Jérôme d'Ambrosio facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Jérôme d'Ambrosio
D'Ambrosio at the 2022 Berlin ePrix
Born	(1985-12-27) 27 December 1985 (age 39) Etterbeek, Brussels, Belgium
Education	St. John's International School
Occupation	Motorsport executive racing driver
Employer	Formula E Venturi (2020–2022) Formula One Mercedes (2023–2024) Ferrari (2024–present)
Title	Deputy Team Principal Head of the Ferrari Driver Academy
Spouse(s)	Natalie Sifferman ​ ​ (m. 2013; div. 2015)​ Eleonore von Habsburg ​ (m. 2020)​
Children	2
Family	House of Habsburg-Lorraine (jure uxoris)
Formula One World Championship career
Nationality	Belgian
Active years	2011–2012
Teams	Virgin, Lotus
Entries	20 (20 starts)
Championships	0
Wins	0
Podiums	0
Career points	0
Pole positions	0
Fastest laps	0
First entry	2011 Australian Grand Prix
Last entry	2012 Italian Grand Prix
Formula E career
Years active	2014–2020
Teams	Dragon, Mahindra
Car no.	7 (2014–2018) 64 (2018–2020)
Starts	68
Championships	0
Wins	3
Podiums	9
Poles	2
Fastest laps	3
Best finish	4th in 2014–15
Previous series
2014 2008–2010 2008–2009 2007 2006 2006 2005 2004–2005 2004 2003 2003	Blancpain Endurance Series GP2 Series GP2 Asia Series International Formula Master Formula Renault 3.5 Euroseries 3000 Italian Formula Renault Formula Renault Eurocup French Formula Renault Formula König Belgian Formula Renault
Championship titles
2007 2003	International Formula Master Belgian Formula Renault

Jérôme d'Ambrosio (born 27 December 1985) is a Belgian former racing driver and a leader in motorsport. He raced in Formula One in 2011 and 2012. Since October 2024, Jérôme has been a top manager for Ferrari in Formula One. He is the Deputy Team Principal and also leads the Ferrari Driver Academy.

Jérôme grew up in Brussels, Belgium. He started kart racing at age 13. Three years later, he won the Karting World Cup. In 2003, he began racing in junior series and won his first title in Belgian Formula Renault. He later won the International Formula Master championship in 2007.

He raced for teams like Marussia Virgin Racing and Lotus F1 in Formula One. From 2014 to 2020, he competed in Formula E, winning three races. He also used to be the Team Principal for Venturi Racing in Formula E.

Early Racing Days

Jérôme d'Ambrosio was born on 27 December 1985 in Etterbeek, Brussels, Belgium. His parents are Henri and Giselle d'Ambrosio.

Karting Success (1999–2002)

Jérôme started his racing journey in karting in 1999. By 2002, he was a three-time Belgian champion. He won the Mini class in 1999, the Junior class in 2000, and Formula A in 2002. He also won the Junior Monaco Kart Cup in 2000. In 2002, he became the World Cup Formula A champion.

Climbing the Ranks (2003–2007)

In 2003, Jérôme moved to single-seater racing cars. He won the Belgian Formula Renault championship with five wins. He also finished fourth in the German Formula König series.

In 2004, Jérôme joined the Renault F1 Driver Development Programme. He raced in the French Formula Renault 2.0 series, finishing fourth. He also competed in the Formula Renault 2.0 Eurocup. In 2005, he raced in Italian Formula Renault, finishing third in the Winter Series. He also took fourth place overall in the regular season.

In 2006, Jérôme moved up to the Formula Renault 3.5 Series. He later switched to Euroseries 3000, finishing fifth overall. In 2007, he won the first-ever International Formula Master series. He had five wins and 11 podiums in 16 races.

GP2 Series Racing (2008–2010)

D'Ambrosio driving for DAMS at the Turkish round of the 2009 GP2 Series season.

D'Ambrosio driving for Virgin Racing as the team's third driver at the 2010 Japanese Grand Prix.

Jérôme joined the GP2 Series in 2008, which is a stepping stone to Formula One. He raced for the DAMS team. He finished 11th in both the main GP2 series and the GP2 Asia Series. He earned two podium finishes in each series.

In 2009, he was the runner-up in the 2008–09 GP2 Asia Series. He had four podiums that season. He started the 2009 GP2 Series well with three podiums in the first four races. He finished ninth in the final standings.

In 2010, Jérôme had a great season with DAMS. He won his first GP2 race in Monaco. He also got his first pole position at his home race in Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps. He finished 12th in the standings that year.

Formula One Career (2010–2013)

In January 2010, Jérôme became the Reserve Driver for the Renault F1 Team. Later that year, he made his Formula One weekend debut. He took part in four practice sessions with Virgin Racing.

Racing for Virgin (2011)

D'Ambrosio at the 2011 Spanish Grand Prix.

On 21 December 2010, it was announced that Jérôme would race for Virgin Racing in the 2011 Formula One World Championship. He partnered with driver Timo Glock. In the Virgin garage, he was known as "Custard."

