Adrian Sutil facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Adrian Sutil
Sutil at the 2011 Italian Grand Prix
Born	(1983-01-11) 11 January 1983 (age 42) Starnberg, Bavaria, West Germany
Formula One World Championship career
Nationality	German
Active years	2007–2011, 2013–2014
Teams	Spyker, Force India, Sauber
Car number	99
Entries	128 (128 starts)
Championships	0
Wins	0
Podiums	0
Career points	124
Pole positions	0
Fastest laps	1
First entry	2007 Australian Grand Prix
Last entry	2014 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix
Previous series
2022–2023 2006 2005–2006 2004–2005 2003 2002	Ferrari Challenge Europe Japanese F3 A1 Grand Prix F3 Euro Series Formula BMW ADAC Swiss Formula Ford
Championship titles
2006 2002	Japanese F3 Swiss Formula Ford

Adrian Sutil (born 11 January 1983) is a German racing driver. He competed in Formula One from 2007 to 2014.

Adrian was born and grew up in Starnberg, Germany. He started karting when he was 14 years old. In 2002, he began racing in single-seater cars. He won the Swiss Formula Ford series that year.

He then moved up to other racing series like Formula Masters Austria and Formula BMW ADAC. In 2005, he was the runner-up to Lewis Hamilton in the Formula 3 Euroseries. In 2006, Adrian went to Japan. There, he won the All-Japan Formula Three Championship. He also finished third in the Macau Grand Prix.

Adrian Sutil joined the Midland F1 test team. Later, he became a full-time driver for the new Spyker F1 team in 2007. He continued racing with the team when it became Force India in 2008. He stayed with Force India until 2011. Adrian returned to Formula One in 2013 with Force India again. In 2014, he raced for the Sauber team. Adrian holds the record for the most career starts without getting on the podium (128 races).

Adrian Sutil's Racing Journey

Early Racing Days

Adrian Sutil began his racing career in karting at age 14. In 2002, he moved to the Swiss Formula Ford 1800 series. He was incredibly successful, winning all ten races from the very front of the grid, known as pole. He also won five races in the Formula Masters Austria championship.

Climbing the Ranks in Formula Racing

In 2003, Adrian moved up to the Formula BMW ADAC championship. He finished sixth overall in the series. The next year, he joined the Formula 3 Euroseries with Colin Kolles' team. Even though he only scored points twice, this connection with Kolles would help him later.

Adrian stayed with the ASM team for the 2005 season. His teammate was the British driver Lewis Hamilton. Hamilton won more races, but Adrian was a strong competitor. He finished second to Hamilton in the championship. He also came second at the Marlboro Masters of Formula Three race.

Adrian missed the last two races of the 2005 Euroseries. This was because he joined A1 Team Germany for the first-ever A1 Grand Prix series. He raced in three events: Portugal, Australia, and Dubai. His best result was two twelfth-place finishes.

In 2006, he raced in Japan. He won the All-Japan Formula Three Championship. He had a very strong season. He also finished third in the Macau Formula Three Grand Prix. Adrian also made one appearance in Japanese Super GT racing.

Reaching Formula One

Starting with Midland F1

Sutil testing for Midland F1 Racing in February 2006

In 2006, Adrian Sutil entered the world of Formula One. In January, he became one of the three test drivers for the new Midland F1 Racing team. This opportunity came thanks to his connection with Colin Kolles, who was running the team.

Adrian drove for the team as the third driver in several Grand Prix events. These included the European, French, and Japanese Grands Prix. By the time of his third appearance, the team had been bought by Spyker Cars. At the end of 2006, he was promoted to a full-time race driver for the 2007 season. He signed a multi-year contract with the Spyker MF1 Team.

Driving for Spyker F1

Sutil driving a Spyker F8-VII at the 2007 French Grand Prix

During 2007, Adrian was faster than his teammate, Christijan Albers, in both qualifying and races. Albers was later replaced by Markus Winkelhock. Adrian also out-qualified Winkelhock. Later, Japanese driver Sakon Yamamoto took over the second team seat. Adrian performed better than Yamamoto in the races.

In the Hungarian Grand Prix, Adrian was the first Spyker driver to finish ahead of another classified car. This was Rubens Barrichello from Honda.

For the Turkish Grand Prix, Spyker was supposed to have an upgraded car. However, it failed a safety test. Adrian had to use the older car. He started from the pits due to fuel problems and finished five laps behind. At Monza, the upgraded car was used, but the Spykers were still not very competitive. Adrian finished 19th.

