Jack Aitken

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Not to be confused with Jack Aiken.

Jack Aitken
Jack-aitken---tt-assen 43226091815 o (cropped).jpg
Aitken in 2018
NationalityUnited Kingdom British
Born (1995-09-23) 23 September 1995 (age 26)
London, United Kingdom
FIA Formula 2 Championship career
Debut season2018
Car number22
Former teamsART Grand Prix, Campos Racing, HWA Racelab
Starts67 (70 entries)
Wins4
Podiums11
Poles0
Fastest laps3
Best finish5th in 2019
Formula One World Championship career
Active years2020
TeamsWilliams
Car number89
Entries1 (1 start)
Championships0
Wins0
Podiums0
Career points0
Pole positions0
Fastest laps0
First entry2020 Sakhir Grand Prix
Last entry2020 Sakhir Grand Prix
Previous series
2016–2017
2015
2015		GP3 Series
Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0
Formula Renault 2.0 Alps
Championship titles
2015
2015
2015		Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0
Formula Renault 2.0 Alps
Pro Mazda Winterfest

Jack Aitken (Korean: 한세용, Han Se-yong; born 23 September 1995 in London) is a British-Korean racing driver who last competed in the 2021 Formula 2 Championship with HWA Racelab.

Born in London to a Scottish father and Korean mother, Aitken began his career in karting at Buckmore Park, aged 7. He made the transition to cars when he competed in the Intersteps Championship with Fortec Motorsport, with whom he then went on to race with in the Formula Renault BARC Winter Series, Formula Renault NEC and Formula Renault Eurocup.

After winning the Formula Renault Eurocup in 2015, Aitken was signed up for the Renault young driver academy, with which he remained until 2019. After competing in the GP3 Series in 2016 and 2017 he progressed to Formula 2 for 2018. He is also the reserve driver for the Williams Formula One team, for whom he raced at the 2020 Sakhir Grand Prix, replacing George Russell, who, in turn, replaced Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes for the event.

Career[]

Karting[]

Aitken started his karting career at Buckmore Park Kart Circuit in Kent. He competed in the 2010 Super 1 National Kart Championships in the Rotax Mini Max class, finishing third behind champion and future Formula 2 teammate George Russell.

Formula Renault[]

Aitken progressed into single-seater car racing in 2012, competing in the four races of the 2012 Formula Renault BARC Winter Series. He won the final race at Rockingham Motor Speedway and finished second in the standings behind Fortec Motorsport teammate Seb Morris. He also competed for Fortec in the 2012 Dunlop InterSteps Championship, taking two wins to finish third in the championship behind future GP3 Series competitor Matt Parry.

In 2013 Aitken competed in the Formula Renault 2.0 Northern European Cup, in a field which included future Formula One drivers Esteban Ocon and Alex Albon. He finished second in the championship, again losing out to Fortec teammate Parry. Aitken also appeared as a guest driver in three rounds of the main Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 series, recording a best finish of ninth place at the Red Bull Ring.

Aitken entered his first full season of Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 in 2014 with Fortec.[1] He won one race at the Hungaroring and finished on the podium three further times to end the season seventh in the championship. During the first half of the campaign, he had to finish his A-Level qualifications while attending Westminster School. He also made guest appearances in the Formula Renault 2.0 Alps series, with best finishes of fourth place at the Imola Circuit.

For 2015, Aitken moved to Koiranen GP in Formula Renault 2.0, contesting both the Eurocup and Alps series. He won both titles at the final rounds at the Circuito de Jerez, one week apart. He took nine race wins in total, finishing ahead of Louis Delétraz in the Eurocup and Jake Hughes in the Alps series.[2]

Pro Mazda Championship[]

Aitken made his first appearance in American open-wheel racing in 2014, competing in one round of the Pro Mazda Championship (now the Indy Pro 2000 Championship) at the Sonoma Raceway with a best finish of fourth place. In 2015 he took part in the Pro Mazda Winterfest for Team Pelfrey. He won three of the five races to win the championship ahead of future IndyCar driver Dalton Kellett and future Williams Formula One teammate Nicholas Latifi.

