Alan van der Merwe

Last updated

Alan van der Merwe
NationalitySouth African
Born (1980-01-31) 31 January 1980 (age 43)
Johannesburg, Transvaal, South Africa
Previous series
Championship titles
2003British Formula 3 Championship

Alan van der Merwe (born 31 January 1980) is a South African race car driver, entrepreneur and former driver of the Formula One medical car, [1] alongside FIA Medical Delegate Dr. Ian Roberts.

Contents

Racing career

Van der Merwe won the 2001 Formula Ford Festival. [2] In 2003 he was the British Formula 3 Champion, [2] and drove for Super Nova Racing in Formula 3000 in 2004. [2] His sponsorship money ran out mid-season and he took a contract as a part-time tester for BAR–Honda. [2]

In 2005 and 2006, Van der Merwe raced in the A1 Grand Prix series for A1 Team South Africa, [2] with a best placed finish of 7th in New Zealand. In 2006, he joined the Bonneville 200 MPH Club, [3] driving a modified BAR–Honda 007 car to speeds in excess of 400 kilometres per hour (250 mph) for their Bonneville 400 project; an attempt to set an official land speed record for a Formula One car on the famous Bonneville Salt Flats. [4] In 2008, he drove for James Watt Automotive in the 1000 km of Silverstone, part of the 2008 Le Mans Series, [2] finishing in 33rd place and completing 159 laps. He returned to A1 Grand Prix in 2009 in the final round at Brands Hatch. [2]

FIA role

Van der Merwe was the official driver of the FIA medical car in Formula One events from 2009 until the end of the 2021 season, when he was replaced due to his refusal to be vaccinated against COVID-19. [5] [6]

Racing record

SeasonSeriesTeam nameRacesPolesWinsPointsFinal placing
2001 Formula Ford Festival Haywood Racing101NC1st
British Formula Ford ChampionshipHaywood Racing1421 ?2nd
2002 British Formula 3 Carlin Motorsport 3001988th
2003 British Formula 3 Carlin Motorsport 24593081st
2004 Formula 3000 Super Nova Racing 700214th
2005 Formula One BAR Test driver
2006–07 A1 Grand Prix A1 Team South Africa 8000NC
2008 Le Mans Series James Watt Automotive100237th
2008–09 A1 Grand Prix A1 Team South Africa 2000NC
Source: [2] [7]

Complete International Formula 3000 results

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

YearEntrant12345678910DCPointsRef
2004 Super Nova Racing IMO
8		 CAT
12		 MON
9		 NUR
Ret		 MAG
9		 SIL
8		 HOC
Ret		 HUN SPA MNZ 14th2 [8]

Complete A1 Grand Prix results

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

YearEntrant12345678910111213141516171819202122DCPointsRef
2006–07 A1 Team South Africa NED
SPR 		NED
FEA 		CZE
SPR 		CZE
FEA 		BEI
SPR 		BEI
FEA 		MYS
SPR 		MYS
FEA 		IDN
SPR
9		 IDN
FEA
Ret		 NZL
SPR
7		 NZL
FEA
16		 AUS
SPR
16		 AUS
FEA
Ret		 RSA
SPR 		RSA
FEA 		MEX
SPR 		MEX
FEA 		SHA
SPR
8		 SHA
FEA
12		 GBR
SPR 		GBR
SPR 		NC0 [9]
2008–09 NED
SPR 		NED
FEA 		CHN
SPR 		CHN
FEA 		MYS
SPR 		MYS
FEA 		NZL
SPR 		NZL
FEA 		RSA
SPR 		RSA
FEA 		POR
SPR 		POR
FEA 		GBR
SPR
15		 GBR
SPR
11		14th19 [10]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Surtees</span> British motorcycle racer and racing driver (1934–2017)

