Max Chilton facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Max Chilton
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Chilton at the 2013 Monaco Grand Prix
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| Born |
Maximilian Alexander Chilton
21 April 1991 Redhill, Surrey, England
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| Spouse(s) |
Chloe Roberts
(m. 2017) |
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| Children | 1 | ||||||
| Relatives | Tom Chilton (brother) | ||||||
| Formula One World Championship career | |||||||
| Nationality |  British |
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| Active years | 2013–2014 | ||||||
| Teams | Marussia | ||||||
| Car number | 4 | ||||||
| Entries | 35 (35 starts) | ||||||
| Championships | 0 | ||||||
| Wins | 0 | ||||||
| Podiums | 0 | ||||||
| Career points | 0 | ||||||
| Pole positions | 0 | ||||||
| Fastest laps | 0 | ||||||
| First entry | 2013 Australian Grand Prix | ||||||
| Last entry | 2014 Russian Grand Prix | ||||||
| IndyCar Series career | |||||||
| 78 races run over 6 years | |||||||
| Best finish | 11th (2017) | ||||||
| First race | 2016 Grand Prix of St. Petersburg (St. Petersburg) | ||||||
| Last race | 2021 Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach (Long Beach) | ||||||
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| Racing licence |  FIA Platinum |
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| Previous series | |||||||
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Maximilian Alexander Chilton (born 21 April 1991) is a British former racing driver. He competed in Formula One from 2013 to 2014. After that, he raced in the IndyCar Series from 2016 to 2021.
Max was born and grew up in Redhill, Surrey, England. His older brother, Tom Chilton, is also a racing driver. Max competed in the GP2 Series before joining Formula One. He also holds a special record at the Goodwood Festival of Speed. In 2022, he set the hillclimb record in the McMurtry Spéirling car.
Max's Early Life and Family
Max Chilton was born in Redhill, Surrey and grew up in Reigate. His father, Grahame Chilton, was a successful businessman. He co-owned an insurance company called Benfield Group. Max went to Ardingly College from 2000 to 2008. His brother, Tom, also became a racing driver.
Max's Racing Journey
Starting in Karting
Max Chilton began his racing career when he was 10 years old. He spent two years learning how to race karts. Then, he moved up to junior TKM karting. He started to become well-known in J.I.C.A. races, often finishing on the podium. At 14, he decided to focus on car racing. During this time, Max raced in the Super 1 National Kart Championships.
Racing in T Cars
In 2005, while still karting, Max also raced in the T Cars championship. This series was for drivers aged 14 to 17. In his first season, he finished eighth. He then came in third in the Autumn Trophy. Max continued in T Cars in 2006. He finished second overall, just three points behind the winner. He won seven races that year.
Moving to Formula Three
Max started racing in the 2007 British Formula 3 season. He joined Arena International Motorsport. He was just under 16, but got special permission to race. His best finish was eleventh place.
In 2008, Max moved to Hitech Racing. He improved and finished tenth in the championship. He earned pole positions at Monza and Rockingham. He also achieved two podium finishes, coming second at Oulton Park and third at Rockingham. For the 2009 British Formula 3 season, he joined Carlin Motorsport. He took three pole positions early in the season. He won two races, one in Portugal and his final Formula Three race at Brands Hatch.
Stepping Up to GP2 Series
Max then moved to the GP2 Asia Series for the 2009–10 season. He drove for Barwa Addax. After that, he joined Ocean Racing Technology for the 2010 GP2 Series season. His highest finish was fifth place.
In 2011, Max joined his father's team, Carlin Motorsport, for their first time in GP2. He finished 22nd in the Asia series and 20th in the main series. He stayed with Carlin for the 2012 GP2 Series season. This time, the Marussia F1 team supported him. He got his first podium finish in the first race in Malaysia. Later, he achieved his first pole position and race win in Hungary. Max finished fourth in the drivers' championship that year.
Racing in Formula One
Testing with Force India
In November 2011, Max Chilton got to drive for the Force India team. This was during a Young Driver test in Abu Dhabi. It was his second time driving a Formula One car. He had done an aerodynamic test for the team earlier that year.
Joining Marussia
Max became a testing and reserve driver for Marussia F1 in the second half of the 2012 Formula One season. He started this role at the Japanese Grand Prix. He also took part in a practice session for Marussia at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
In December 2012, it was announced that Max would race full-time for Marussia in the 2013 Formula One season. He qualified 20th in his first race in Australia. His best finish that season was 14th place at the 2013 Monaco Grand Prix. He also had his best qualifying result, 16th, at the 2013 Belgian Grand Prix.
Max Chilton holds a special record: he is the only driver to finish every race in his first Formula One season.
On January 11, 2014, Marussia F1 announced that Max would continue to race for them in the 2014 Formula One season. He achieved his best finish of 13th place at the Australian Grand Prix that year. He finished 13th again in Bahrain.
Max had finished every Formula One race he started until the 2014 Canadian Grand Prix. This meant he had completed 25 races in a row. This was a record for the most classified finishes in a rookie season. His race in Canada ended when he crashed with his teammate, Jules Bianchi. Max's season ended early because Marussia F1 faced financial problems and closed down. This meant he missed the last three races of 2014 and did not have a seat for 2015.
Competing in IndyCar
Indy Lights
Without a Formula One seat for 2015, Max returned to Carlin Motorsport. He helped them with their Indy Lights efforts. He planned to move to a full IndyCar Series drive in 2016. Max dedicated his first Indy Lights pole position and race win to his former Formula One teammate and karting friend, Jules Bianchi, who had passed away that same weekend.
Chip Ganassi Racing (2016–2017)
On February 1, 2016, Max Chilton joined Chip Ganassi Racing to compete in the IndyCar Series.
In the 2017 Indianapolis 500, Max led a lot of the race, leading 47 of the last 72 laps. He finished in fourth place. He led the most laps overall in that race, with 50 laps led.
Carlin (2018–2021)
On December 13, 2017, it was announced that Max would race for Carlin Motorsport in the 2018 IndyCar Series.
In June 2019, Max decided he would no longer race on oval tracks, except for the Indy 500. Another driver, Conor Daly, took over the remaining oval races for Carlin.
In February 2022, Max announced that he was retiring from IndyCar racing. He wanted to focus on other types of racing, like the Le Mans Endurance Race.
World Endurance Championship
Racing for Nissan (2015)
Max Chilton joined Nissan Motorsports to compete in the 2015 FIA World Endurance Championship season in 2015. He raced in the 24 Hours of Le Mans for the team. However, his car had a suspension problem and had to stop after 234 laps.
Images for kids
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Chilton at the 2013 Monaco Grand Prix
See also
In Spanish: Max Chilton para niños
