James Calado

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James Calado
2019 4 Hours of Silverstone 51 (48664824172).jpg
Calado at the Silverstone Circuit in 2019
NationalityUnited Kingdom British
Born (1989-06-13) 13 June 1989 (age 32)
Cropthorne, England, United Kingdom
WEC career
Debut season2014
Current teamAF Corse
Car number51
Starts55
Wins9
Poles3
Fastest laps2
Best finish1st in 2017, 2021
Previous series
20122013
2011
2010
2009
200809
2008
2008
2008
GP2 Series
GP3 Series
British Formula 3
Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0
Formula Renault 2.0 UK
FR2.0 Portugal Winter Series
FR2.0 UK Winter Series
Formula Renault 2.0 NEC
Championship titles
2017

2008
2008
GT World Endurance Championship
FR2.0 Portugal Winter Series
FR2.0 UK Winter Series

James John Calado (born 13 June 1989) is a British professional racing driver from England, currently competing in the FIA World Endurance Championship and other selected GT races for AF Corse. He won the LMGTE Pro class of the 2017 FIA World Endurance Championship and 2019 24 Hours of Le Mans. He drove for Panasonic Jaguar Racing in Formula E. His career has been funded by the Racing Steps Foundation.[1]

Career[]

Karting[]

Born in Cropthorne, Worcestershire, Calado had an extensive karting career, starting out at Cadets level in 1999. After being a member of the 2000 championship-winning England Inter-Nations Cadet Team, Calado won the British Cadet Championship in 2001, and also finished runner-up to Daniel Rowbottom in the Super 1 Cadet series, losing out by thirteen points. In 2002, Calado stepped up to TKM Juniors, finishing fifth in the Super 1 championship. 2003 saw Calado contest pan-European series for the first time, driving a Gillard Parilla kart for the PDB Racing Team in the ICA Junior class. He finished runner-up to Nicholas Risitano in the European Championship, beating future Formula One drivers Sébastien Buemi and Jaime Alguersuari.

He moved to Tony Kart for the 2004 season, and once again finished in the top three of the European Championship; this time finishing third behind Stefano Coletti and Jules Bianchi. He also finished fifth in the Andrea Margutti Trophy, and ninth in the Italian Open Masters. He moved up to the ICA class in 2005, and won the European Championship ahead of his future team-mate Jean-Éric Vergne, and also finished runner-up to Armando Parente in the Italian Open Masters. He returned to the UK to contest the Renault Elite League in the Super Libre class, finishing seventh in the championship.

Calado moved into the top class of international karting in 2006, moving into the Formula A class. Sixth in the Italian Open Masters, Calado went to Macau for the International Kart Grand Prix, where he finished as runner-up to Michael Christensen. His final season of karting, in 2007, saw his fourth top-five placing in the European Championship, as well as a third-place finish in the Margutti Trophy. He also placed ninth in the South Garda Winter Cup.

Formula Renault[]

Calado competing during the 2008 Formula Renault UK season at Oulton Park

Calado moved into the British Formula Renault Championship for the 2008 season, driving for Fortec Motorsport.[2] With no prior single-seater experience, Calado was placed into the Graduate Cup for first-year drivers. Calado finished runner-up to Dean Stoneman in that championship, and he finished seventh in the overall championship. He took two pole positions at Snetterton and Oulton Park, with one victory coming at Snetterton from that pole. He also earned three other podium placings throughout the season. Calado also contested two rounds of the Formula Renault 2.0 Northern European Cup at Zolder and Spa-Francorchamps. He earned two top-five finishes en route to finishing 25th in the overall championship standings, amassing 38 points. At the conclusion of the season, Calado enter the Winter Series of both the British and Portuguese Formula Renault championships. Over the two championships' eight total races, Calado took five pole positions, six fastest laps and five victories en route to both championships; holding Henry Surtees off by just three points in the British Winter Series.[3]

