Charles Weerts

Last updated
Charles Weerts
Charles Weerts 2023 Hockenheim.jpg
Weerts in 2023
Nationality Flag of Belgium (civil).svg Belgian
Born (2001-03-01) 1 March 2001 (age 23)
Verviers, Belgium
GT World Challenge Europe Sprint Cup career
Debut season2020
Current team Team WRT
Racing licence FIA Platinum Driver.png FIA Platinum
Car number32
Starts42
Wins12
Podiums24
Poles5
Previous series
ADAC Formula 4
Formula 4 UAE Championship
2017–2018
2016–2018
Championship titles
2017–18

2020-2022
Formula 4 UAE Championship
GT World Challenge Europe Sprint Cup
GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup career
Debut season2019
Current team Belgian Audi Club Team WRT
Car number32
Starts21
Wins1
Podiums4
Poles2
Last updated on: 8 June 2023.

Charles Weerts (born 1 March 2001) is a Belgian racing driver who currently competes in the GT World Challenge Europe. [1] On December 8 2022 Weerts was announced as a factory driver for BMW M Motorsport where he'll continue to drive for Team WRT. [2]

Contents

Career

Junior formula

Weerts made his single-seater debut in 2017, joining Team Motopark for the 2017 ADAC Formula 4 season, alongside the final three races of the Formula 4 UAE Championship. [3] [4] During the 2017 ADAC F4 season, he would score 22nd in the overall classification and second in the Rookie Championship, scoring just three points towards the drivers' title. The following Formula 4 UAE season, Weerts was crowned series champion, sweeping the final quadruple-header round at Dubai Autodrome en route to a 50-point points lead over second-placed David Schumacher. [5] However, the victory would mark Weerts' final season with Team Motopark, as he would switch to Van Amersfoort Racing for the 2018 ADAC Formula 4 season. [6] [7] After finishing 5th in points, securing one win and four podiums, Weerts would leave the team at the conclusion of the 2018 season.

Sports cars

Weerts' Audi at the Red Bull Ring in 2021 GT Masters 2021 Spielberg Nr. 32.jpg
Weerts' Audi at the Red Bull Ring in 2021

2019 saw Weerts explore a new discipline of motorsport, joining Belgian Audi Club Team WRT for the 2019 Blancpain GT Series Endurance Cup campaign. [8] After a lackluster 2019 season which saw Weerts' entries score a solitary point across five races, he was paired with Dries Vanthoor for full season campaigns in both series during 2020. [9] After scoring two wins and six podiums in 10 races, Vanthoor and Weerts claimed the Sprint Cup title in the Pro category. [10] [11] Following his title, Weerts was promoted to Audi factory driver status for 2021. [12] He began the team's title defense on a high note, taking pole for the opening race of the weekend at Magny-Cours, [13] before going on to win Saturday's event, further adding a podium finish the following afternoon. [14] Following the fourth round at Brands Hatch, Weerts and Vanthoor successfully defended their Sprint Cup title. [15] In 2022 Weerts, together with Vanthoor were able to clinch a third consecutive Sprint Cup title. [16] They finished the season with 5 wins and 9 podiums in 10 races.

BMW M Factory Driver

Weerts' #32 BMW M4 GT3 during the 2023 24 Hours of Spa 32BMWWRT24SPA2023.jpg
Weerts' #32 BMW M4 GT3 during the 2023 24 Hours of Spa

At the end of the 2022 season Weerts confirmed he would part ways with Audi Sport and was later announced as a factory BMW M driver from the 2023 season on. [17] He was joined by his current teammate Dries Vanthoor and Team WRT, both making the switch from Audi as well. In his first race as an official BMW factory driver, the 2023 Kyalami 9 Hours, Weerts scored the overall victory alongside Vanthoor and Sheldon van der Linde. [18] Weerts once again embarked on a full-season GT World Challenge Europe campaign. Weerts stated his ambitions to remain on top in the Sprint Cup, but argued that the change in machinery for 2023 ensured that the team's efforts to score a fourth consecutive title wouldn't be easy. [19] Ultimately, the entry finished third in Sprint Cup points, tallying six total podium finishes and a sole race victory during the penultimate race weekend at Valencia. [20] In Endurance Cup competition, Weerts, Vanthoor, and van der Linde registered a best race finish of sixth at Monza, finishing 11th in the final points classification.

