos amassed seven podium appearances, claimed pole position at Spa-Francorchamps for the Formula Three Masters event, and secured second place in Korea.

International Formula 3000

With backing from Red Bull, Doornbos joined reigning champions Arden International for the 2004 season of the International Formula 3000. Paired alongside teammate Vitantonio Liuzzi, he was honored as Rookie of the Year after finishing third in the overall championship standings. His achievements included a victory at Spa-Francorchamps, four podium finishes, and recording the fastest lap during one of the races.

Jordan (2004)

Prior to the 2004 Chinese Grand Prix, Doornbos was appointed as Jordan’s official Friday test driver, taking over from Timo Glock, who had been promoted to a race seat following sponsorship complications that affected Giorgio Pantano. Demonstrating strong performance during late-season test sessions, Doornbos secured retention for Jordan’s lineup heading into the 2005 campaign.

Throughout 2005, Doornbos participated in Friday practice sessions for Jordan at nearly every race weekend except two occasions: at the 2005 European Grand Prix, where French Renault test driver Franck Montagny took part instead; and at the 2005 Canadian Grand Prix, where Jordan was prohibited from running a third car due to exceeding tyre allocation limits at their previous event.

Minardi (2005)

On 19 July, Doornbos was appointed as a race driver for Minardi, starting from the 2005 German Grand Prix, taking over from Austrian driver Patrick Friesacher due to sponsorship complications. During his first race, he was involved in a collision with Jacques Villeneuve, who had been an early mentor in his career. Over eight Grands Prix with Minardi, Doornbos' top finishes were 13th place at both the Turkish and Belgian events.

Alongside teammate Christijan Albers, they nearly established the first all-Dutch Formula One pairing since 1962; however, Doornbos competed under a Monegasque racing licence. He ultimately became the last driver for Minardi before the team was acquired by Red Bull prior to the Belgian Grand Prix. In the final race of the season, Doornbos retired on the last lap following an earlier retirement by Albers.

Red Bull (2006)

Following Minardi’s acquisition and transformation into Scuderia Toro Rosso, Doornbos did not secure a race seat for the 2006 season but joined Red Bull Racing as a test and reserve driver under Sporting Director Christian Horner, who had previously managed him in Formula 3000.

Throughout 2006, Doornbos took part in Friday practice sessions, regularly achieving top 10 times and frequently placing within the top three, showcasing his competitive speed. At the 2006 Hungarian Grand Prix, he was involved in a significant incident with Fernando Alonso, which resulted in Alonso receiving a two-second penalty during qualifying.

After the 2006 Italian Grand Prix, when Red Bull released Christian Klien, Doornbos was promoted to race alongside David Coulthard for the final three events of the season. He qualified inside the top 10 for his debut race in China but finished 12th after contact with Robert Kubica at the opening corner.

For , Doornbos continued as a test driver alongside Michael Ammermüller, while David Coulthard and Mark Webber held the race seats.

Formula One demonstrations

As both a Formula One test and racing driver, Robert Doornbos has conducted several prominent demonstrations, including driving an F1 car on public roads in the Netherlands on two occasions. A notable example occurred in 2005 when he took part in the Monaco aan de Maas event held in Rotterdam. On 15 August 2006, he performed a charity run for 'Stichting Geluk en Vrijheid' (Foundation Happiness and Freedom), driving his Red Bull Formula One vehicle at 326 km/h (204 mph) along the A7 motorway on the Afsluitdijk.

Champ Car World Series

After failing to secure a Formula One seat for 2007, Doornbos signed with Minardi Team USA to compete in the 2007 Champ Car World Series. He made an impressive debut at the 2007 Las Vegas Grand Prix, qualifying third and finishing second, becoming the first rookie since Nigel Mansell in 1993 to reach the podium in their inaugural Champ Car race. Although a drive-through penalty at the 2007 Grand Prix of Cleveland cost him a potential victory, he still finished second behind Paul Tracy. Doornbos then claimed victory at the 2007 Mont-Tremblant Grand Prix, briefly sharing the championship lead with Sébastien Bourdais. ESPN nicknamed him "Bobby D," a moniker he accepted. He also triumphed at the 2007 San Jose Grand Prix after an early crash led to an alternative pit strategy that he capitalized on. Concluding the season third overall and receiving Roshfrans Rookie of the Year honors, Doornbos earned respect from fans and competitors alike. However, with the announced unification of Champ Car and the Indy Car Series for 2008, Minardi withdrew from competition, leaving HVM Racing as a single-car team and Doornbos without a drive.

Superleague Formula

After being unable to obtain a competitive seat in the consolidated IndyCar Series and choosing not to join less competitive teams, Doornbos took a hiatus throughout 2008 while searching for new opportunities in 2009. On 21 May 2008, he was confirmed as the driver representing A.C. Milan in the Superleague Formula, a racing series where vehicles are backed by football clubs. The technical director of the team has connections to Giancarlo Minardi, the former proprietor of the Minardi Formula One outfit. Doornbos secured third place in the series' first season in 2008.