GP3 Series[]

In January 2016, Aitken stepped up to the GP3 Series with Arden International. In his maiden season, he claimed a victory at Spa-Francorchamps and six additional podiums to finish fifth in the overall standings, one point behind teammate Jake Dennis. In that year, Aitken also made brief appearances in the Euroformula Open and Formula V8 3.5 series, claiming two wins and two pole positions in four races in Euroformula Open and a pole position in Formula V8 3.5.

In February 2017, it was announced that Aitken would remain in the GP3 Series, switching to reigning team champions ART Grand Prix. He took one race win at the Hungaroring and five further podium finishes, finishing second in the championship with 141 points, behind champion and former karting rival George Russell on 220 points.

Formula 2[]

In January 2018, ART Grand Prix announced Aitken would join their Formula 2 team for the 2018 FIA Formula 2 Championship, again partnering Russell.[3] He took his first podium finish with second place in the Baku feature race, and later took his first victory in the Barcelona sprint race.[4] He finished 11th in the championship with 63 points, whilst Russell claimed the title with 287 points.

For the 2019 season Aitken moved to Campos Racing, initially partnering Dorian Boccolacci and later Arjun Maini and Marino Sato.[5] Aitken took his first win of the season, and Campos Racing's first win in Formula 2, at the Baku feature race. He also won his home sprint race at Silverstone, after overtaking Louis Delétraz on lap 17. Aitken also won the Monza sprint race after defending from the MP Motorsport car of Jordan King. King criticised Aitken's defensive driving as he claimed after the race that Aitken was weaving down the straight. Aitken finished fifth in the standings, scoring 159 of Campos' 189 points and helping them to finish fifth in the teams' championship.

Aitken remained at Campos for 2020, partnering Guilherme Samaia. Aitken took a double-podium finish at the second Silverstone round, finishing third in both the feature race and sprint race. He was involved in a high-speed collision with Luca Ghiotto on lap seven of the sprint race at Sochi Autodrom. Both drivers were uninjured, but damage to the barriers caused the race to be red-flagged and not restarted.[6] Aitken missed the final round at the Bahrain International Circuit to race in Formula One, and was replaced by Ralph Boschung. Aitken finished 14th in the standings, scoring all of Campos' 48 points.

Aitken left Campos and the Formula 2 series after 2020, however he returned during the 2021 season with HWA Racelab as a replacement for Matteo Nannini, who withdrew from the championship after the first round.[7] He was initially signed for the second and third rounds in Monaco and Baku respectively and was later retained for the fourth round at Silverstone.[8] He recorded a best finish of ninth place in the second Monaco sprint race, but failed to score points over the three rounds.

GT World Challenge Europe[]

After leaving Campos in Formula 2, Aitken switched to sports car racing and joined the GT World Challenge Europe. He competes in both the Endurance and Sprint cups, driving a Lamborghini Huracán GT3 Evo for Emil Frey Racing alongside Konsta Lappalainen. His first race was the 3 Hours of Monza, for which Aitken and his teammates qualified 14th. However, Aitken did not drive in the race as the car was retired following damage from a puncture.[9]

In July 2021 during the Spa 24 Hours event, Aitken was involved in a crash along with 3 other drivers. He crashed into the barrier after Raidillon, bounced back onto the track and came to a stop before being hit from behind by another driver which caused two further cars to become entangled in the accident. Aitken was taken to hospital where he stayed overnight.[10] His injuries were described as non life-threatening though serious and it was later revealed that he had sustained "a broken collarbone, a fractured vertebra ... and a very small lung contusion".[11][12]

Formula One[]

