French racing driver (born 1994)
Matthieu Vaxivière (born 3 December 1994) is a French racing driver from Limoges , who currently drives for Alpine in the Hypercar class of the FIA World Endurance Championship .
Career
Karting
Vaxivière started his racing career in 2005 in the Karting Championship of France.
Car racing debut
Having made his car racing debut in the MitJet Series in 2010, Vaxivière progressed to the French F4 Championship the subsequent year.[ 1] A successful campaign followed, as he took the title by winning three races, which included a double victory at Pau .[ 2]
Vaxivière scored a podium in the second Pau Grand Prix support race in 2012.
Vaxiviere entered his debut season of the Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 in 2012 with Tech 1 Racing , which he finished in 29th position with a single point.[ 3] The Frenchman experienced a more fruitful year in 2013 , ending up tenth overall with a pair of victories at Aragón proving to be the highlight of the season.[ 4]
Vaxivière took his first Formula Renault 3.5 podium at the Nürburgring .
After his two seasons in the Eurocup , Vaxivière graduated to the Formula Renault 3.5 Series for the 2014 season, driving for Lotus alongside Marlon Stöckinger .[ 5] He finished eighth overall despite missing two rounds due to an injury.[ 6]
Vaxivière returned to Lotus for the 2015 season .[ 7] Three wins and a heap of podiums made the French driver vice-champion.
For the first season of the newly rebranded Formula V8 3.5 Series , Vaxivière would partner Matevos Isaakyan at SMP Racing .[ 8] This season, the Frenchman amassed seven podiums, two of which were wins, and took home fourth place in the standings.
Lotus F1
After completing several post-season tests with both Pons Racing and Lotus in preparation for 2014, the Frenchman was announced by Lotus to drive with them in the Formula Renault 3.5 Series alongside Filipino-Swiss rookie Marlon Stöckinger .
Sportscar debut
Vaxivière driving in the 2018 6 Hours of Silverstone .
Having competed in various endurance events such as the GT3 Le Mans Cup throughout his time in junior formulae,[ 9] Vaxivière made his full-time transition into sportscar racing near the end of 2016, when he partnered Michele Rugolo and Stéphane Lémeret in the GT category of the Asian Le Mans Series from round two onwards.[ 10] He helped DH Racing to finish second in the championship, having taken victory at the Fuji Speedway .[ 11]
Vaxivière's main campaign in 2017 would lie in the LMP2 class of the FIA World Endurance Championship , which he contested with TDS Racing .[ 12] Having taken a podium on debut at Silverstone , the Frenchman finished 16th in the drivers' standings.[ 13]
2018 would start out positively for Vaxivière, who finished second in the first two races of the European Le Mans Series with TDS before embarking on a season in the WEC with the French team.[ 14] [ 15] [ 16] A podium during the 2019 24 Hours of Le Mans would prove to be the highlight of his season, which Vaxivière finished eighth overall.[ 17]
As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic , 2020 saw Vaxivière compete in a myriad of championships, including the GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup or the Mitjet International series, where the Frenchman took four wins from as many appearances.[ 18] [ 19] That year also yielded another podium at Le Mans , Vaxivière driving for Panis Racing alongside Nico Jamin and Julien Canal .[ 20]
Alpine works driver
2021: Hypercar debut
For the 2021 season, Vaxivière teamed up with Nicolas Lapierre and André Negrão to drive an Alpine A480 in the Hypercar category of the FIA World Endurance Championship .[ 21] The campaign began on a promising note, as the team finished second at Spa-Francorchamps before Vaxivière followed that up by taking a pole position at the Algarve Round.[ 22] [ 23] [ 24] The outfit stabilized their pace after another second place in Monza , with them taking third for the remaining rounds, Vaxivière and his teammates being unable to match the pace of the Toyota Gazoo Racing squad.[ 25]
2022: WEC title challenge
Vaxivière competing at the 2023 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps .
Nevertheless, Vaxivière, Lapierre and Negrão returned to Alpine in 2022 .[ 26] At the season opener in Sebring , the Frenchman put on a particularly impressive showing, setting the fastest lap and helping his team to their first victory in the Hypercar category.[ 27] [ 28] Vaxivière and his partners took second at Spa before finishing a disappointing fourth in the 24 Hours of Le Mans , as issues with the car's clutch control and ignition coil systems respectively put the team out of contention for the podium.[ 29] They bounced back emphatically in Monza , where, having made contact in a hard-fought battle with the Toyota of Kamui Kobayashi , Vaxivière scored another win.[ 30] However, this would end up being the team's final finish ahead of their rivals Toyota, with a power reduction for the final two races thanks to the BoP mechanism leading to Alpine finishing second in the overall standings.[ 31] [ 32]
2023: Return to LMP2
Vaxivière and Alpine stepped down to the LMP2 category for the 2023 season , where the French driver partnered Charles Milesi and Julien Canal .[ 33] [ 34] The team would finish the season 7th overall.[ 35]
In addition, he paired up with François Perrodo and Ben Barnicoat to race in the Pro-Am Cup of the European Le Mans Series that same year.[ 36]
2024: Alpine Return to Hypercar
With the LMP2 category being dropped from the WEC for the 2024 season ,[ 37] Vaxivière would continue driving for Alpine in their new Hypercar , the A424 , alongside Nicholas Lapierre and Mick Schumacher .[ 38] The season, featuring four new manufacturers in the Hypercar class (BMW , Lamborghini , Isotta Fraschini , and Alpine themselves), would begin well for the Alpine team in the first round in Qatar , placing best of the four Hypercar debutants, with Vaxivière's car finishing 11th out of 19 in class.[ 39] [ 40]
Racing record
Racing career summary
† As Vaxivière 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)
(key ) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)
(key ) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap)
† As Vaxivière was a guest driver, he was ineligible for points
(key ) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)
Complete FIA World Endurance Championship results
Complete European Le Mans Series results
Complete Asian Le Mans Series results
(key ) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)
24 Hours of Le Mans results
Complete GP3 Series results
(key ) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)
Complete IMSA SportsCar Championship results
(key ) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap)
† Points only counted towards the Michelin Endurance Cup, and not the overall LMP2 Championship.
References
^ "Drivers 2011" . Autosport Academy . French F4 Championship . Archived from the original on 3 October 2011. Retrieved 29 October 2011 .
^ Allen, Peter (31 October 2011). "France's new starlet: Matthieu Vaxiviere" . Formula Scout . Retrieved 7 February 2023 .
^ "Paul-Loup Chatin and Matthieu Vaxivière, two Equipe de France drivers, join Tech 1 Racing" . World Series by Renault . Renault Sport . 1 February 2012. Archived from the original on 4 February 2012. Retrieved 1 February 2012 .
^ Khorounzhiy, Valentin (4 February 2013). "Tech 1 confirms Formula Renault 2.0 lineup" . Formula Scout . Retrieved 7 February 2023 .
^ Khorounzhiy, Valentin (18 December 2013). "Vaxiviere set to enter Formula Renault 3.5 with Lotus" . PaddockScout.com . Paddock Scout. Retrieved 19 December 2013 .
^ Dagys, John (26 May 2014). "Vaxiviere Injured in WSR Accident at Monaco – Sportscar365" . sportscar365.com . Retrieved 7 February 2023 .
^ "Lotus confirm van Buuren and Vaxiviere as FR3.5 drivers" . Crash.net . Crash Media Group. 6 February 2015. Archived from the original on 6 February 2015. Retrieved 6 February 2015 .
^ Khorounzhiy, Valentin (25 December 2015). "F3.5 V8 newcomer Spirit of Race signs Vaxivière and Atoev" . Motorsport.com . Motor Sport. Retrieved 25 December 2015 .
^ "GT3 Le Mans Cup: Imola, Paddock Notes, A Few Changes For The Opener" . dailysportscar.com . 13 May 2016. Archived from the original on 19 May 2016. Retrieved 13 May 2016 .
^ "2016/2017 ASIAN LE MANS SERIES ROUND 2 : 4H OF FUJI Result of Qualifying" (PDF) . asianlemansseries.com . Automobile Club de l'Ouest . 3 December 2016. Archived from the original (PDF) on 20 December 2016. Retrieved 3 December 2016 .
^ Kilshaw, Jake (22 January 2017). "Algarve Pro Wins 4H Sepang, Asian LMS Title as DC Racing Retires – Sportscar365" . sportscar365.com . Retrieved 7 February 2023 .
^ Dagys, John (26 November 2016). "Collard, Perrodo Step Up to LMP2 With TDS Racing" . sportscar365.com . Retrieved 26 November 2016 .
^ Dagys, John (16 April 2017). "Toyota Takes Hard-Fought Win at Silverstone – Sportscar365" . sportscar365.com . Retrieved 7 February 2023 .
^ Lloyd, Daniel (15 April 2018). "Racing Engineering Wins 4H Le Castellet in ELMS Debut – Sportscar365" . sportscar365.com . Retrieved 7 February 2023 .
