Jaime Alguersuari
Born in Barcelona, Spain, on 23 March 1990, Jaime Victor Alguersuari Escudero, etched his name in F1 history by becoming the youngest F1 driver ever to compete in the annual F1 Championships. When he made his debut in the 2009 Hungarian Grand Prix he was 19 years and 125 days old at the time. Jaime Alguersuari also remains the only F1 driver to have been born in the 1990s.
This promising young driver’s career started in 2005, and he took first place at the Italian Formula Renault Winter Series of 2006. The following year he completed the main championship as runner-up to Finnish racing driver Mika Mäki. Alguersuari continued to strengthen his position as a talented driver when, in 2008, he moved up to the British Formula Three Championship. Throughout the season it was a close battle for the championship title between Alguersuari and team-mates Brendon Hartley and Oliver Turvey, as well as T-Sport’s Sergio Pérez. However, by winning the final three races of the season, Alguersuari took first place and became the youngest title winner (18 years, 203 days) in the championship’s history.
In 2009, Alguersuari was at eighth position in the Formula Renault 3.5 Series by mid-season when he was called to the position of reserve driver for the Red Bull Racing F1 Team, as well as its sister-team Scuderia Toro Rosso. Following the departure of Sebastien Bourdais from Toro Rosso, Alguersuari took the wheel for the team at the 2009 Hungarian Grand Prix – a history making event. Alguersuari completed the Formula Renault 3.5 Series that year, ending up at sixth by the end of the season.
While Alguersuari’s F1 debut may have been quite low-key, recognizing the potential of this youngdriver, Toro Rosso has retained him for the 2010 F1 Championship season. Jaime Alguersuari claimed thirteenth place in the first race of the season, the 2010 Formula 1 Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix. No doubt F1 fans will be keeping a keen eye on the youngest ever competitor in F1 racing.