In February 2016, Aitken was one of four drivers confirmed to join the young driver program of Renault F1. In September 2017, Aitken sampled Formula One machinery for the first time, testing the Lotus E20 at Jerez. In February 2018, Aitken was appointed as third and reserve driver for Renault.[13][14] Aitken continued as test driver for Renault in 2019, taking part in the young drivers' test at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.[15]

Williams (2020–present)[]

For the 2020 season Aitken joined the Williams Driver Academy alongside Formula 2 rivals Dan Ticktum and Roy Nissany, and W Series and Extreme E driver Jamie Chadwick. Aitken was also appointed Williams' reserve driver.[16] He drove in the first practice session (FP1) of the 2020 Styrian Grand Prix for the team.[17]

Aitken made his Formula One debut as a race driver with Williams at the 2020 Sakhir Grand Prix as a replacement for George Russell, who was promoted to Mercedes following Lewis Hamilton's positive coronavirus test.[18] Aitken stated before the event he had been "ready since Melbourne [March]" for such an opportunity.[19] He chose to race with the car number 89, in reference to a number he previously used in karting.[18] He qualified for the race in 18th place, within a tenth of a second of teammate and regular driver Nicholas Latifi.[20][21] On lap 61 of 87, 15th-placed Aitken spun at the final corner, colliding with a barrier and breaking off his front wing. He returned to the pits for a replacement and was able to continue the race, eventually finishing 16th. He later remarked that he had mixed feelings about the race, stating "I think we were doing a really good job up until my little incident. I can only apologise to the whole team", but that there were "a lot of positives to take from the weekend".[22]

Aitken performed Thursday media duties with Williams ahead of the next race in Abu Dhabi but ultimately did not drive the car, as Russell returned to the team prior to FP1 when Hamilton was passed fit to return to Mercedes.[23]

In March 2021, Williams announced that Aitken would continue to be their reserve driver for the 2021 season.[24] He replaced George Russell for Williams in FP1 at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.[25]

Racing record[]

Karting career summary[]

Season Series Team Position
2006 Kartmasters British Grand Prix — WTP Cadet 12th
Bayford Kart Club Summer Sprint Championship — Honda Cadet 3rd
Super 1 National Championship — Comer Cadet 4th
2008 Kartmasters British Grand Prix — Rotax Mini Max 14th
Buckmore Park Summer Championship — Minimax The Kart Shop 2nd
2009 Buckmore Park Summer Championship — Minimax The Kart Shop 1st
Super One Series ABkC Championship — MiniMax 13th
2010 Shenington Kart Club — Rotax Mini Max 9th
Rotax Max Euro Challenge — Junior 2nd
Rotax Max Challenge Grand Finals — Junior 16th
Super 1 National Championship — Rotax Mini Max 3rd
2011 Trent Valley Kart Club — Senior Rotax 24th
Trent Valley Kart Club — Junior Rotax 46th
Shenington Kart Club — Rotax Mini Max 6th
BNL Karting Series — Rotax Max Junior 2nd
2012 Rotax Max Euro Challenge — Senior 35th

Racing career summary[]