Calado competing during the 2009 Formula Renault UK season at Oulton Park

Calado continued in the British series for the 2009 season, staying with Fortec for his sophomore campaign.[4] Calado and Alpine Motorsport's Stoneman, both in their second season and boasting victories in their début season in the series, with pre-season testing further backing media predictions that the championship would most likely be decided between the pair.[5] Calado was the most successful driver in the series, taking a total of eight victories, winning races at seven of the championship's ten meetings during the season. He also earned ten pole positions, and set the fastest lap of the race on seven occasions. However, retirements at Thruxton, Oulton Park and Croft took the title out of the hands of Calado and into the hands of Dean Smith, who joined the series at the second round of the championship. Calado ultimately finished as runner-up behind Smith, 34 points behind the Wolverhampton driver. Calado also contested three rounds of the Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 for Fortec, competing in Barcelona, Spa and Le Mans. He finished seventeenth in the championship, amassing ten points from a fifth in Barcelona and seventh at Spa. He lost a podium finish at Barcelona due to a puncture with two laps remaining,[6] which could have ultimately turned into a win after the post-race disqualification of winner Albert Costa.[7]

Formula Three (2010)[]

Calado moved into the British Formula 3 Championship for the 2010 season, as part of a six-car title challenge by Carlin.[1] He was the second RSF-funded driver to drive for the team, after Oliver Turvey finished runner-up in the 2008 championship. He took five victories to finish second in the championship, behind runaway leader Jean-Éric Vergne.

GP3 Series (2011)[]

Calado moved up to the GP3 Series for 2011, driving for the Lotus ART team alongside Pedro Nunes, Richie Stanaway and Valtteri Bottas. In a successful season for ART, Bottas won the championship whilst Calado backed him up with second in the drivers' standings, taking a single win at Valencia and five further podium finishes. ART also won the teams' championship.

GP2 Series (2011-2013)[]

Calado winning the Belgium 2013 GP2 Grand Prix

Calado made his GP2 Series début by driving for ART in the non-championship race at Yas Marina which concluded the 2011 season. He had a victorious race in the sprint race, the second race of the weekend. He joined the Lotus-branded team full-time for the 2012 season, alongside second-year driver Esteban Gutiérrez.[8] He continued his form from the non-championship race by winning the sprint race of the first round of the season in Malaysia. After taking pole positions for the Spanish rounds at Catalunya and Valencia, but not being able to convert them into victories, he won his second race of the season at Hockenheim. At this stage of the championship, he was third in the drivers' standings, but a poor run in the final four races—after crashing in practice at Monza and suffering from food poisoning in Singapore saw him overhauled by team-mate Gutiérrez and compatriot Max Chilton. Nevertheless, his fifth place in the championship meant that he finished the season as the series' most successful rookie driver, ahead of Felipe Nasr in tenth position. Autosport magazine rated Calado as the GP2 season's best driver, due to his inexperience compared to the drivers who finished ahead of him in the championship.[9]

Lotus GP became ART once again for the 2013 season and he was joined by rookie Daniel Abt. A consistent season saw him claim two sprint race wins and another five podiums meant he finished third in the standings on 157 points but quite a distance behind the top two Fabio Leimer and Sam Bird.

Formula One[]

Force India (2013)[]

Calado driving a Force India Formula One car in 2013

Partway through the 2013 season, Formula One team Force India selected him for the Young Driver's test in July, held at Silverstone.[10] He had a successful test, setting the fourth fastest time on the first day.[10] As a result of this, and his good GP2 form, Force India announced that they had selected Calado as their third driver for the Italian Grand Prix on 2 September 2013, and that he would run in the first practice session.[11]

Formula E[]

In June 2019, Calado partook in testing sessions with Panasonic Jaguar Racing.[12]

On 2 October 2019, it was announced that Calado would partner Mitch Evans in the Panasonic Jaguar team, replacing Alex Lynn.[13]

He made his debut with the team at the 2019 Diriyah ePrix, crashing during qualifying for the first race & finishing 16th. He struggled during qualifying the following day but showed excellent race pace & in a race of attrition stayed out of the carnage to record his first points in 7th. He continued his points-scoring form at the next race in Santiago, where he finished in 8th. He would have finished in 9th at the 2020 Mexico City ePrix, but was later disqualified for a technical issue. He lacked pace in Marrakesh despite qualifying well & dropped to 16th position.