A1 Grand Prix

During the 2008–09 season, Doornbos shared driving duties with Jeroen Bleekemolen for Team Netherlands, alternating participation in races. The squad achieved an overall fourth-place finish, with each driver earning a sprint race victory.

IndyCar Series

Competing in the 2009 IndyCar Series season, Doornbos raced for Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing. Since he lacked experience on oval circuits, he received guidance from fellow Dutch racer Arie Luyendyk. Throughout his initial three events, he consistently placed no lower than 12th, notably starting second at the oval Kansas Speedway race, benefiting from qualifying disqualifications of other competitors. Although he briefly led following the first round of pit stops, a penalty incurred for striking a tire in the pit lane relegated him to the rear of the field.

On 4 August 2009, Doornbos declared his immediate exit from Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing by activating an option after completing 12 races. The next day, he signed with HVM Racing intending to continue through 2009 and 2010; however, this plan did not come to fruition.

After racing

Doornbos co-established Kiiroo, a Dutch enterprise focused on developing cutting-edge sex toys. Additionally, he serves as a Formula 1 commentator for Ziggo Sport.

Career summary

Season	Series	Team	Races	Poles	Wins	Points	Position
1999	Formula Ford 1800 Benelux	Team JR Racing	?	4	4	?	2nd
	Formula Vauxhall Lotus Winter Series		?	?	?	?	2nd
2000	Formula Ford 1800 Benelux	?	?	?	?	58	5th
	Formula Ford Zetec Netherlands	?	?	?	?	61	6th
	Formula Ford Festival	Sweeney/Hopper Racing	1	0	0	N/A	NC
2001	British Formula 3	Fred Goddard Racing (National Class)	26	1	2	182	5th
	German Formula Three	JB Motorsport	6	0	0	0	NC

Season	Series	Team	Races	Poles	Wins	Points	Position
2002	German Formula Three Championship	Team Ghinzani	18	0	0	17	11th
	Italian Formula Three Championship		1	0	0	4	11th
	FIA European Formula Three Cup		1	0	0	N/A	11th
	Macau Grand Prix		1	0	0	N/A	6th
	Korea Super Prix		1	0	0	N/A	8th

Season	Series	Team	Races	Poles	Wins	Points	Position
2003	Formula 3 Euro Series	Team Ghinzani	20	0	0	40	9th
	Italian Formula Three Championship		1	0	0	6	16th
	British Formula 3 Championship	Menu Motorsport	4	0	0	26	17th
	Macau Grand Prix		2	0	0	N/A	16th
	Korea Super Prix		1	0	0	N/A	2nd
	Masters of Formula 3	Team Ghinzani Euroc S.A.M.	1	0	0	N/A	18th

Season	Series	Team	Races	Poles	Wins	Points	Position
2004	2004 International Formula 3000 Championship	Arden International	10	0	1	44	3rd
	2004 Formula One World Championship (Test driver)	Jordan Grand Prix Ford Motor Company	Test driver

Season	Series	Team	Races	Poles	Wins	Points	Position
2005	2005 Formula One World Championship (Test driver)	Jordan Grand Prix	Test driver
	Minardi F1 Team	8	0	0	0	25th

Season	Series	Team	Races	Poles	Wins	Points	Position
2006	2006 Formula One World Championship	Red Bull Racing	3	0	0	0	24th

Season	Series	Team	Races	Poles	Wins	Points	Position
2007	2007 Champ Car season	Minardi Team USA	14	0	2	268	3rd
	2007 Formula One World Championship (Test driver)	Red Bull Racing	Test driver

Season	Series	Team	Races	Poles	Wins	Points	Position
2008	2008 Superleague Formula season	A.C. Milan (Superleague Formula team)	9	2	2	267	3rd (1)

Season	Series	Team	Races	Poles	Wins	Points	Position
2008–09	2008–09 A1 Grand Prix season	A1 Team Netherlands	6	=1	=1	=75 (1)	=4th (1)

Season	Series	Team	Races	Poles	Wins	Points	Position
2009	rowspan=2 |2009 IndyCar Series	Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing	12	=0	=0	225	16th
	HVM Racing	5	=0	=0

Full British Formula Three Championship Results

(key) (Races shown in bold denote pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)