Season Series Team Races Wins Poles F/Laps Podiums Points Position
2012 Intersteps Championship Fortec Motorsports 23 2 2 3 13 490 3rd
2013 Formula Renault 2.0 NEC Fortec Motorsports 16 0 1 1 5 230 2nd
Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 2 0 0 0 0 0 NC†
Manor MP Motorsport 4 0 0 0 0
2014 Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 Fortec Motorsports 14 1 1 0 4 86 7th
Formula Renault 2.0 Alps 8 0 0 1 0 0 NC†
Pro Mazda Championship Team Pelfrey 2 0 0 0 0 31 20th
2015 Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 Koiranen GP 17 5 4 3 6 206 1st
Formula Renault 2.0 Alps 15 4 3 3 7 242 1st
Pro Mazda Winterfest Team Pelfrey 5 3 1 2 4 167 1st
2016 GP3 Series Arden International 18 1 0 2 7 148 5th
Euroformula Open Championship RP Motorsport 4 2 2 1 3 71 8th
Spanish Formula 3 Championship 2 1 1 1 1 27 7th
Formula V8 3.5 Series 4 0 1 0 0 14 15th
2017 GP3 Series ART Grand Prix 15 1 2 2 6 141 2nd
2018 FIA Formula 2 Championship 23 1 0 0 2 63 11th
Formula One Renault Sport F1 Team Test driver
2019 FIA Formula 2 Championship Campos Racing 22 3 0 2 7 159 5th
Formula One Renault F1 Team Test driver
2020 FIA Formula 2 Championship Campos Racing 22 0 0 1 2 48 14th
Formula One Williams Racing 1 0 0 0 0 0 22nd
2021 FIA Formula 2 Championship HWA Racelab 9 0 0 0 0 0 23rd
GT World Challenge Europe Sprint Cup Emil Frey Racing 6 0 0 1 0 17.5 19th
GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup 2 0 0 0 0 0 NC
Formula One Williams Racing Reserve driver

† As Aitken was a guest driver, he was ineligible for championship points.

American open-wheel racing results[]

Pro Mazda Championship[]

Year Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 Rank Points
2014 Team Pelfrey STP STP BAR BAR IMS IMS LOR HOU HOU MOH MOH MIL SON
9 		SON
4 		20th 31

Complete GP3 Series results[]

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

Year Entrant 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 Pos Points
2016 Arden International CAT
FEA
20 		CAT
SPR
19 		RBR
FEA
9 		RBR
SPR
5 		SIL
FEA
13 		SIL
SPR
6 		HUN
FEA
9 		HUN
SPR
6 		HOC
FEA
6 		HOC
SPR
2 		SPA
FEA
5 		SPA
SPR
1 		MNZ
FEA
2 		MNZ
SPR
5 		SEP
FEA
2 		SEP
SPR
3 		YMC
FEA
3 		YMC
SPR
2 		5th 148
2017 ART Grand Prix CAT
FEA
Ret 		CAT
SPR
12 		RBR
FEA
2 		RBR
SPR
5 		SIL
FEA
4 		SIL
SPR
2 		HUN
FEA
1 		HUN
SPR
Ret 		SPA
FEA
2 		SPA
SPR
18 		MNZ
FEA
2 		MNZ
SPR
C 		JER
FEA
3 		JER
SPR
6 		YMC
FEA
14 		YMC
SPR
8 		2nd 141

Complete Formula V8 3.5 Series results[]

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

Year Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 Pos Points
2016 RP Motorsport ALC
1 		ALC
2 		HUN
1 		HUN
2 		SPA
1 		SPA
2 		LEC
1 		LEC
2 		SIL
1 		SIL
2 		RBR
1 		RBR
2 		MNZ
1 		MNZ
2 		JER
1
DSQ 		JER
2
4 		CAT
1
11 		CAT
2
9 		15th 14

Complete FIA Formula 2 Championship results[]

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate points for the fastest lap of top ten finishers)