Racing record

Career summary

SeasonSeriesTeamRacesWinsPolesF/LapsPodiumsPointsPosition
2016–17 Formula 4 UAE Championship Team Motopark 2 110001847th
2017 ADAC Formula 4 Championship Motopark 210000322nd
2017–18 Formula 4 UAE Championship Dragon Motopark F423838163771st
2018 ADAC Formula 4 Championship Van Amersfoort Racing 2110241955th
Italian F4 Championship 300001518th
FIA GT Nations Cup Team Belgium 31101N/ADNF
2019 Blancpain GT Series Sprint Cup Belgian Audi Club Team WRT 10110140.56th
Blancpain GT Series Endurance Cup 300000NC
Italian GT Endurance Championship - GT3 Pro Audi Sport Italia20002 ? ?
2020 GT World Challenge Europe Sprint Cup Belgian Audi Club Team WRT 102006891st
GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup 40000398th
ADAC GT Masters Team WRT 1210038210th
Intercontinental GT Challenge Audi Sport Team WRT 100011814th
2021 GT World Challenge Europe Sprint Cup Belgian Audi Club Team WRT 104227103.51st
GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup 50003793rd
Intercontinental GT Challenge Audi Sport Team WRT 30001405th
ADAC GT Masters Team WRT 1211016614th
Le Mans Cup - GT3 200000NC†
2022 GT World Challenge Europe Sprint Cup Belgian Audi Club Team WRT 105329135.51st
GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup 51201399th
Intercontinental GT Challenge Audi Sport Team WRT 100000NC
2023 GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup Team WRT 500002611th
GT World Challenge Europe Sprint Cup 10111686.53rd
Intercontinental GT Challenge 51011449th
2024 GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup Team WRT
GT World Challenge Europe Sprint Cup
Intercontinental GT Challenge BMW M Team WRT
Nürburgring Langstrecken-Serie - SP9 BMW M Team RMG

As Weerts was a guest driver, he was ineligible to score points.
* Season still in progress.

Complete ADAC Formula 4 Championship results

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

YearTeam123456789101112131415161718192021PosPoints
2017 Motopark OSC1
1

12
OSC1
2

15
OSC1
3

18
LAU
1

9
LAU
2

16
LAU
3

13
RBR
1

17
RBR
2

Ret
RBR
3

23
OSC2
1

18
OSC2
2

22
OSC2
3

18
NÜR
1

21
NÜR
2

23
NÜR
3

18
SAC
1

Ret
SAC
2

15
SAC
3

18
HOC
1

21
HOC
2

10
HOC
3

12
22nd3
2018 Van Amersfoort Racing OSC
1

Ret
OSC
2

4
OSC
3

3
HOC1
1

7
HOC1
2

4
HOC1
3

4
LAU
1

10
LAU
2

5
LAU
3

2
RBR
1

5
RBR
2

Ret
RBR
3

8
HOC2
1

8
HOC2
2

8
NÜR
1

7
NÜR
2

5
NÜR
3

4
HOC3
1

1
HOC3
2

4
HOC3
3

2
5th195

Complete GT World Challenge Europe results

GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup

YearTeamCarClass1234567Pos.Points
2019 Belgian Audi Club Team WRT Audi R8 LMS Evo Silver MON
27
SIL
Ret
25th1
Pro LEC
13
SPA
6H

30
SPA
12H

22
SPA
24H

12
CAT
Ret
NC0
2020 Belgian Audi Club Team WRT Audi R8 LMS Evo Pro IMO
4
NÜR
5
SPA
6H

54
SPA
12H

54
SPA
24H

Ret
LEC
4
8th39
2021 Team WRT Audi R8 LMS Evo Pro MON
Ret
LEC
2
SPA
6H

5
SPA
12H

2
SPA
24H

2
NÜR
6
CAT
3
3rd79
2022 Team WRT Audi R8 LMS Evo II Pro IMO
1
LEC
41
SPA
6H

14
SPA
12H

14
SPA
24H

Ret
HOC
Ret
CAT
4
9th39
2023 BMW M Team WRT BMW M4 GT3 Pro MNZ
6
LEC
Ret
SPA
6H

1
SPA
12H

52†
SPA
24H

Ret
NÜR
7
CAT
11
11th26
2024 Team WRT BMW M4 GT3 Pro LEC
Ret
SPA
6H

SPA
12H

SPA
24H

NÜR
MNZ
JED
NC*0*

* Season still in progress.