Sutil driving for Spyker at the 2007 Belgian Grand Prix

At the Belgian Grand Prix, the new car showed its strengths. Both Adrian and Yamamoto set good times in practice. Adrian qualified only half a second behind Vitantonio Liuzzi. In the race, Adrian passed several cars. He ran as high as 12th place before finishing 14th. His efforts were highly praised by his team and the media.

Two weeks later, in the rain at Fuji Speedway in Japan, Adrian almost scored Spyker's first point. He was briefly in 8th place on the second-to-last lap. However, Vitantonio Liuzzi passed him. Adrian finished 9th. After the race, Liuzzi received a penalty for overtaking under yellow flags. This moved Adrian up to 8th place, earning Spyker their first point.

Sutil driving Spyker F8-VII B at the 2007 Brazilian Grand Prix, Spyker's last race

Spyker was not competitive in the final two races of the year. Adrian did not finish either of them. Many people praised his performances in the 2007 Formula One Championship. Even though he drove the least competitive car, Adrian impressed everyone. He was faster than his teammates and challenged drivers with much better cars.

Time with Force India

2008 Season

Sutil driving for Force India at the 2008 Canadian Grand Prix

Adrian continued with the team in 2008. The team was now called Force India. He had considered driving for McLaren or Williams, but stayed. The first two races of the season ended early for him due to car problems.

In the Monaco Grand Prix, Adrian was running in a strong fourth place. With only six laps left, Kimi Räikkönen hit him from behind. Räikkönen lost control of his car while braking. Adrian's car was damaged, and he had to stop racing. Force India announced on October 17 that Adrian would stay for the 2009 season.

2009 Season

Adrian and the Force India team were hopeful for points in 2009. In Australia, Adrian started 16th and finished 9th, just outside the points. In Malaysia, he qualified 19th and finished 15th in a rain-shortened race.

Sutil driving for Force India at the 2009 Turkish Grand Prix

In China, Adrian was in 6th place with six laps left. But he lost control of his Force India car due to water on the track. He crashed and had to retire. In Bahrain, he was penalized for blocking Mark Webber during qualifying. Adrian personally apologized to Mark for the incident.

In Spain, Adrian went off the track at the first corner. When he rejoined, he hit Jarno Trulli's Toyota. Both drivers had to retire. This also caused two other cars to crash. In Monaco, Adrian finished 14th, and in Turkey, he finished 17th.

Sutil leading Fernando Alonso at the 2009 British Grand Prix

In qualifying for the British Grand Prix, Adrian went off the track due to brake failure. He had to start from the pit lane because his car was damaged. He finished 17th in the race.

Sutil at the 2009 German Grand Prix

In Germany, Adrian qualified a career-best seventh. In the race, he was in second place for a while. However, a collision with Kimi Räikkönen after a pit stop meant he needed a new front wing. He finished 15th. This was the second time a collision with Räikkönen cost Adrian a chance to score points.

In Hungary, he had to retire early due to an engine problem. In Valencia, new car upgrades helped him qualify 12th. He finished 10th, showing the team was becoming more competitive.

In Belgium, he qualified 11th. His teammate, Giancarlo Fisichella, achieved an amazing pole position. Adrian finished 11th.

Sutil at the 2009 Italian Grand Prix

At the Italian Grand Prix, Adrian achieved his best-ever qualifying result, starting second. He finished fourth in the race. He also set the fastest lap of the race, his first in Formula One. This fourth-place finish was the best of his F1 career.

In Singapore, Adrian had to retire after colliding with Nick Heidfeld. He was later penalized for causing the accident.

Sutil during practice for the 2009 Japanese Grand Prix

In Japan, Adrian qualified fourth, his second-best result. However, he received a penalty for not slowing down under yellow flags. He started the race from eighth and finished 13th.

In the wet qualifying session in Brazil, Adrian qualified third. But he retired on the first lap after a collision with Jarno Trulli. Trulli blamed Adrian for the accident. The stewards did not penalize Adrian.

In Abu Dhabi, Adrian was not as fast as usual. He qualified 18th and finished 17th.

2010 Season

Sutil driving for Force India at the 2010 Canadian Grand Prix

Adrian renewed his contract with Force India. His new teammate was Vitantonio Liuzzi. Adrian qualified tenth for the first two races. However, a collision in Bahrain and a car problem in Australia meant he didn't score points. He then finished fifth in Malaysia, showing the team could score points in dry races. He finished 11th in China. He scored points in Spain (7th), Monaco (8th), Turkey (9th), Canada (10th), Europe (6th), and Britain (8th).