FIA World Endurance Championship[]

AF Corse[]

Calado racing in the 2018 6 Hours of Silverstone.

For 2014, Calado joined Italian Davide Rigon at AF Corse, making his debut at the 6 Hours of Silverstone where the pair finished in 5th position behind their teammates, Finn Toni Vilander and Italian Gianmaria Bruni. Calado and Rigon celebrated a podium in the second race of the season at the 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps. For Calado it was his first podium in sportcars. For 2016 he joins Italian Gianmaria Bruni.

In 2017 is joined by Alessandro Pier Guidi and won the world championship. In 2019 he won the 24 Hours of Le Mans together with Pier Guidi and Daniel Serra behind the wheel of the #51 AF Corse Ferrari 488 GTE Evo. In 2021 he won the 24 Hours of Le Mans for the second time, together with Pier Guidi and Ledogar

IMSA Weathertech Sportscar Champioship[]

He made his debut in 2016 24 Hours of Daytona with the Ferrari 488 GTE of SMP Racing and take part in some selected races in following years, all with Risi Competizione. He won the 2016 and 2019 Petit Le Mans with the 488 GTE and scored podiums at 24 Hours of Daytona and 12 Hours of Sebring

Racing record[]

Career summary[]

Season Series Team Races Wins Poles F/Laps Podiums Points Position
2008 Formula Renault UK Fortec Motorsport 20 1 2 0 4 292 7th
Formula Renault 2.0 NEC 3 0 0 0 0 38 25th
Formula Renault UK Winter Cup 4 2 3 4 3 116 1st
Portuguese Formula Renault 2.0 Winter Series 4 3 2 2 4 60 1st
2009 Formula Renault UK Fortec Motorsport 20 8 10 7 12 457 2nd
Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 6 0 0 1 0 10 17th
2010 British Formula 3 Championship Carlin 30 5 2 4 12 293 2nd
2011 GP3 Series Lotus ART 16 1 1 2 6 55 2nd
GP2 Final 2 1 0 0 1 7 5th
2012 GP2 Series Lotus GP 24 2 2 1 7 160 5th
2013 GP2 Series ART Grand Prix 22 2 0 2 7 157 3rd
Formula One Sahara Force India F1 Team Test driver
2014 FIA World Endurance Championship - LMGTE Pro AF Corse 8 0 0 0 5 94 7th
2015 FIA World Endurance Championship - LMGTE Pro AF Corse 8 0 1 0 5 123 4th
24 Hours of Le Mans - LMGTE Pro 1 0 0 0 1 N/A 2nd
GT Asia Series Clearwater Racing 3 0 0 0 1 36 25th
European Le Mans Series - LMGTE JMW Motorsport 1 0 0 0 0 0 18th
2016 FIA World Endurance Championship - LMGTE Pro AF Corse 9 1 1 1 7 128 3rd
24 Hours of Le Mans - LMGTE Pro 1 0 1 0 0 N/A DNF
WeatherTech SportsCar Championship - GTLM SMP Racing 1 0 0 0 0 58 19th
Risi Competizione 1 1 0 0 1
2017 FIA World Endurance Championship - LMGTE Pro AF Corse 9 3 0 0 7 153 1st
24 Hours of Le Mans - LMGTE Pro 1 0 0 0 0 N/A 11th
Blancpain GT Series Endurance Cup Kaspersky Motorsport 5 0 1 0 0 32 7th
Intercontinental GT Challenge Ferrari 1 0 0 0 0 0 NC
WeatherTech SportsCar Championship - GTLM Risi Competizione 2 0 0 0 2 60 18th
2018 WeatherTech SportsCar Championship - GTLM Risi Competizione 2 0 0 1 0 52 17th
24 Hours of Le Mans - LMGTE Pro AF Corse 1 0 0 0 0 N/A 7th
2018-19 FIA World Endurance Championship - LMGTE Pro AF Corse 8 2 0 0 3 136.5 2nd
Asian Le Mans Series - GT CarGuy Racing 4 4 1 0 4 101 1st
2019 WeatherTech SportsCar Championship - GTLM Risi Competizione 2 1 1 0 2 67 20th
Blancpain GT Series Endurance Cup AF Corse 1 0 0 0 0 0 NC
24 Hours of Le Mans - LMGTE Pro 1 1 0 0 1 N/A 1st
Intercontinental GT Challenge Ferrari 2 0 0 0 0 0 NC
2019-20 Formula E Panasonic Jaguar Racing 9 0 0 0 0 10 19th
FIA World Endurance Championship - LMGTE Pro AF Corse 8 1 1 1 3 132 5th
2020 GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup AF Corse 3 0 0 0 0 46 6th
24 Hours of Le Mans - LMGTE Pro 1 0 0 0 1 N/A 2nd
WeatherTech SportsCar Championship - GTLM Risi Competizione 1 0 0 0 0 25 16th
Intercontinental GT Challenge Ferrari 1 0 0 0 0 12 15th
2021 FIA World Endurance Championship - LMGTE Pro AF Corse 6 3 0 0 6 177 1st
24 Hours of Le Mans - LMGTE Pro 1 1 0 0 1 N/A 1st
WeatherTech SportsCar Championship - GTLM Risi Competizione 1 0 0 1 0 308 13th