John Norman Surtees, was a British Grand Prix motorcycle road racer and Formula One driver. On his way to become a seven-time Grand Prix motorcycle World Champion, he won his first title in 1956, and followed with three consecutive doubles between 1958 and 1960, winning six World Championships in both the 500 and 350cc classes. Surtees then made the move to the pinnacle of Motorsport, the Formula 1 World Championship, and in 1964 made motor racing history by becoming the F1 World Champion. To this day Surtees remains the only person to have won World Championships on both two and four wheels. He founded the Surtees Racing Organisation team that competed as a constructor in Formula One, Formula 2 and Formula 5000 from 1970 to 1978. He was also the ambassador of the Racing Steps Foundation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alan Jones (racing driver)</span> Australian racing driver and commentator (born 1946)

Alan Stanley Jones, is an Australian former Formula One driver. He was the first driver to win a Formula One World Championship with the Williams team, becoming the 1980 World Drivers' Champion and the second Australian to do so following triple World Champion Sir Jack Brabham. He competed in a total of 117 Grands Prix, winning 12 and achieving 24 podium finishes. Jones also won the 1978 Can-Am championship driving a Lola.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pedro Lamy</span> Portuguese racing driver (born 1972)

José Pedro Mourão Lamy Viçoso, OIH, known as Pedro Lamy, is a Portuguese professional racing driver currently racing in endurance races teaming up with Mathias Lauda and gentleman driver Paul Dalla Lana. He was the first Portuguese driver to score a point in a Formula One World Championship event, in the 1995 Australian Grand Prix, for Minardi.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Derek Warwick</span> British racing driver (born 1954)

Derek Stanley Arthur Warwick is a British former professional racing driver from England, who lives in Jersey. He raced for many years in Formula One, collecting four podiums but never winning a Grand Prix. He did, however, win the 1992 24 Hours of Le Mans and 1992 World Sportscar Championship. He was the elder brother of Paul Warwick, who died racing while leading the British Formula 3000 Championship in 1991.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alexander Wurz</span> Austrian racing driver (born 1974)

Alexander Georg Wurz is an Austrian former professional racing driver, driver training expert and businessman. He competed in Formula One from 1997 until 2007, and is also a two-time winner of the Le Mans 24 Hours.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vitantonio Liuzzi</span> Italian racing driver (born 1980)

Vitantonio "Tonio" Liuzzi is an Italian professional racing driver who formerly raced in Formula One for the Red Bull, Toro Rosso, Force India and HRT teams.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nicolas Lapierre</span> French racing driver

Nicolas Lapierre is a French professional racing driver. He raced with Toyota and with Alpine Racing in the past seasons of the FIA World Endurance Championship. He is a two-time winner of the 12 Hours of Sebring, with overall victories in 2011 and 2018, and scored four LMP2 class victories in the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2015, 2016, 2018, and 2019. He now races with Alpine in the LMH class in the FIA World Endurance Championship driving the number 36 Alpine A480.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Darren Manning</span> British racing driver (born 1975)

Darren Manning is a British motor racing driver who has raced in the IRL IndyCar Series for Chip Ganassi Racing and Dreyer & Reinbold Racing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James Rossiter</span>

James Stuart Rossiter is a British former professional racing driver, British motorsport executive and former team principal of Maserati MSG Racing in Formula E.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mick Schumacher</span> German racing driver (born 1999)

Mick Schumacher is a Swiss-born German racing driver who is the current reserve driver for the Mercedes AMG Formula One Team and McLaren, currently set to compete in the 2024 FIA World Endurance Championship with Alpine in the Hypercar category. Schumacher competed in Formula One for Haas F1 Team in the 2021 and 2022 seasons.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kazuki Nakajima</span> Japanese racing driver (born 1985)

Kazuki Nakajima is a retired Japanese professional racing driver who drove in Formula One for the Williams-Toyota team from 2007 to 2009. In 2012 and 2014, he won the Super Formula Championship driving for TOM'S. Racing for Toyota Gazoo Racing, he won the 2018, 2019 and 2020 24 Hours of Le Mans, as well as the 2018–19 World Endurance Championship along with team-mates Fernando Alonso and Sébastien Buemi. He is the second FIA world champion from Japan after Toshi Arai.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Giedo van der Garde</span> Dutch racing driver (born 1985)

