Sacha Fenestraz

Sacha Fenestraz
Fenestraz in 2023
NationalityFrance French
Argentina Argentine[a]
Born (1999-07-28) 28 July 1999 (age 25)
Annecy, France[3]
Formula E career
Debut season2021–22
Car number23
Former teamsDragon / Penske Autosport
Nissan Formula E Team
Starts31
Championships0
Wins0
Podiums0
Poles1
Fastest laps0
Best finish16th in 2022–23
Finished last season17th (26 pts)
Previous series
202022
201922
2019
2018
201718
201617
201617
2015
Super Formula Championship
Super GT
Japanese F3 Championship
GP3 Series
FIA European F3
Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0
Formula Renault 2.0 NEC
French F4 Championship
Championship titles
2019
2017
2015
Japanese F3 Championship
Formula Renault Eurocup
French F4 Junior Champion

Sacha Fenestraz Jules (born 28 July 1999) is a French-Argentine racing driver who last raced in Formula E[4] with Nissan Formula E Team. He is the 2017 Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 champion.

Early career

Karting

Born in Annecy, France to a French-Argentine family, and raised in Cordoba, Argentina,[5] Fenestraz began karting in 2006 at the age of seven, partaking in events across France and Argentina.

Formula 4

In 2015, Fenestraz graduated to single-seaters. He partook in the French F4 Championship, where he claimed three victories and eleven junior victories. As a result, he finished as Junior F4 champion and vice-champion in the overall standings.

Formula Renault 2.0

Fenestraz driving in Formula Renault in 2016

In 2016, Fenestraz switched to Formula Renault 2.0 with Tech 1 Racing. He claimed his first pole position at the Monaco round, following the exclusion of former pole sitter Lando Norris,[6] and subsequently took his first victory in the race. He followed that up with a second pole and victory at the final race at Estoril to finish fifth in the overall standings. He also claimed a victory and finished fifth in the Northern European Cup.

After testing with them in the post-season test at Estoril, Fenestraz signed with team champions Josef Kaufmann Racing for 2017.[7] Fenestraz won the championship with a race to spare.[4] He won seven races and had finished another eleven races on the podium position. After he became a champion he was included into the Renault Sport Academy.[8]

FIA European Formula 3 Championship

Sacha Fenestraz during the FIA Formula 3 round at Norisring in 2018.

In September 2017, Fenestraz joined Carlin for the eighth round at the Nürburgring.[9] In 2018, he contested with the team full-time.[10] He scored his first podium and victory of the season during the second race in Pau. He started this race from pole position and also managed to set the fastest lap of the race, but could only manage eleventh in the championship.[11] At the Macau Grand Prix, Fenestraz came away with third in the race.[12]

GP3 Series

Fenestraz partook in the final two rounds of the 2018 GP3 Series with Arden International.[13]

Japanese Formula 3

After losing his backing from Renault, Fenestraz moved to Japan to contest the Japanese Formula 3 Championship with B-Max Racing with Motopark.[14][15] Fighting throughout the season with TOM'S racer Ritomo Miyata, Fenestraz claimed eight wins and secured the title at Motegi with a round to spare, thus becoming the first rookie driver to win the title since Nick Cassidy in 2015.[16]

Super Formula

In 2020, Fenestraz moved up to Super Formula with Kondo Racing.[17] He continued to compete with Kondo Racing, but could only drive in the last three rounds given that Fenestraz had been unable to enter Japan because the government had closed its borders due to the pandemic. Fenestraz continued racing with the same team, but this time he had his best season in Super Formula, where he clinched his maiden win in Sportsland SUGO, and adding a couple of podiums to his name.

Super GT

In addition to his 2019 Japanese Formula 3 campaign, Fenestraz also partook in the GT300 class of the Super GT championship with Kondo Racing, finishing sixth overall.[15] The following year, Fenestraz graduated to the GT500 class with Lexus rebranded Toyota Gazoo Racing replacing Kazuki Nakajima at TGR TOM'S au and partnering Yuhi Sekiguchi.[18] Four podiums to his name alongside Sekiguchi placed 4th in the standings. Fenestraz stayed with the same team, but nmove to the KeePer car pairing up with Ryo Hirakawa. Unfortunately he was denied entry to Japan for long time due to border restriction caused by the pandemic. He raced in the fifth round of the series, and by end of season clinched 1 podium. He continues to compete same team, but with new teammate of Ritomo Miyata. In that season, Fenestraz and Miyata clinched their GT500 maiden win in Fuji Speedway.