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 DC Points
2011 Lotus ART IST
FEA

27
IST
SPR

13
CAT
FEA

2
CAT
SPR

21
VAL
FEA

8
VAL
SPR

1
SIL
FEA

6
SIL
SPR

5
NÜR
FEA

4
NÜR
SPR

6
HUN
FEA

25
HUN
SPR

3
SPA
FEA

2
SPA
SPR

2
MNZ
FEA

2
MNZ
SPR

14
2nd 55

Complete GP2 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 19 20 21 22 23 24 DC Points
2012 Lotus GP SEP
FEA

8
SEP
SPR

1
BHR1
FEA

5
BHR1
SPR

3
BHR2
FEA

16
BHR2
SPR

12
CAT
FEA

2
CAT
SPR

4
MON
FEA

7
MON
SPR

Ret
VAL
FEA

8
VAL
SPR

2
SIL
FEA

Ret
SIL
SPR

20†
HOC
FEA

8
HOC
SPR

1
HUN
FEA

4
HUN
SPR

6
SPA
FEA

2
SPA
SPR

3
MNZ
FEA

12
MNZ
SPR

14
MRN
FEA

Ret
MRN
SPR

10
5th 160
2013 ART Grand Prix SEP
FEA

2
SEP
SPR

Ret
BHR
FEA

12
BHR
SPR

5
CAT
FEA

Ret
CAT
SPR

11
MON
FEA

5
MON
SPR

5
SIL
FEA

9
SIL
SPR

3
NÜR
FEA

2
NÜR
SPR

2
HUN
FEA

9
HUN
SPR

6
SPA
FEA

8
SPA
SPR

1
MNZ
FEA

6
MNZ
SPR

26
MRN
FEA

3
MRN
SPR

19
YMC
FEA

6
YMC
SPR

1
3rd 157

Complete GP2 Final results[]

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

Year Entrant 1 2 DC Points
2011 Lotus ART YMC
FEA

8
YMC
SPR

1
5th 7

Complete Formula One participations[]

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

Year Entrant Chassis Engine 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 WDC Points
2013 Sahara Force India F1 Team Force India VJM06 Mercedes FO 108Z 2.4 V8 AUS MAL CHN BHR ESP MON CAN GBR GER HUN BEL ITA
TD
SIN KOR
TD
JPN IND
TD
ABU
TD
USA BRA
TD
- -

Complete FIA World Endurance Championship results[]