Giedo Gijsbertus Gerrit van der Garde is a Dutch former racing driver, who last competed in the 2023 IMSA SportsCar Championship for TDS Racing. From 2018 to 2021 he competed in the FIA World Endurance Championship for Racing Team Nederland in the LMP2 class. He is best known for driving in Formula 1 for the Caterham F1 team in 2013 and joining Sauber as a reserve driver in 2014.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">BAR 007</span> Formula One racing car

The BAR 007 was a Formula One car used by British American Racing in the 2005 Formula One season. The car was driven by Jenson Button and Takuma Sato, although Sato was replaced by Anthony Davidson for the Malaysian Grand Prix as he had the flu. The team's test driver was Enrique Bernoldi along with Davidson.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brendon Hartley</span> New Zealand racing driver (born 1989)

Brendon Morris Hartley is a New Zealand professional racing driver who is currently competing in the FIA World Endurance Championship with Toyota Gazoo Racing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jules Bianchi</span> French racing driver (1989–2015)

Jules Lucien André Bianchi was a French motor racing driver who drove for the Marussia F1 Team in Formula One.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fabio Leimer</span> Swiss racing driver

Fabio Leimer is a former professional racing driver from Switzerland. He is best known for winning the 2013 GP2 Series.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ma Qinghua</span> Chinese race driver

Ma Qinghua is a Chinese racing driver currently competing in the World Touring Car Cup with Cyan Performance Lynk & Co.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lucas Auer</span> Austrian racing driver

Lucas Auer is an Austrian racing driver. He is the nephew of former Formula 1 driver Gerhard Berger. He currently drives for HTP Winward Motorsport in DTM. He was a member of the Red Bull Junior Team.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pietro Fittipaldi</span> Brazilian-American racing driver (born 1996)

Pietro Fittipaldi da Cruz is a Brazilian-American racing driver currently competing in the FIA World Endurance Championship for Jota Sport, alongside serving as a test and reserve driver for Formula One team Haas. Fittipaldi is the grandson of two-time Formula One world champion Emerson Fittipaldi and brother of racing driver Enzo Fittipaldi. He made his Formula One debut with Haas at the 2020 Sakhir Grand Prix, replacing the injured Romain Grosjean, becoming the fourth member of the Fittipaldi family to race in Formula One.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anthoine Hubert</span> French racing driver (1996–2019)

Anthoine Gérard Pol Hubert was a French professional racing driver. He was the 2018 GP3 Series champion and a member of the Renault Sport Academy. He died following an accident during the feature race of the 2019 Spa-Francorchamps Formula 2 round at the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps.

References

  1. ↑ "Driving the F1 Medical Car - the world's fastest ambulance". www.formula1.com. Retrieved 3 March 2023.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "Alan van der Merwe". Driver Database. Retrieved 4 July 2015.
  3. ↑ "Bonneville 200mph Club Members by Year" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 13 July 2019. Retrieved 2 July 2015.
  4. ↑ Hanlon, Mike (18 July 2006). "Honda F1 car attempts land speed record at Bonneville". gizmag. Retrieved 2 July 2015.
  5. ↑ "F1 unveils new Safety and Medical cars for 2015". Grand Prix Times. 6 March 2015. Archived from the original on 5 July 2015. Retrieved 4 July 2015.
  6. ↑ "F1 Medical Car driver replaced ahead of new season".
  7. ↑ "Alan van der Merwe". MotorSport. Retrieved 1 December 2020.
  8. ↑ "Alan van der Merwe Career Season 2004". Motorsport Stats. Retrieved 30 November 2020.
  9. ↑ "A1 Grand Prix - Season 2006–2007". Speedsport Magazine. Retrieved 30 November 2020.
  10. ↑ "A1 Grand Prix - Season 2008–2009". Speedsport Magazine. Retrieved 30 November 2020.
Sporting positions
Preceded by Formula Ford Festival
Winner
2001		Succeeded by
Preceded by British Formula Three Champion
2003		Succeeded by
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.