^ Lloyd, Daniel (13 May 2018). "G-Drive Takes 4H Monza Victory – Sportscar365" . sportscar365.com . Retrieved 7 February 2023 .
^ "2018–2019 FIA World Endurance Championship – Super Season Entry List" (PDF) . Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile . 9 February 2018. Archived from the original (PDF) on 10 February 2018. Retrieved 10 February 2018 .
^ Kilshaw, Jake (16 June 2019). "Signatech Alpine Clinches LMP2 Title With Class Victory – Sportscar365" . sportscar365.com . Retrieved 7 February 2023 .
^ "GT World Challenge Europe Powered by AWS back on-track for 2020 season opener at Imola" . gt-world-challenge-europe.com . SRO Motorsports Group . 17 July 2020. Retrieved 17 July 2020 .
^ Lloyd, Daniel (20 October 2020). "Audi Changes 24H Spa Lineups as DTM Drivers Drop Out" . sportscar365 . John Dagys Media. Retrieved 20 October 2020 .
^ Dagys, John (20 September 2020). "United Takes Maiden Le Mans LMP2 Win; Clinches WEC Title – Sportscar365" . sportscar365.com . Retrieved 7 February 2023 .
^ Watkins, Glen (26 January 2021). "Alpine confirms WEC driver line-up" . motorsport.com . Motorsport Network . Retrieved 26 January 2021 .
^ "Premier podium pour Alpine dans la catégorie HYPERCAR" . France Racing (in French). 2 May 2021. Retrieved 6 February 2023 .
^ Lloyd, Daniel (12 June 2021). "Vaxiviere Takes Alpine's First Hypercar Pole at Portimao – Sportscar365" . sportscar365.com . Retrieved 6 February 2023 .
^ "Alpine s'offre un nouveau podium à Portimão" . France Racing (in French). 14 June 2021. Retrieved 6 February 2023 .
^ Lloyd, Daniel (8 November 2021). "Lapierre: "Frustrating" Season Despite "Good Job" from Alpine – Sportscar365" . sportscar365.com . Retrieved 6 February 2023 .
^ Lloyd, Daniel (16 February 2022). "Alpine Confirms Unchanged Hypercar Driver Lineup" . sportscar365.com . John Dagys Media. Retrieved 16 February 2022 .
^ Lloyd, Daniel (17 March 2022). "Lapierre Flies to 1000 Miles of Sebring Pole for Alpine – Sportscar365" . sportscar365.com . Retrieved 6 February 2023 .
^ Lloyd, Daniel (18 March 2022). "Alpine Wins Red Flag-Affected 1000 Miles of Sebring – Sportscar365" . sportscar365.com . Retrieved 6 February 2023 .
^ Lloyd, Daniel (10 July 2022). "Alpine "Happy Le Mans is Behind Us" as Focus Shifts to Title Race – Sportscar365" . sportscar365.com . Retrieved 6 February 2023 .
^ Euwema, Davey (10 July 2022). "Alpine Drivers Extend Points Lead with 6H Monza Win – Sportscar365" . sportscar365.com . Retrieved 6 February 2023 .
^ Lloyd, Daniel (5 September 2022). "Alpine Power Reduced in Fuji Hypercar BoP – Sportscar365" . sportscar365.com . Retrieved 6 February 2023 .
^ "2022 Hypercar Review: Toyota Take It, But Pushed All The Way" . www.fiawec.com . Retrieved 6 February 2023 .
^ Lloyd, Daniel (6 February 2023). "Alpine Confirms Driver Lineup for Transition Season in LMP2 – Sportscar365" . sportscar365.com . Retrieved 6 February 2023 .
^ "Alpine announces two-car LMP2 driver lineup for WEC 2023" . Motorsport Week . 6 February 2023. Retrieved 6 February 2023 .
^ "2023 WEC Standings and Results in Motorsport" . Autosport . Retrieved 16 March 2024 .
^ Goodwin, Graham (4 February 2023). "Barnicoat Joins AF Corse ELMS LMP2 Roster" . Dailysportscar. Retrieved 4 February 2023 .
^ "WEC to drop LMP2 class from 2024" . autosport.com . 9 June 2023. Retrieved 16 March 2024 .
^ "Schumacher Headlines Alpine's 2024 WEC Hypercar Driver Roster" . autosport.com . Retrieved 16 March 2024 .
^ "Race Classification" . fia.com . 29 February 2024. Retrieved 4 April 2024 .
^ "Sinault: Alpine Took Another "Step Forward" in A424 Debut" . sportscar365.com . 3 March 2024. Retrieved 16 March 2024 .
External links