D'Ambrosio at the 2011 Malaysian Grand Prix

He drove the Virgin MVR-02, which was not a very fast car. He finished 16 out of 19 races that season. He had to retire from some races due to car problems. Jérôme was the first Belgian driver to race at the 2011 Belgian Grand Prix since 1993. He finished 17th in that race, beating his teammate Glock. He ended the season 24th in the Drivers' Championship. His best finishes were 14th place in Australia and Canada. He was replaced for the 2012 season.

Joining Lotus (2012–2013)

On 24 January 2012, Jérôme became the official Reserve Driver for Lotus F1. He supported the main drivers, Kimi Räikkönen and Romain Grosjean. He also worked as a co-commentator for Formula One practice sessions.

Jérôme raced for Lotus at the 2012 Italian Grand Prix. He replaced Romain Grosjean, who was banned for one race. Jérôme qualified 16th and finished 13th in the race. He continued as Lotus F1's Reserve Driver until the end of 2013.

GT Racing (2014)

In 2014, Jérôme moved from single-seater cars to GT racing. He joined Bentley to race a Continental GT3 in the Blancpain Endurance Series. His best result was a sixth-place finish at Monza.

Formula E Career (2014–2020)

Jérôme joined Dragon Racing for the first season of the FIA Formula E Championship in 2014.

Dragon Racing Years

First Season (2014–15)

D'Ambrosio at the 2014 Punta del Este ePrix

Jérôme scored points in his first Formula E race, finishing sixth. He won his first race in the series at the 2015 Berlin ePrix. He finished fourth in the Drivers' Championship with 113 points. He was the only driver to finish every race that season. Dragon Racing finished second in the Teams' Championship.

Second Season (2015–16)

D'Ambrosio finished third at the 2015 Punta del Este ePrix

Jérôme stayed with Dragon Racing for the 2015–16 Formula E Championship. He got his first pole position in the series at the 2015 Punta del Este ePrix, finishing third. He won his second race at the 2016 Mexico City ePrix. He finished fifth in the Drivers' Championship with 83 points.

Third Season (2016–17)

He continued with Dragon Racing in the 2016–17 Formula E Championship. His best finish was seventh place in Hong Kong. He scored points in a few other races. He finished 18th in the Drivers' Championship.

Fourth Season (2017–18)

Jérôme raced for Dragon Racing for a fourth season. He scored his first points of the season in Santiago, finishing eighth. He returned to the podium in Zürich, finishing third. This was his best result of the season. He finished 14th in the Drivers' Championship.

Mahindra Racing Years

On 13 October 2018, Jérôme moved to Mahindra Racing for the 2018–19 Formula E Championship.

First Season (2018–19)

Jérôme finished third in the first race of the season in Diriyah. He then won his third Formula E race at the 2019 Marrakesh ePrix. He led the Drivers' Championship halfway through the season. He finished 11th in the Drivers' Championship with 67 points.

Second Season (2019–2020)

Jérôme continued with Mahindra Racing for the 2019–20 Formula E Championship. He scored points in the first race in Diriyah. His best finish was fifth in Berlin. He finished 16th in the Drivers' Championship. At the end of the season, Jérôme announced he was retiring from professional racing.

Other Appearances

Jérôme appeared in the first episode of the Amazon car show "The Grand Tour". He was a test driver, setting lap times for supercars like the LaFerrari and McLaren P1.

Management Career

Formula E Management

Venturi Racing (2020–2022)

On 30 October 2020, Jérôme joined ROKiT Venturi Racing as Deputy Team Principal. This was his first step into managing a racing team. In November 2021, he became the Team Principal.

Under Jérôme's leadership, ROKiT Venturi Racing had its most successful season ever in 2021–22. The team won five races and got 10 podiums. They finished second in the World Teams' Championship. On 16 September 2022, Jérôme left the team.

Formula One Management (2023–Present)

Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team (2023–2024)

Jérôme worked closely with Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team boss Toto Wolff in 2023. He officially became the Driver Development Director for the team. He managed all of Mercedes' young drivers. He also filled in for Toto Wolff at some races in 2023.

Scuderia Ferrari (2024–Present)

Scuderia Ferrari announced in May 2024 that Jérôme would join their team on 1 October 2024. He is now the Deputy Team Principal and Head of the Ferrari Driver Academy. This program helps develop young racing drivers.

Personal Life

In 2013, Jérôme married Natalie Sifferman. They divorced after two years. In 2020, Jérôme married Austrian jewellery designer Eleonore von Habsburg in Monaco. Their son, Otto, was born on 20 October 2021. In 2024, their daughter, Zita, was born.

Racing Record

Career Summary

^† As d'Ambrosio was a guest driver, he was ineligible for points.

Images for kids

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  D'Ambrosio at the 2022 Berlin ePrix

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  D'Ambrosio driving for DAMS at the Turkish round of the 2009 GP2 Series season.

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  D'Ambrosio driving for Virgin Racing as the team's third driver at the 2010 Japanese Grand Prix.

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  D'Ambrosio at the 2011 Spanish Grand Prix.

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  D'Ambrosio at the 2011 Malaysian Grand Prix

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  D'Ambrosio at the 2014 Punta del Este ePrix

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  D'Ambrosio finished third at the 2015 Punta del Este ePrix

See also

In Spanish: Jérôme D'Ambrosio para niños