GT World Challenge Europe Sprint Cup

YearTeamCarClass12345678910Pos.Points
2019 Belgian Audi Club Team WRT Audi R8 LMS Evo Pro BRH
1

12
BRH
2

6
MIS
1

Ret
MIS
2

1
ZAN
1

13
ZAN
2

5
NÜR
1

4
NÜR
2

26
HUN
1

8
HUN
2

7
6th40.5
2020 Belgian Audi Club Team WRT Audi R8 LMS Evo Pro MIS
1

1
MIS
2

4
MIS
3

1
MAG
1

3
MAG
2

4
ZAN
1

12
ZAN
2

7
CAT
1

6
CAT
2

2
CAT
3

2
1st89
2021 Team WRT Audi R8 LMS Evo Pro MAG
1

1
MAG
2

2
ZAN
1

8
ZAN
2

3
MIS
1

1
MIS
2

1
BRH
1

1
BRH
2

2
VAL
1

16
VAL
2

Ret
1st103.5
2022 Team WRT Audi R8 LMS Evo II Pro BRH
1

2
BRH
2

2
MAG
1

1
MAG
2

6
ZAN
1

1
ZAN
2

2
MIS
1

1
MIS
2

1
VAL
1

3
VAL
2

1
1st135.5
2023 BMW M Team WRT BMW M4 GT3 Pro BRH
1

3
BRH
2

3
MIS
1

3
MIS
2

9
HOC
1

3
HOC
2

5
VAL
1

5
VAL
2

1
ZAN
1

5
ZAN
2

2
3rd86.5

* Season still in progress.

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References

  1. "Charles Weerts, 2021 - Fanatec GT World Challenge Europe Powered by AWS". gt-world-challenge-europe.com. Retrieved 10 May 2021.
  2. "BMW M Motorsport presents works drivers and race programme for the 2023 season". press.bmwgroup.com. Retrieved 10 December 2022.
  3. "Charles Weerts Joins Team Motopark for 2017". drivetribe.com. Retrieved 12 May 2021.
  4. "Charles Weerts to Drive for Motopark in ADAC F4". formularapida.net. 17 March 2017. Retrieved 12 May 2021.
  5. "Charles Weerts Wins F4 UAE Championship Title for 2018". f4uae.com. 3 March 2018. Archived from the original on 11 August 2019. Retrieved 12 May 2021.
  6. "Charles Weerts goes to VAR". racing24-7.net. 22 February 2018. Retrieved 12 May 2021.
  7. "F4 UAE leader Charles Weerts switches to VAR for second ADAC F4 season". formulascout.com. 23 February 2018. Retrieved 12 May 2021.
  8. "Belgian Audi Club Team WRT Confirm 2019 GT3 Line-Ups". dailysportscar.com. 22 March 2019. Retrieved 12 May 2021.
  9. "WRT Reveal Full 2020 Lineups & Liveries". dailysportscar.com. 16 July 2020. Retrieved 12 May 2021.
  10. "Weerts & Vandoor Claim Sprint Cup Title, WRT Win Teams Crown". dailysportscar.com. 12 October 2020. Retrieved 12 May 2021.
  11. "Dries Vanthoor and Charles Weerts emerge as Champions in Barcelona". thecheckeredflag.co.uk. 11 October 2020. Retrieved 12 May 2021.
  12. "Marschall, Weerts Promoted to Audi Factory Lineup". sportscar365.com. 14 January 2021. Retrieved 11 July 2021.
  13. "Weerts Puts WRT Audi on Pole for Magny-Cours Race 1". sportscar365.com. 8 May 2021. Retrieved 12 May 2021.
  14. "The Weekend Roundup – Magny-Cours". gt-world-challenge-europe.com. 11 May 2021. Retrieved 12 May 2021.
  15. Lloyd, Daniel (29 August 2021). "Vanthoor, Weerts Seal Sprint Cup Title with Round to Spare". sportscar365.com. John Dagys Media. Retrieved 4 September 2021.
  16. Lloyd, Daniel (17 September 2022). "Vanthoor, Weerts Clinch Third Sprint Title With Valencia Podium". Sportscar365. John Dagys Media. Retrieved 8 June 2023.
  17. Goodwin, Graham (9 December 2022). "BMW Confirm 20 Factory Drivers For 2023 Season". Dailysportscar. Retrieved 25 February 2023.
  18. Dagys, John (25 February 2023). "WRT BMWs Take Controlling 1-2 Result in Kyalami 9H". Sportscar365. John Dagys Media. Retrieved 25 February 2023.
  19. Lloyd, Daniel (13 May 2023). "Weerts: Fourth Sprint Title "Won't Be Easy" After BMW Switch". Sportscar365. John Dagys Media. Retrieved 8 June 2023.
  20. Euwema, Davey (17 September 2023). "Weerts Ends Sprint Cup Win Drought in Valencia Race 2". Sportscar365. John Dagys Media. Retrieved 2 March 2024.
Sporting positions
Preceded by Formula 4 UAE Championship
Champion

2017–18
Succeeded by
Preceded by GT World Challenge Europe Sprint Cup
Pro Champion

2020, 2021, 2022
With: Dries Vanthoor
Succeeded by