2011 Season

Sutil at the 2011 Malaysian Grand Prix

Adrian stayed with Force India for 2011. His new teammate was Paul di Resta. Adrian finished ninth in Australia. He finished eleventh in Malaysia and qualified eleventh in China. In Monaco, he had his best result of the season, finishing seventh. He retired in Canada after hitting a wall.

He finished ninth in Valencia and eleventh in Britain. At his home race in Germany, Adrian achieved a season-best sixth place. He used a different strategy, making fewer pit stops than his rivals.

Despite qualifying in the top ten in Hungary, Adrian finished 14th. He then scored points again in Belgium, finishing seventh. He retired at Monza due to a car problem. He finished eighth in Singapore, holding off Felipe Massa. In Japan, Adrian ran in the top ten but finished eleventh. Another eleventh place followed in Korea. He finished ninth in the first-ever race in India. At the final race in Brazil, Adrian matched his best finish of the season with sixth place. This moved him to ninth in the final championship standings.

2013 Season

Sutil at the 2013 Malaysian Grand Prix

On February 28, 2013, Force India announced that Adrian would return to the team. He would race alongside Paul di Resta. He finished seventh at the first race in Australia. He impressed everyone by leading for several laps during the race.

In Malaysia, he retired due to problems with a new wheel nut system. He also retired from the Chinese Grand Prix after being hit by Esteban Gutiérrez. After two races without points, he performed well at the Monaco Grand Prix. He overtook world champions Fernando Alonso and Jenson Button to finish fifth.

Racing for Sauber

Sutil at the 2014 Singapore Grand Prix

On December 13, 2013, it was announced that Adrian would join Sauber for 2014. For the first six races, Adrian struggled with a car that was not very fast. He also made some mistakes that cost him chances to score points. At the Japanese Grand Prix, Adrian's car spun off the track. Double yellow flags were waved. The next lap, Jules Bianchi crashed into a recovery vehicle. Adrian ended up with the most retirements (DNFs) of the season.

In November 2014, it was announced that he would not be racing in the 2015 Formula One season.

Joining Williams as a Reserve Driver

Adrian Sutil joined Williams as a reserve driver before the 2015 Malaysian Grand Prix. He was chosen after Williams driver Valtteri Bottas was injured. The team wanted an experienced driver to step in if Bottas or Felipe Massa couldn't race. This would help them earn as many points as possible for the team championship.

Racing Record

Career Summary

Complete Formula BMW ADAC Results

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

Complete Formula Three Euroseries Results

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

Complete A1 Grand Prix Results

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

Complete All-Japan Formula Three Results

(key)

Complete Formula One Results

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

^† Driver failed to finish the race, but was classified as they had completed >90% of the race distance.

Personal Life

Adrian Sutil was born in Starnberg, West Germany. His parents, Monika and Jorge, are both professional musicians. His mother is German, and his father is Uruguayan. Adrian has two brothers, Daniel and Raphael. He is a talented pianist. Adrian speaks German, English, and Spanish fluently, and a little Italian.

Car Collection

Adrian Sutil is known for collecting many special and expensive cars. He has one of the largest car collections among Formula 1 drivers, both past and present.

Some of the cars in Adrian's collection include:

• Koenigsegg Agera S
• Koenigsegg CCXR
• Koenigsegg One:1
• Koenigsegg Jesko Absolut
• Koenigsegg Regera
• Pagani Huayra BC
• Pagani Zonda Viola
• Ferrari 488 Pista Spider
• Ferrari Enzo
• Ferrari LaFerrari Aperta
• Ferrari Monza SP1
• Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Centenaire (1 of 4)
• Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport "Soleil de Nuit"
• Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport Vitesse Rembrandt Edition (1 of 3)
• Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport Vitesse Black Bess (1 of 3)
• Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Super Sport
• Bugatti Chiron Sport 110 Ans
• Bugatti Chiron Pur Sport "Green Rhapsody"
• Mercedes Benz SLR McLaren Stirling Moss
• McLaren Senna LM

McLaren Senna LM Incident

On July 30, 2020, Adrian Sutil was involved in an incident in Monaco. He lost control of his McLaren Senna LM and crashed into an electricity pylon. His Senna, which is one of only 35 ever made, was heavily damaged. The front parts of the car were detached, and the windshield was shattered. Adrian was not hurt in the incident. Instead of being scrapped, his McLaren Senna LM was rebuilt. The repair process took over two years and was completed in late December 2022.

See also

In Spanish: Adrian Sutil para niños