Tarso Marques facts for kids
Marques in 2007, as a Stock Car Brasil driver
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| Born | 19 January 1976 Curitiba, Brazil |
|---|---|
| Formula One World Championship career | |
| Nationality |  Brazilian |
| Active years | 1996–1997, 2001 |
| Teams | Minardi |
| Entries | 26 (24 starts) |
| Championships | 0 |
| Wins | 0 |
| Podiums | 0 |
| Career points | 0 |
| Pole positions | 0 |
| Fastest laps | 0 |
| First entry | 1996 Brazilian Grand Prix |
| Last entry | 2001 Belgian Grand Prix |
Tarso Anibal Santanna Marques (born on January 19, 1976) is a racing driver from Brazil. He competed in 24 Formula One Grand Prix races, all for the Minardi team. Even though he raced in three different seasons, he never scored any championship points. He also never completed a full year in the sport.
Contents
Tarso's Racing Journey
Starting in Open-Wheel Racing
Tarso Marques began his racing career with karting for five years. When he was only 16, he started racing in Formula Chevrolet in Brazil. He won the championship in his very first try!
In 1993, he moved up to Formula Three Sudamericana and then to European Formula 3000. He became the youngest driver ever to win races in both of these series. This was a big achievement for him!
In 1996, Tarso joined the Minardi team in Formula One. Over the next two years, he shared his racing seat with other drivers like Giancarlo Fisichella, Jarno Trulli, and Pedro Lamy. Minardi often needed drivers who could bring money to the team through sponsors. Because of this, the team sometimes changed drivers.
Racing in America: Champ Car
In 1999, Tarso went to the United States to race in the American Champ Car series. He caught the attention of Roger Penske, a very famous team owner. When Al Unser Jr., who had won the Indianapolis 500 twice, got injured, Penske asked Tarso to fill in for him. Tarso's best finish in Champ Car was 9th place.
He raced occasionally in Champ Car in 2000, 2004, and 2005 for a smaller team called Dale Coyne Racing. His best result with them was 11th place.
Back to Formula One
Tarso Marques returned to Formula One in 2001. He raced for the Minardi team again, this time alongside Fernando Alonso, who would later become a double World Champion. The team had just been bought by Paul Stoddart.
It was a tough season for Tarso. Minardi had money problems, and sometimes both drivers didn't have the same equipment. Tarso didn't bring any money to the team. He knew that another driver with more sponsorship could replace him at any time. This happened near the end of the year when Minardi replaced him with Alex Yoong for the last three races.
Tarso actually welcomed the change. He said that the extra money from Yoong's sponsors would help the team improve. Even though he was often slower than Alonso, Tarso's two ninth-place finishes were Minardi's best results that season. He stayed with Minardi in 2002 as a test and reserve driver. However, when Yoong was later dropped, Tarso wasn't chosen to replace him. Instead, Anthony Davidson and Justin Wilson were offered the spot.
Stock Car Racing in South America
After his last Champ Car race in 2005, Tarso Marques went back to South America. He started racing in touring car championships like TC2000 and Stock Car Brasil.
In March 2022, it was announced that Tarso would race in the NASCAR Cup Series in the United States. He was supposed to drive a Ford Mustang for Team Stange Racing part-time. However, NASCAR would not let him race in the Cup Series because he didn't have enough experience in a stock car.
So, Team Stange Racing planned for Tarso to race in a NASCAR Xfinity Series race first. This would help him get approved for the Cup Series. His first Cup Series race was then planned for Watkins Glen. But the team and Tarso did not show up for the race weekend. The team did not race at all in 2022.
See also
In Spanish: Tarso Marques para niños