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

Year Entrant Class Car Engine 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Rank Points
2014 AF Corse LMGTE Pro Ferrari 458 Italia GT2 Ferrari 4.5 L V8 SIL
5
SPA
3
LMS
WD
COA
7
FUJ
2
SHA
3
BHR
3
SÃO
3
7th 94
2015 AF Corse LMGTE Pro Ferrari 458 Italia GT2 Ferrari 4.5 L V8 SIL
3
SPA
7
LMS
2
NÜR
3
COA
3
FUJ
3
SHA
4
BHR
6
4th 123
2016 AF Corse LMGTE Pro Ferrari 488 GTE Ferrari F154CB 3.9 L Turbo V8 SIL
2
SPA
Ret
LMS
Ret
NÜR
1
MEX
2
COA
2
FUJ
3
SHA
3
BHR
2
3rd 128
2017 AF Corse LMGTE Pro Ferrari 488 GTE Ferrari F154CB 3.9 L Turbo V8 SIL
2
SPA
2
LMS
14
NÜR
1
MEX
6
COA
1
FUJ
1
SHA
3
BHR
2
1st 153
2018–19 AF Corse LMGTE Pro Ferrari 488 GTE Evo Ferrari F154CB 3.9 L Turbo V8 SPA
15
LMS
4
SIL
1
FUJ
4
SHA
5
SEB
4
SPA
2
LMS
1
2nd 136.5
2019–20 AF Corse LMGTE Pro Ferrari 488 GTE Evo Ferrari F154CB 3.9 L Turbo V8 SIL
4
FUJ
4
SHA
1
BHR
4
COA
3
SPA
4
LMS
2
BHR
12
5th 132
2021 AF Corse LMGTE Pro Ferrari 488 GTE Evo Ferrari F154CB 3.9 L Turbo V8 SPA
2
ALG
1
MNZ
2
LMS
1
BHR
3
BHR
1
1st 177

Complete 24 Hours of Le Mans results[]

Year Team Co-Drivers Car Class Laps Pos. Class
Pos.
2015 Italy AF Corse Italy Davide Rigon
Monaco Olivier Beretta
Ferrari 458 Italia GT2 GTE
Pro
332 21st 2nd
2016 Italy AF Corse Italy Gianmaria Bruni
Italy Alessandro Pier Guidi
Ferrari 488 GTE GTE
Pro
179 DNF DNF
2017 Italy AF Corse Italy Michele Rugolo
Italy Alessandro Pier Guidi
Ferrari 488 GTE GTE
Pro
312 46th 11th
2018 Italy AF Corse Brazil Daniel Serra
Italy Alessandro Pier Guidi
Ferrari 488 GTE Evo GTE
Pro
339 22nd 7th
2019 Italy AF Corse Brazil Daniel Serra
Italy Alessandro Pier Guidi
Ferrari 488 GTE Evo GTE
Pro
342 20th 1st
2020 Italy AF Corse Brazil Daniel Serra
Italy Alessandro Pier Guidi
Ferrari 488 GTE Evo GTE
Pro
346 21st 2nd
2021 Italy AF Corse France Côme Ledogar
Italy Alessandro Pier Guidi
Ferrari 488 GTE Evo GTE
Pro
345 20th 1st

Complete WeatherTech SportsCar Championship results[]

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

Year Entrant Class Make Engine 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Rank Points
2016 SMP Racing GTLM Ferrari 488 GTE Ferrari F154CB 3.9 L Turbo V8 DAY
10
SEB LBH LGA WGL MOS LRP ELK VIR COA 19th 58
Risi Competizione PET
1
2017 Risi Competizione GTLM Ferrari 488 GTE Ferrari F154CB 3.9 L Turbo V8 DAY
3
SEB
3
LBH COA WGL MOS LRP ELK VIR LGA PET 18th 60
2018 Risi Competizione GTLM Ferrari 488 GTE Ferrari F154CB 3.9 L Turbo V8 DAY
5
SEB
5
LBH MDO WGL MOS LIM ELK VIR LGA PET 17th 52
2019 Risi Competizione GTLM Ferrari 488 GTE Ferrari F154CB 3.9 L Turbo V8 DAY
2
SEB LBH MDO WGL MOS LIM ELK VIR LGA PET
1
20th 67
2020 Risi Competizione GTLM Ferrari 488 GTE Ferrari F154CB 3.9 L Turbo V8 DAY
6
DAY SEB ELK VIR ATL MDO CLT PET LGA SEB 16th 25
2021 Risi Competizione GTLM Ferrari 488 GTE Ferrari F154CB 3.9 L Turbo V8 DAY
4
SEB DET WGL WGL LIM ELK LGA LBH VIR PET 13th 308