Year Entrant 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 DC Points
2018 ART Grand Prix BHR
FEA
9 		BHR
SPR
18 		BAK
FEA
2 		BAK
SPR
11 		CAT
FEA
6 		CAT
SPR
1 		MON
FEA
7 		MON
SPR
Ret 		LEC
FEA
11 		LEC
SPR
DNS 		RBR
FEA
Ret 		RBR
SPR
18 		SIL
FEA
13 		SIL
SPR
12 		HUN
FEA
4 		HUN
SPR
10 		SPA
FEA
11 		SPA
SPR
10 		MNZ
FEA
17† 		MNZ
SPR
8 		SOC
FEA
14 		SOC
SPR
Ret 		YMC
FEA
10 		YMC
SPR
13 		11th 63
2019 Campos Racing BHR
FEA
7 		BHR
SPR
11 		BAK
FEA
1 		BAK
SPR
3 		CAT
FEA
2 		CAT
SPR
8 		MON
FEA
17† 		MON
SPR
13 		LEC
FEA
3 		LEC
SPR
4 		RBR
FEA
10 		RBR
SPR
18 		SIL
FEA
5 		SIL
SPR
1 		HUN
FEA
3 		HUN
SPR
5 		SPA
FEA
C 		SPA
SPR
C 		MNZ
FEA
8 		MNZ
SPR
1 		SOC
FEA
7 		SOC
SPR
11 		YMC
FEA
11 		YMC
SPR
10 		5th 159
2020 Campos Racing RBR1
FEA
15 		RBR1
SPR
8 		RBR2
FEA
9 		RBR2
SPR
6 		HUN
FEA
13 		HUN
SPR
19 		SIL1
FEA
13 		SIL1
SPR
8 		SIL2
FEA
3 		SIL2
SPR
3 		CAT
FEA
18† 		CAT
SPR
18 		SPA
FEA
13 		SPA
SPR
17 		MNZ
FEA
13 		MNZ
SPR
7 		MUG
FEA
Ret 		MUG
SPR
13 		SOC
FEA
6 		SOC
SPR
4 		BHR1
FEA
10 		BHR1
SPR
17† 		BHR2
FEA
 BHR2
SPR
 14th 48
2021 HWA Racelab BHR
SP1 		BHR
SP2 		BHR
FEA 		MON
SP1
16 		MON
SP2
9 		MON
FEA
18 		BAK
SP1
Ret 		BAK
SP2
12 		BAK
FEA
11 		SIL
SP1
17 		SIL
SP2
18 		SIL
FEA
17 		MNZ
SP1 		MNZ
SP2 		MNZ
FEA 		SOC
SP1 		SOC
SP2 		SOC
FEA 		JED
SP1 		JED
SP2 		JED
FEA 		YMC
SP1 		YMC
SP2 		YMC
FEA 		23rd 0

† Driver did not finish the race, but was classified as he completed over 90% of the race distance.
‡ Half points were awarded as less than 75% of the scheduled race distance was completed.

Complete Formula One results[]

Year Entrant Chassis Engine 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 WDC Points
2020 Williams Racing Williams FW43 Mercedes F1 M11 EQ Performance 1.6 V6 t AUT
 STY
TD 		HUN
 GBR
 70A
 ESP
 BEL ITA
 TUS
 RUS
 EIF
 POR
 EMI
 TUR
 BHR
 SKH
16 		ABU
 22nd 0
2021 Williams Racing Williams FW43B Mercedes M12 E Performance
1.6 V6 t 		BHR EMI POR ESP MON AZE FRA STY AUT GBR HUN BEL NED ITA RUS TUR USA MXC SAP QAT SAU ABU
TD 		– –

Complete GT World Challenge Europe Sprint Cup results[]

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

Year Team Car Class 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Pos. Points
2021 Emil Frey Racing Lamborghini Huracán GT3 Evo Pro MAG
1
12 		MAG
2
9 		ZAN
1
15 		ZAN
2
4 		MIS
1
7 		MIS
2
5 		BRH
1 		BRH
2 		VAL
1 		VAL
2 		19th 17.5

References[]