Formula E

In February 2020, Fenestraz was named as one of Panasonic Jaguar Racing's entrants into the rookie test in Marrakesh.[19] In the test, Fenestraz set the fourth fastest time of the morning session and finish tenth overall in the afternoon session and overall classification.[20][21] The following year, Fenestraz was named as Jaguar's reserve driver for the 2021 season opener at Riyadh.[22]

Dragon / Penske Autosport (2022)

2021–22 season

In August 2022, Fenestraz made his Formula E debut in the second Seoul ePrix, replacing Antonio Giovinazzi who suffered a hand injury in the previous race.[23]

Nissan Formula E Team (2023–2024)

2022–23 season

Fenestraz at the 2023 Berlin ePrix.

Fenestraz entered into Formula E on a full-time basis for the 2023 season, partnering Norman Nato at Nissan.[24] The year began promisingly, with the Frenchman getting into the knockout stage of qualifying for the season-opening Mexico City ePrix, although he would fall back during the race.[25] At the next event in Diriyah, Fenestraz scored his first points in the series with an eighth place in the second race, which he stated he was "pleased" about.[26] The French driver qualified in fourth for the Hyderabad ePrix two weeks later, but would miss out on a chance at points after becoming stuck between the two Jaguar Racing cars, which had crashed just in front of Fenestraz.[27] During the following round in Cape Town, Fenestraz took his maiden pole position in the series, beating Maximilian Günther in the final stage and setting the fastest ever Formula E lap in the process.[28][29] During the race however, Fenestraz fell down to third before being collided into by Nick Cassidy on the final lap, hitting the barriers which would result in a 14th-placed finish.[30][31] At the Monaco ePrix, Fenastraz initially took pole position but was later demoted to second position for exceeding his power limit in his final run.[32]

2023–24 season

Fenestraz at the 2024 Tokyo ePrix

Fenestraz was kept by Nissan for the 2023–24 season and partners Oliver Rowland.[33]

However, after being relatively outperformed by teammate Rowland throughout the campaign, Nissan announced that they had dropped Fenestraz at the end of the season.[34]

Personal life

Fenestraz shared a flat in Guildford with fellow racing driver Lando Norris.[35]

Racing record

Career summary

Season Series Team Races Wins Poles F/Laps Podiums Points Position
2015 French F4 Championship Auto Sport Academy 21 3 2 2 10 253 2nd
2016 Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 Tech 1 Racing 15 2 2 1 3 119.5 5th
Formula Renault 2.0 NEC 15 1 1 0 2 207 5th
2017 Formula Renault Eurocup Josef Kaufmann Racing 23 7 9 5 17 367.5 1st
Formula Renault NEC 4 2 2 2 4 108 6th
FIA Formula 3 European Championship Carlin 3 0 0 0 0 1 20th
Macau Grand Prix 1 0 0 0 0 N/A 7th
2018 FIA Formula 3 European Championship 30 1 2 1 3 121 11th
Macau Grand Prix 1 0 0 0 1 N/A 3rd
GP3 Series Arden International 4 0 0 0 0 0 24th
2019 Japanese Formula 3 Championship B-Max Racing with Motopark 20 8 5 8 18 162 1st
Super GT - GT300 Kondo Racing 8 0 1 0 1 46 6th
2019–20 Formula E Panasonic Jaguar Racing Test driver
2020 Super GT TGR Team au TOM'S 8 0 0 0 4 56 4th
Super Formula Kondo Racing 7 0 0 0 1 19 13th
2020–21 Formula E Jaguar Racing Reserve driver
2021 Super GT TGR Team KeePer TOM'S 3 0 0 0 1 18 17th
Super Formula Kondo Racing 2 0 0 0 0 4 17th
Michelin Pilot Challenge - GS TGR Riley Motorsports 1 0 0 0 0 260 44th
Súper TC 2000 TGR YPF Infinia 1 0 0 0 0 0 NC†
2021–22 Formula E Dragon / Penske Autosport 1 0 0 0 0 0 24th
Jaguar TCS Racing Reserve driver
2022 Super Formula Kondo Racing 10 1 0 0 4 89 2nd
Super GT TGR Team KeePer TOM'S 8 1 0 1 2 43 6th
2022–23 Formula E Nissan Formula E Team 16 0 1 0 0 32 16th
2023–24 Formula E Nissan Formula E Team 16 0 0 0 0 26 17th

As Fenestraz was a guest driver, he was ineligible to score points.