Year	Team	Chassis	Engine	Category	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	Final Position	Points
2001	Fred Goddard Racing	Dallara F398	Renault Sodemo	Scholarship	SIL1 1 21	SIL1 2 21	SNE 1 19	SNE 2 Ret	DON1 1 Ret	DON1 2 18	OUL 1 19	OUL 2 22	CRO 1 Ret	CRO 2 17	ROC 1 19	ROC 2 17	CAS 1 19	CAS 2 Ret	BRH1 1 17	BRH1 2 18	DON2 1 Ret	DON2 2 19	KNO 1 4	KNO < br >2 < br > C	THR < br >1 < br > 14	THR < br >2 < br > Ret	THR < br >3 < br > 19	BRH2 < br >1 < br > 19	BRH2 < br >2 < br > 18	SIL2 < br >1 < br > Ret	SIL2 < br >2 < br > Ret	5th	182

Complete German Formula Three Championship Results

(key) (Bolded races represent pole positions) (Italicized races signify fastest laps)

Year	Team Entry	Chassis Model	Engine Manufacturer	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	Final Standing	Points
2001	JB Motorsport	Dallara F399	Opel	HOC1 < br >1	HOC1 < br >2	NÜR1 < br >1	NÜR1 < br >2	OSC < br >1	OSC < br >2	SAC < br >1	SAC < br >2	NOR < br >1	NOR < br >2	HOC2 < br >1	HOC2 < br >2	LAU < br >1	LAU < br >2	NÜR2 < br >1 < br > 17	NÜR2 < br >2 < br > 14	style = " background : #CFCFFF ; " [[ Red Bull Ring  A1R      1 ]]     Template:Small 16	style = " background : #CFCFFF ; " [[ Red Bull Ring  A1R      2 ]]     Template:Small 11	style = " background : #CFCFFF ; " [[ Hockenheimring  HOC2      1 ]]     Template:Small 15	style = " background : #CFCFFF ; " [[Hockenheimring HOC2 2 ]] Template:Small 15		33rd	0
2002 German Formula Three Championship	nowrap Team Ghinzani	nowrap Dallara F302	nowrap Mugen-Honda	style = " background : #CFCFFF ; " Hockenheimring HOC1 Template:Small 23	style = " background : #CFCFFF ; " Hockenheimring HOC1 Template:Small 10	style = " background : #FFFFFF ; " Nürburgring NÜR1 Template:Small C	style = " background : #FFFFFF ; " Nürburgring NÜR1 Template:Small C	style = " background : #DFFFDF ; " Sachsenring SAC Template:Small 6	style = " background : #DFFFDF ; " Sachsenring SAC Template:Small 5	style = " background : #EFCFFF ; " Norisring NOR Template:Small Ret	style = " background : #DFFFDF ; " Norisring NOR Template:Small 6	style = " background : #DFDFDF ; " EuroSpeedway Lausitz LAU Template:Small 2	style = " background : #CFCFFF ; " EuroSpeedway Lausitz LAU Template:Small 23	style = " background : #CFCFFF ; " Hockenheimring HOC2 Template:Small '22†'	style = 'background: #FFDF9F;' Hockenheimring HOC2 '3'	style = 'background: #CFCFFF;' Nürburgring NÜR2 '9'	style = 'background: #CFCFFF;' Nürburgring NÜR2 '15'	style: 'background: #CFCFFF;' Red Bull Ring A1R '22†'	style: 'background: #CFCFFF;' Red Bull Ring A1R '8'	style: 'background: #EFCFFF;' Circuit Park Zandvoort ZAN Ret	style: 'background: #DFFFDF;' Circuit Park Zandvoort ZAN '4'	style: 'background: #CFCFFF;' Hockenheimring HOC3 '7'	style: 'background: #EFCFFF;' Hockenheimring HOC3 Ret	11th	17

Full Formula Three Euro Series results

(key) (Races shown in bold denote pole positions) (Races in italics signify fastest laps)

Year	Team	Chassis	Engine	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	Final Position	Points
2003	Team Ghinzani	Dallara F302/052	Mugen	HOC 1 2	HOC 2 8	ADR 1 10	ADR 2 6	PAU 1 8	PAU 2 DSQ	NOR 1 12	NOR 2 4	LMS 1 NC	LMS 2 8	NÜR 1 3	NÜR 2 Ret	A1R 1 10	A1R 2 8	ZAN 1 5	ZAN 2 7	HOC 1 13	HOC 2 Ret	MAG 1 9	MAG 2 2	9th	40

Full International Formula 3000 results

(key) (Pole positions are highlighted in bold; fastest laps appear in italics)

Year	Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	Final Standing	Points Earned
2004	Arden International	IMO 3	CAT 14	MON 6	NÜR 2	MAG 5	SIL 10	HOC 4	HUN 7	SPA 1	MNZ 3	3rd	44

Complete Formula One results

(key) (Races highlighted in bold denote pole positions; events in italics signify fastest laps)

Template:F1{{{1}}}Template:Red Bull RacingTemplate:Red Bull RB2Template:Ferrari 056 2.4 V8 Template:BHRTemplate:MALTemplate:AUSTemplate:SMRTemplate:EURTemplate:ESPTemplate:MONTemplate:GBRTemplate:CANTemplate:USATemplate:FRA

1. REDIRECT Template:DEU Template:HUN Template:TUR Template:ITA

Template:CHN
12 Template:JPN
13 Template:BRA
12 24th 0

^† Classified despite not finishing, having completed more than 90% of the race distance.