Complete Formula E results[]

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

Year Team Chassis Powertrain 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Pos Points
2019–20 Panasonic Jaguar Racing Spark SRT05e Jaguar I-Type 4 DIR
16
DIR
7
SCL
8
MEX
DSQ
MRK
16
BER
15
BER
20
BER
Ret
BER
17
BER BER 19th 10

References[]

  1. ^ a b Anderson, Ben (14 October 2009). "Carlin signs Calado for British F3". autosport.com. Haymarket Publications. Retrieved 14 October 2009.
  2. ^ "Calado targets strong show at Brands". racingsteps.co.uk. Racing Steps Foundation. 8 March 2008. Archived from the original on 8 October 2011. Retrieved 25 October 2015.
  3. ^ "Calado charges to winter title No 2". racingsteps.co.uk. Racing Steps Foundation. 29 November 2008. Archived from the original on 7 August 2013. Retrieved 25 October 2015.
  4. ^ "Reigning Champions Join Newcomer in Formula Renault UK". Renault Sport. British Formula Renault Championship. 18 February 2009. Archived from the original on 13 February 2012. Retrieved 25 October 2015.
  5. ^ "Bucking the downturn". Autosport. Vol. 196 no. 1. 2 April 2009. pp. 106–107.
  6. ^ "Puncture deprives Calado of Eurocup win". racingsteps.co.uk. Racing Steps Foundation. 18 April 2009. Archived from the original on 7 August 2013. Retrieved 25 October 2015.
  7. ^ "Albert Costa disqualified, Nathanaël Berthon is winner". renault-sport.com. Renault Sport. 19 April 2009. Archived from the original on 13 May 2009. Retrieved 25 October 2015.
  8. ^ "Lotus ART complete 2012 line up". GP2 Series. GP2 Motorsport Limited. 25 October 2011. Retrieved 25 October 2011.
  9. ^ Arron, Simon (12 October 2011). "The top 10 GP2 drivers of 2012". autosport.com. Haymarket Publications. Retrieved 12 October 2011.
  10. ^ a b Allen, James (17 July 2013). "Young Driver Test Day One: McLaren's Magnussen tops timesheets". James Allen on F1. Retrieved 5 September 2013.
  11. ^ Galloway, James; Esler, William (2 September 2013). "Rising British star James Calado joins Force India as third driver". Sky Sports. BSkyB. Retrieved 5 September 2013.
  12. ^ Smith, Sam (6 June 2019). "Calado Tests for Jaguar". e-racing365. Retrieved 7 June 2019.
  13. ^ Smith, Topher (2 October 2019). "Calado joins Evans at Panasonic Jaguar Racing". Downforce Radio. Retrieved 3 October 2019.

External links[]

Sporting positions
Preceded by
Formula Renault UK Winter Cup
Champion

2008
Succeeded by
Preceded by
Inaugural
Formula Renault Portugal Winter Series
Champion

2008
Succeeded by
None
(Series ended)
Preceded by
Nicki Thiim
Marco Sørensen
World Endurance GT Drivers' Championship
Champion

2017
With: Alessandro Pier Guidi
Succeeded by
Preceded by
Jesse Krohn
Jun-San Chen
Asian Le Mans Series
GT Champion

2018–19
With: Kei Cozzolino & Takeshi Kimura
Succeeded by
Preceded by
Nicki Thiim
Marco Sørensen
World Endurance GT Drivers' Championship
Champion

2021
With: Alessandro Pier Guidi
Succeeded by
Incumbent
Retrieved from ""