Pedro Lamy facts for kids
Lamy at the 2011 24 Hours of Le Mans driver parade
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| Born | José Pedro Mourão Lamy Viçoso 20 March 1972 Aldeia Galega da Merceana, Alenquer, Portugal |
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| Formula One World Championship career | |||||||||||
| Nationality |  Portuguese |
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| Active years | 1993–1996 | ||||||||||
| Teams | Lotus, Minardi | ||||||||||
| Entries | 32 | ||||||||||
| Championships | 0 | ||||||||||
| Wins | 0 | ||||||||||
| Career points | 1 | ||||||||||
| Pole positions | 0 | ||||||||||
| Fastest laps | 0 | ||||||||||
| First entry | 1993 Italian Grand Prix | ||||||||||
| Last entry | 1996 Japanese Grand Prix | ||||||||||
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Pedro Lamy (born March 20, 1972) is a famous former race car driver from Portugal. He made history as the very first Portuguese driver to earn a point in a Formula One race. This exciting moment happened at the 1995 Australian Grand Prix while he was driving for the Minardi team.
Contents
Pedro Lamy's Racing Journey
Starting in Karting
Pedro Lamy was born in Aldeia Galega da Merceana, a town in Alenquer, Portugal. He started his racing journey in karting, which is a great way for young drivers to learn. In 1989, when he was just 17, he won the Portuguese Formula Ford Championship in his very first year.
Pedro then moved on to Formula Opel Lotus racing. With the help of his manager, Domingos Piedade, he won that championship in 1991, showing he was a fast learner.
Racing in Germany
In 1992, Pedro went to Germany to compete in the German Formula Three series. He joined Willi Weber's team and proved to be a top driver. He won the championship that year, beating another talented driver named Marco Werner.
Pedro also won the Marlboro Masters race in Zandvoort and finished second in the Macau Grand Prix. In 1993, he raced in Formula 3000 for Crypton Engineering. He finished second in the series, just one point behind the champion, Olivier Panis. Pedro even won a race at Pau, a very tricky street course.
Formula One Adventures
Joining Lotus (1993–1994)
In 1993, Pedro Lamy got his big chance to race in Formula One, the highest level of motorsport. He joined the Lotus team for the last four races of the season, filling in for an injured driver. He didn't score any points that year, but his talent was clear.
Lotus signed him for the full 1994 season. However, after just four races, Pedro had a very serious crash during a test at Silverstone. He broke both his legs and wrists, which meant he couldn't race for over a year.
Driving for Minardi (1995–1996)
After a lot of hard work and physical therapy, Pedro was ready to race again. In the second half of the 1995 season, he joined the Minardi team. He replaced another driver and quickly made an impact.
At the 1995 Australian Grand Prix in Adelaide, Pedro scored the team's only point of the season. This was a big deal, even though he had a spectacular spin during the race! He stayed with Minardi for 1996, but the team didn't have many resources to improve their car. After 32 Grand Prix races, Pedro finished his Formula One career.
Sports Car Racing Success
After Formula One, Pedro Lamy moved into Sports car racing. He quickly found success. In 1998, he won the GT2 class in the FIA GT Championship with an Oreca Chrysler Viper GTS-R.
He also raced in the famous Le Mans 24 Hours race and the DTM series for Mercedes-Benz. Later, he joined the Zakspeed team and won the challenging 24 Hours Nürburgring race two years in a row (2001 and 2002). He also won the V8Star Series championship in 2003.
In 2004, Pedro won the 24 Hours Nürburgring again with BMW Motorsport. He also won the GTS class in the Le Mans Endurance Series with a Larbre Compétition Ferrari 550 Maranello. In 2005, he became an Aston Martin factory driver, racing in the Sebring 12 Hours and Le Mans. He won the Nürburgring 24 Hours for a fourth time that year.
In 2007, Pedro became a factory driver for Peugeot in the Le Mans Series, driving their powerful diesel-powered prototype car. He became the LMP1 champion in his first season with them.
In 2010, driving for BMW Motorsport, Pedro won the 24 Hours Nürburgring for the fifth time! This tied him with Marcel Tiemann for the most wins ever in that race. In 2012, he won his class at the 24 Hours of Le Mans with Larbre Competition.
As of 2025, Pedro Lamy is a commissioner for the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA), which is the governing body for many motorsport events around the world.
Images for kids
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Lamy at the 2011 24 Hours of Le Mans driver parade
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Pedro Lamy during free practice of the 1996 San Marino Grand Prix while racing for Minardi.
See also
In Spanish: Pedro Lamy para niños