  1. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 22 October 2016. Retrieved 8 February 2016.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  2. ^ "Formula Renault Eurocup - Press release - 2015, an exceptional year in Formula Renault 2.0 - renaultsport.com". Renault Sport.
  3. ^ Horton, Phillip. "Formula 2: Jack Aitken expects to be among F2 leaders from the outset". Motorsport Week. Retrieved 23 February 2019.
  4. ^ Horton, Phillip. "Formula 2: Renault tester Jack Aitken takes maiden F2 victory in Barcelona Sprint Race". Motorsport Week. Retrieved 23 February 2019.
  5. ^ Horton, Phillip. "Formula 2: Jack Aitken secures switch to Campos for 2019". Motorsport Week. Retrieved 23 February 2019.
  6. ^ Allen, Peter (27 September 2020). "Zhou takes first F2 win in Sochi sprint race cut short by huge crash". formulascout.com. Retrieved 21 October 2020.
  7. ^ Howard, Tom (18 May 2021). "Aitken to make F2 return at Monaco and Baku with HWA". motorsport.com. Retrieved 21 June 2021.
  8. ^ @hwaag_official (13 July 2021). "Home race for @JaitkenRacer in @Formula2! After his outings in Monaco and Baku, he will also be behind the wheel of our #22 car at @SilverstoneUK. See you at the track, Jack!" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  9. ^ "Frustrating GT debut for Jack Aitken at Monza". sportscarracingnews.com. 19 April 2021. Retrieved 19 May 2021.
  10. ^ Foster, Michelle (1 August 2021). "Aitken suffered broken collarbone, fractured vertebra". PlanetF1. Retrieved 1 August 2021.
  11. ^ "Williams send best wishes to Jack Aitken after reserve driver hospitalised following GT3 crash | Formula 1®". www.formula1.com. Retrieved 1 August 2021.
  12. ^ "Update Jack Aitken - Jack looking forward to getting back in the car after early Spa exit | TotalEnergies 24 hours of Spa". Update Jack Aitken - Jack looking forward to getting back in the car after early Spa exit | TotalEnergies 24 hours of Spa. Retrieved 1 August 2021.
  13. ^ "Drivers – Jack Aitken". Renault Sport. Archived from the original on 3 July 2018. Retrieved 21 February 2018.
  14. ^ Barretto, Lawrence (20 February 2018). "Renault F1 team gives reserve driver role to Jack Aitken". Autosport. Retrieved 20 February 2018.
  15. ^ Horton, Phillip. "Formula 1: Sergey Sirotkin secures Renault F1 reserve role, F2's Jack Aitken as tester". Motorsport Week. Retrieved 18 March 2019.
  16. ^ "Aitken joins Williams as reserve driver after leaving Renault". formula1.com. 4 February 2020. Retrieved 4 February 2020.
  17. ^ Cooper, Adam. "Aitken gets Williams FP1 outing for F1 Styrian GP at Red Bull Ring". Autosport.com. Retrieved 6 July 2020.
  18. ^ a b "F2 racer Jack Aitken to make F1 debut with Williams at Sakhir Grand Prix, replacing Russell". Formula1.com. 2 December 2020. Retrieved 2 December 2020.
  19. ^ "Aitken has been 'ready since Melbourne' for F1 debut". 2 December 2020.
  20. ^ "Sakhir Grand Prix Qualifying". www.williamsf1.com. Retrieved 6 December 2020.
  21. ^ "Sakhir GP: Bottas beats Russell to pole by 0.026s". www.motorsport.com. Retrieved 6 December 2020.
  22. ^ "'Gutted' Aitken 'desperate to have another go' with Williams after race-defining shunt". formula1.com. 7 December 2020. Retrieved 9 December 2020.
  23. ^ "Hamilton to return for Abu Dhabi GP". BBC Sport. Retrieved 11 December 2020.
  24. ^ Masefield, Fraser (4 March 2021). "Williams retains Jack Aitken for official reserve driver role". Motorsport Technology. Retrieved 13 March 2021.
  25. ^ https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/f1-abu-dhabi-gp-fp1-report-verstappen-bottas-hamilton/6870122/

External links[]

Sporting positions
Preceded by Pro Mazda Winterfest
Champion
2015 		Succeeded by
None
(Series ended)
Preceded by Formula Renault 2.0 Alps
Champion
2015 		Succeeded by
None
(Series ended)
Preceded by Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0
Champion
2015 		Succeeded by
Lando Norris
Retrieved from ""