Ricardo Zonta facts for kids
Zonta in 2007, as a Stock Car Brasil driver
|
|||||||||||
| Born | Ricardo Luiz Zonta 23 March 1976 Curitiba, Paraná, Brazil |
||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Formula One World Championship career | |||||||||||
| Nationality |  Brazilian |
||||||||||
| Active years | 1999–2001, 2004–2005 | ||||||||||
| Teams | BAR, Jordan, Toyota | ||||||||||
| Entries | 38 (36 starts) | ||||||||||
| Championships | 0 | ||||||||||
| Wins | 0 | ||||||||||
| Podiums | 0 | ||||||||||
| Career points | 3 | ||||||||||
| Pole positions | 0 | ||||||||||
| Fastest laps | 0 | ||||||||||
| First entry | 1999 Australian Grand Prix | ||||||||||
| Last entry | 2005 United States Grand Prix | ||||||||||
|
|||||||||||
Ricardo Luiz Zonta (born March 23, 1976) is a Brazilian professional racing driver. He is known for competing in various types of car races. Currently, he races full-time in the Brazilian Stock Car Pro Series. He drives the No. 10 Toyota Corolla E210 for RCM Motorsport.
Contents
Ricardo Zonta's Early Racing Days
Ricardo Zonta was born in Curitiba, Brazil. He started racing go-karts in 1987. He won his first race very soon after starting. The next year, he was second in the Curitiba Karting Championship. In 1991, he won that championship.
He kept racing karts until 1992. Then, he moved on to "single-seaters" in 1993. These are race cars with open wheels and one seat. He finished sixth in the Brazilian Formula Chevrolet Championship. In 1994, he came fifth in the Brazilian Formula Three Championship. A year later, Zonta won both the Brazilian and South American Formula Three Championships.
In 1996, Zonta moved to Europe. He raced in the International Formula 3000 Championship. He won two races and finished fourth overall. In the same year, he was the first Brazilian to race in International Touring Cars with Mercedes. In 1997, he won three races and the Formula 3000 championship. He also received the "Golden Helmet" award for being the best international driver. The Jordan Formula One team then hired him as a test driver. In 1998, he tested with the McLaren Formula One team. He also won the FIA GT Championship (GT1 class) and another "Golden Helmet" award.
In October 1998, after winning the FIA GT championship, Zonta joined the B.A.R. Formula One team. He became one of their main drivers for the 1999 season. He had turned down offers from other teams like Jordan and Sauber.
Ricardo Zonta's Formula One Career
_qualifying_at_USGP_2005.jpg)
In 1999, Zonta started his Formula One journey. He raced for the new team BAR alongside Jacques Villeneuve. During practice for the Brazilian Grand Prix, he hurt his foot. This meant he had to miss three races. He also had a big crash at Spa-Francorchamps. He finished the season without scoring any championship points.
Zonta stayed with BAR for the 2000 season. He scored his first world championship point by finishing sixth in the first race. He had another big crash when his car's front suspension broke during testing. But he kept racing and scored more points. He finished 14th in the championship that year.
For the 2001 season, Olivier Panis took Zonta's place. Zonta then became a "third driver" for the Jordan team. A third driver often helps test cars and can fill in if a main driver is injured. He raced for Jordan twice that year when their main driver was out.
In 2002, Zonta decided to focus on the Telefónica World Series, which he won. After that, the Toyota F1 team hired him as a test driver in 2003 and 2004. Towards the end of 2004, he got to race in four Grands Prix. In Belgium, he was doing very well, running in fourth place. But his engine failed just three laps from the end. He raced in his home country, Brazil, finishing 13th.
He continued as a test driver for Toyota in 2005. At the US Grand Prix that year, he filled in for an injured Ralf Schumacher. However, Toyota and six other teams using Michelin tires pulled out of the race. They did this because of safety worries about their tires. Zonta remained a test driver for Toyota in 2006. In 2007, he became a test driver for the Renault Formula One team.
After Formula One Racing
In 2007, Zonta started racing in the Stock Car Brasil series. He did this while still working for the Renault team. In 2008, he raced in the famous 24 Hours of Le Mans with Peugeot Sport. He finished third in that tough endurance race.
Today, he also races in the Grand Am Championship in America with Krohn Racing. He is also the owner and a driver for RZ Motorsport in Stock Car Brasil.
Personal Life
Ricardo Zonta has relatives who are also racing drivers. His relatives Billy and Brendon also race cars. Billy used to compete in the Sprint Race series. He had to stop racing in 2016 due to illness. Brendon is still active in the NASCAR Brasil Sprint Race series. He drives the No. 7 Ford Mustang in the AM class.
Images for kids
-
Zonta in 2007, as a Stock Car Brasil driver
-
Zonta qualifying in place of an injured Ralf Schumacher at the 2005 United States Grand Prix.
See also
In Spanish: Ricardo Zonta para niños