Complete French F4 Championship results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)

Year 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 Pos Points
2015 LÉD
1

8
LÉD
2

1
LÉD
3

8
LMS
1

2
LMS
2

4
LMS
3

8
PAU
1

1
PAU
2

Ret
PAU
3

1
HUN
1

3
HUN
2

9
HUN
3

3
MAG
1

2
MAG
2

Ret
MAG
3

4
NAV
1

5
NAV
2

3
NAV
3

8
LEC
1

2
LEC
2

5
LEC
3

3
2nd 253

Complete Formula Renault Eurocup results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)

Year Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 Pos Points
2016 Tech 1 Racing ALC
1

Ret
ALC
2

14
ALC
3

15
MON
1

1
MNZ
1

4
MNZ
2

3
MNZ
1

8
RBR
1

13
RBR
2

10
LEC
1

6
LEC
2

5
SPA
1

4
SPA
2

4
EST
1

7
EST
2

1
5th 119.5
2017 Josef Kaufmann Racing MNZ
1

2
MNZ
2

2
SIL
1

5
SIL
2

Ret
PAU
1

6
PAU
2

2
MON
1

2
MON
2

1
HUN
1

2
HUN
2

3
HUN
3

8
NÜR
1

3
NÜR
2

1
RBR
1

2
RBR
2

1
LEC
1

Ret
LEC
2

1
SPA
1

1
SPA
2

3
SPA
3

1
CAT
1

4
CAT
2

2
CAT
3

1
1st 367.5

Complete FIA Formula 3 European Championship results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)

Year Entrant Engine 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 DC Points
2017 Carlin Volkswagen SIL
1
SIL
2
SIL
3
MNZ
1
MNZ
2
MNZ
3
PAU
1
PAU
2
PAU
3
HUN
1
HUN
2
HUN
3
NOR
1
NOR
2
NOR
3
SPA
1
SPA
2
SPA
3
ZAN
1
ZAN
2
ZAN
3
NÜR
1

15
NÜR
2

13
NÜR
3

10
RBR
1
RBR
2
RBR
3
HOC
1
HOC
2
HOC
3
20th 1
2018 Carlin Volkswagen PAU
1

4
PAU
2

1
PAU
3

20
HUN
1

8
HUN
2

9
HUN
3

6
NOR
1

Ret
NOR
2

8
NOR
3

Ret
ZAN
1

17
ZAN
2

12
ZAN
3

18
SPA
1

11
SPA
2

7
SPA
3

15
SIL
1

2
SIL
2

7
SIL
3

2
MIS
1

11
MIS
2

8
MIS
3

12
NÜR
1

12
NÜR
2

9
NÜR
3

7
RBR
1

11
RBR
2

16†
RBR
3

Ret
HOC
1

7
HOC
2

Ret
HOC
3

Ret
11th 121

Driver did not finish the race, but was classified as he completed over 90% of the race distance.

Complete Macau Grand Prix results

Year Team Car Qualifying Quali Race Main race
2017 United Kingdom Carlin Dallara F317 11th 12th 7th
2018 United Kingdom Carlin Dallara F317 3rd 4th 3rd

Complete GP3 Series results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)

Year Entrant 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 Pos Points
2018 Arden International CAT
FEA
CAT
SPR
LEC
FEA
LEC
SPR
RBR
FEA
RBR
SPR
SIL
FEA
SIL
SPR
HUN
FEA
HUN
SPR
SPA
FEA
SPA
SPR
MNZ
FEA
MNZ
SPR
SOC
FEA

16
SOC
SPR

13
YMC
FEA

16
YMC
SPR

15
24th 0

Complete Japanese Formula 3 Championship results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)

Year Entrant 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 Pos Points
2019 B-Max Racing with
Motopark
SUZ
1

1
SUZ
2

14
AUT
1

1
AUT
2

1
AUT
3

1
OKA
1

1
OKA
2

2
OKA
3

2
SUG
1

3
SUG
2

2
FUJ
1

7
FUJ
2

1
SUG
1

2
SUG
2

2
SUG
3

2
MOT
1

1
MOT
2

2
MOT
3

1
OKA
1

2
OKA
2

2
1st 162

Complete Super GT results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap)