Results in American Open-Wheel Racing

(key) (Races highlighted in bold denote pole positions, while those in italics represent the fastest laps during the race)

ChampCar

Year	Team	No.	Chassis	Engine	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	Final Position	Points
2007	Minardi Team USA	14	Panoz DP01	Cosworth XFE V8 t	LVS 2	LBH 13	HOU 3	POR 3	CLE 2	MTT 1	TOR 6	EDM 11	SJO 1	ROA 14	ZOL 7	ASN 13	SRF 4	MXC 16	3rd	268

IndyCar Series

Year	Team	No.	Chassis	Engine	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	Final Standing	Points Earned

|- |rowspan=2 |2009

! nowrap |Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing
!06 
!rowspan=2 nowrap |Dallara IR-05 
!rowspan=2 nowrap |Honda HI7R V8
|style="background:#CFCFFF;" |STP  
  
|style="background:#CFEAFF;" |LBH  
  
|style="background:#CFCFFF;" |KAN  
  
|style="background:#EFCFFF;" |INDY  
  
|style="background:#CFCFFF;" |MIL  
  
|style="background:#CFCFFF;" |TXS  
  
|style="background:#EFCFFF;" |IOW  
  
|style="background:#CFEAFF;" |RIR  
  
|style="background:#CFEAFF;" |WGL  
  
|style="background:#EFCFFF;" |TOR  
  
|style="background:#CFEAFF;" |EDM  
  
|style="background:#CFCFFF;" |KTY  
  
|| colspan=5 |
! style = "background:#CFCFFF;" rowspan=2; """16th"""
! style = "background:#CFCFFF;" rowspan=2; """283"""

|- ! nowrap;HVM Racing

!33 
|| colspan=12 |
|| style = "background:#CFCFFF"; 2009 Honda 200
< br >
|| style = "background:#CFEAFF"; 2009 Indy Grand Prix of Sonoma
< br >
|| style = "background:#CFCFFF"; 2009 Peak Antifreeze & Motor Oil Indy 300
< br >
|| style = "background:#CFCFFF"; 2009 Indy Japan 300
< br >
|| style = "background:#EFCFFF"; 2009 Firestone Indy 300
< br >

|}

1 2 17 0 0 0 5 0 0 }

Indianapolis 500

Seasons	Teams Represented	Total Races	Pole Positions	Victories	Podium Finishes (Excluding Wins)	Top Ten Finishes (Excluding Podiums)	Indianapolis 500 Victories	Series Championships

Year	Chassis	Engine	Starting Position	Finishing Position	Team
2009	Dallara	Honda	23	28	N/H/L

Full Superleague Formula Results

(legend) (Races shown in bold denote pole positions) (Races in italics signify fastest laps)

2008

Year	Team	Operator	Round 1		Round 2		Round 3		Round 4		Round 5		Round 6		Overall Position	Total Points
2008	A.C. Milan	Scuderia Playteam	DON		NÜR		ZOL		EST		VAL		JER		3rd	335
			17	DNS	1	6	18	4	2	2	2	17	1	10

2010–2011

Year	Team	Operator	Round 1			Round 2			Round 3			Round 4			Round 5			Round 6			Round 7			Round 8			Round 9			Round 10			Round 11			Round 12			Overall Position	Total Points
2010	SC Corinthians	Azerti Motorsport	SIL			ASS			MAG			JAR			NÜR			ZOL			BRH			ADR			POR			ORD			(BEI) †			(NAV)			12th	363
			11	7	X	9	15	X	12	16	X	9	5	X	7	10	X	3	16	X	15	18	X	8	6	X	6	3	5	18	15	X	DN	DN	C																					-|

2011 Superleague Formula season

Year	Team	Operator	Final Position	Points Accumulated
Netherlands (Superleague Formula team)	Atech Grand Prix / Reid Motorsport	16th	16
		11	DN	X
Japan		5	7	6	colspan = "18" style = "text-align:center" |	colspan = "10" style = "text-align:center" |	2nd	136

† Event outside championship standings

Full A1 Grand Prix Results

(key) (Races highlighted in bold denote pole position) (Races shown in italics represent fastest lap)

Season	Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	Overall Position	Points
2008–09	Netherlands	NED SPR	NED FEA	CHN SPR 2	CHN FEA 16	MYS SPR	MYS FEA	NZL SPR 3	NZL FEA 5	RSA SPR	RSA FEA	POR SPR 1	POR FEA DNS	GBR SPR	GBR SPR	4th	81