Year Team Car Class 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 DC Points
2019 Kondo Racing Nissan GT-R Nismo GT3 (2018) GT300 OKA
5‡
FUJ
4
SUZ
18
CHA
2
FUJ
7
AUT
8
SUG
5
MOT
6
6th 46
2020 Toyota Gazoo Racing Team au TOM'S Toyota GR Supra GT500 GT500 FUJ
2
FUJ
2
SUZ
3
MOT
11
FUJ
12
SUZ
7
MOT
13
FUJ
3
4th 56
2021 Toyota Gazoo Racing Team KeePer TOM'S Toyota GR Supra GT500 GT500 OKA FUJ SUZ MOT SUG AUT
9
MOT
10
FUJ
2
17th 18
2022 Toyota Gazoo Racing Team KeePer TOM'S Toyota GR Supra GT500 GT500 OKA
11
FUJ
14
SUZ
3
FUJ
1
SUZ
8
SUG
9
AUT
9
MOT
6
6th 43

Half points awarded as less than 75% of race distance was completed.

Complete Super Formula results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)

Year Entrant 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 DC Points
2020 Kondo Racing MOT
3
OKA
Ret
SUG
Ret
AUT
Ret
SUZ
10
SUZ
Ret
FUJ
8
13th 19
2021 Kondo Racing FUJ SUZ AUT SUG MOT MOT
13
SUZ
7
17th 4
2022 Kondo Racing FUJ
3
FUJ
20
SUZ
4
AUT
2
SUG
1
FUJ
Ret
MOT
2
MOT
6
SUZ
16
SUZ
4
2nd 89

Complete Formula E results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap)

Year Team Chassis Powertrain 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 Pos Points
2021–22 Dragon / Penske Autosport Spark SRT05e Penske EV-5 DRH DRH MEX RME RME MCO BER BER JAK MRK NYC NYC LDN LDN SEO SEO
16
24th 0
2022–23 Nissan Formula E Team Formula E Gen3 Nissan e-4ORCE 04 MEX
15
DRH
17
DRH
8
HYD
12
CAP
14
SAP
Ret
BER
12
BER
11
MCO
4
JAK
19
JAK
4
POR
15
RME
10
RME
Ret
LDN
Ret
LDN
15
16th 32
2023–24 Nissan Formula E Team Formula E Gen3 Nissan e-4ORCE 04 MEX
12
DRH
Ret
DRH
6
SAP
11
TOK
11
MIS
9
MIS
5
MCO
8
BER
9
BER
Ret
SIC
11
SIC
14
POR
15
POR
18
LDN
14
LDN
15
17th 26

Notes

  1. ^ Fenestraz has previously competed under a French racing licence through all his career. He is set to switch to an Argentine licence in 2024.[1][2]

References

  1. ^ Regueira, Leo (24 August 2022). "Fenestraz correrá en Formula E con licencia argentina". Carburando (in Spanish). Retrieved 23 February 2023.
  2. ^ "Ahora si estamos, licencia Argentina". Twitter. Sacha Fenestraz. 23 February 2023. Retrieved 23 February 2023.
  3. ^ "Sacha Fenestraz Career History | FIA Results and Statistics". fiaresultsandstatistics.motorsportstats.com. Retrieved 25 July 2020.
  4. ^ a b Waring, Bethonie (29 October 2017). "Sacha Fenestraz crowned Eurocup champion as Shwartzman wins again at Barcelona". formulascout.com. Retrieved 30 October 2017.
  5. ^ "Quién es Sacha Fenestraz, el cordobés que deslumbró en Monaco (Who is Sacha Fenestraz, the Cordovan who dazzled in Monaco)". 30 May 2016. Retrieved 21 November 2016.
  6. ^ "Sacha Fenestraz on pole in the Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 at Monaco". 28 May 2016. Retrieved 21 November 2016.
  7. ^ "Fenestraz firms up Kaufmann switch for 2017 Formula Renault season". 14 December 2016. Retrieved 14 December 2016.
  8. ^ "SACHA FENESTRAZ WINS THE 2017 FORMULA RENAULT EUROCUP TITLE". Renault Sport Academy. Renault Sport. 29 October 2017. Retrieved 30 October 2017.
  9. ^ "Formula Renault leader Fenestraz to make F3 debut". 4 September 2017. Retrieved 4 September 2017.
  10. ^ Simmons, Marcus (15 January 2018). "Formula Renault champion Fenestraz joins Carlin for Euro F3 2018". Autosport. Retrieved 30 January 2018.
  11. ^ "HOME HERO SACHA FENESTRAZ WINS AT PAU". 13 May 2018. Retrieved 15 July 2018.
  12. ^ "Sacha Fenestraz scores a podium finish in Macau!". 19 November 2018. Retrieved 17 August 2019.
  13. ^ Hewitt, Chloe (25 September 2018). "SACHA FENESTRAZ JOINS ARDEN INTERNATIONAL GP3 TEAM". thecheckeredflag.co.uk. The Checkered Flag. Retrieved 17 August 2019.
  14. ^ Simmons, Marcus (17 December 2018). "Fenestraz dropped by Renault junior scheme". Motorsport.com. Motorsport Network. Retrieved 17 August 2019.
  15. ^ a b Brierty, William (15 February 2019). "Sacha Fenestraz finalises Japanese F3 and Super GT programmes". FormulaScout. Retrieved 17 August 2019.
  16. ^ Thukral, Rachit (18 August 2019). "Ex-Renault junior Fenestraz crowned Japanese F3 champion". Motorsport.com. Motorsport Network. Retrieved 15 October 2019.
  17. ^ "Cassidy absent from Toyota's Super Formula line-up". www.motorsport.com. 7 February 2020. Retrieved 7 February 2020.
  18. ^ Klein, Jamie (21 November 2019). "Fenestraz set to replace Nakajima at TOM'S". Motorsport.com. Motorsport Network. Retrieved 21 November 2019.
  19. ^ "Panasonic Jaguar Racing with Jamie Chadwick and Sacha Fenestraz in Formula E test". 28 February 2020. Archived from the original on 14 August 2022. Retrieved 22 July 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  20. ^ Soulsby, Chris (1 March 2020). "Van Der Linde tops morning session of Marrakesh rookie test". Motorsport Week. Retrieved 22 July 2020.
  21. ^ "Nick Cassidy sets fastest time for Envision Virgin Racing in Rookie Test". 1 March 2020. Retrieved 22 July 2020.
  22. ^ Thukral, Rachit (24 February 2021). "Fenestraz joins Jaguar Formula E team as reserve driver". Motorsport.com. Motorsport Network. Retrieved 24 February 2021.
  23. ^ "Giovinazzi ruled out of final Formula E race with hand injury". The Race. 14 August 2022. Retrieved 14 August 2022.
  24. ^ Klein, Jamie (23 August 2022). "Fenestraz, Nato join Nissan for 2022-23 Formula E season". Motorsport.com. Retrieved 23 August 2022.
  25. ^ Golding, Nick (22 January 2023). "Sacha Fenestraz: "We definitely had the potential to score points"". The Checkered Flag. Retrieved 30 January 2023.
  26. ^ Golding, Nick (30 January 2023). "Sacha Fenestraz: "If you make one small mistake in qualifying it can be really costly"". The Checkered Flag. Retrieved 30 January 2023.
  27. ^ "Bird takes full responsibility for Jaguar clash in Hyderabad". The Official Home of Formula E. Retrieved 25 February 2023.[permanent dead link]
  28. ^ Golding, Nick (25 February 2023). "Cape Town E-Prix: Rookie Sacha Fenestraz Makes History as Safety Concerns Overshadow Qualifying". The Checkered Flag. Retrieved 25 February 2023.
  29. ^ "Fenestraz fires to fastest ever Formula E lap for maiden pole in Cape Town". The Official Home of Formula E. Retrieved 25 February 2023.[permanent dead link]
  30. ^ "Outrageous sends seal memorable da Costa win in Cape Town". The Official Home of Formula E. Retrieved 25 February 2023.[permanent dead link]
  31. ^ ""Echt optimistisch" - tragischer Held Fenestraz erklärt Cassidy-Kollision, die ihn 1. Formel-E-Podium kostete - e-Formel.de". e-formel.de. Retrieved 26 February 2023.
  32. ^ Mackley, Stefan (6 May 2023). "Monaco E-Prix: Hughes handed pole after Fenestraz penalised". www.autosport.com. Retrieved 6 May 2023.
  33. ^ "Nissan retain Fenestraz after impressive rookie campaign". motorsportweek.com. 30 August 2023. Retrieved 30 August 2023.
  34. ^ Klein, Jamie (5 September 2024). "Fenestraz dropped by Nissan for 2024/25 Formula E campaign". Motorsport.com. Retrieved 5 September 2024.
  35. ^ "This Kid is Tipped to be the Next Lewis Hamilton". YouTube.
Sporting positions
Preceded by Formula Renault Eurocup
Champion

2017
Succeeded by
Preceded by Japanese Formula 3 Championship
Champion

2019
Succeeded by
Ritomo Miyata
(Super Formula Lights)