World of Nations: Driver nationality stats for season finale

Insight into the lucky drivers in the Bapco 8 Hours of Bahrain and wherever they lay their hats

 

Start your engines! Here’s an insight into the lucky ones who get behind the wheel in the FIA World Endurance Championship season-finale in Bahrain.  Just where do all our drivers call home?

 

Drivers competing at Bahrain 2022

This is all based on nationality of license stated on the entry list, as opposed to nationalities a driver identifies as elsewhere, or flags they were listed against on previous entry lists.

 

Total nations represented (24):  

Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Great Britain, Holland, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, South Africa, Spain, Switzerland, USA

  • Denmark, France, Great Britain and USA have drivers competing in every class.
  • No driver from Poland or South Africa has ever won in the series

 

Total drivers from each nation participating (106 drivers, 37 debutants):

19 drivers – Great Britain

17 drivers – France

11 drivers – Italy, USA

8 drivers – Denmark, Switzerland

4 drivers – Japan, Portugal

3 drivers – Austria

2 drivers – Belgium, Germany, Holland, Mexico, New Zealand, Poland

1 driver – Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Finland, Indonesia, Slovakia, South Africa, Spain

 

 

 

Hypercar – 15 drivers, 9 nations (2 debutants)

  • France – 4 – Lapierre, Vaxiviere, Duval, Vergne
  • Brazil – 1 –  Negrao
  • Great Britain – 2 – Conway, di Resta
  • Japan – 2 – Kobayashi, Hirakawa
  • Switzerland – 2 – Buemi, Muller
  • Argentina – 1 – Lopez
  • Denmark – 1 – Jensen
  • New Zealand – 1 – Hartley
  • USA – 1 – Menezes

 

Tables below sorted by order of entry list, appearances at Fuji races, best result format e.g. driver has 2 overall wins, in 2016/2018, finished 2nd in LMP2 in 2017 etc.

Driver

Nationality

Appearances

Best result

Mike Conway

Great Britain

9

1 LMP2 win 13 and 4 overall wins 14/19/20/21

Kamui Kobayashi

Japan

5

3 overall wins 19/20/21

Jose Maria Lopez

Argentina

7

3 overall wins 19/20/21

Sebastien Buemi

Switzerland

9

3 overall wins 13/17/21

Brendon Hartley

New Zealand

8

1 overall win 21

Ryo Hirakawa

Japan

NONE

NONE

Andre Negrao

Brazil

5

3rd overall 21 x2

Nico Lapierre

France

7

3rd overall 21 x2

Matthieu Vaxiviere

France

4

3rd overall 21 x2

Paul di Resta

Great Britain

2

1 LMP2 win 19

Mikkel Jensen

Denmark

2

5th GTE Am 21

Jean-Eric Vergne

France

2

4th LMP2 19

Loic Duval

France

7

1 overall win 16

Gustavo Menezes

USA

3

3rd overall 19

Nico Muller

Switzerland

NONE

NONE

 

 

LMP2 –  42 drivers , 16 nations (17 debutants)

  • France – 9 – Wadoux, Chatin, Milesi, Bourdais, JB Lahaye, M Lahaye, Heriau, Nato, Perrodo
  • Great Britain – 8 – Cullen, Hanson, Lynn, Jarvis, Jones, Brundle, Stevens, Bradley
  • USA – 3 – Owen, Pierson, Thomas
  • Switzerland – 2 – Deletraz, Beche
  • Denmark – 2 – Rasmussen, Nielsen
  • Holland – 2 – Frijns, van der Zande
  • Italy – 2 – Colombo, Rovera
  • Mexico – 2 – Gutierrez, Gonzalez
  • Portugal – 3 – Albuquerque, da Costa, Andrade
  • Austria – 2 – Habsburg, Binder
  • Poland – 2 – Kubica, Smiechowski
  • Indonesia – 1 – Gelael
  • South Africa – 1 – Aberdein
  • Australia – 1 – Allen
  • Germany – 1 – Rast
  • Slovakia – 1 – Konopka

 

Driver

Nationality

Appearances

Best result

Lilou Wadoux

France

NONE

NONE

Paul-Loup Chatin

France

2

4th LMP2 15

Charles Milesi

France

2

2 LMP2 wins 21 x2

Robert Kubica

Poland

2

8th LMP2 21 x2

Louis Deletraz

Switzerland

NONE

NONE

Lorenzo Colombo

Italy

NONE

NONE

Renger van der Zande

Holland

2

5th LMP2 21

Ryan Cullen

Great Britain

NONE

NONE

Sebastien Bourdais

France

NONE

NONE

Phil Hanson

Great Britain

4

1 LMP2 win 19

Filipe Albuquerque

Portugal

5

1 LMP2 win 19

Will Owen

USA

NONE

NONE

Alex Lynn

Great Britain

2

3rd GTE Pro 19

Oliver Jarvis

Great Britain

3

1 overall win 16

Josh Pierson

USA

NONE

NONE

Oliver Rasmussen

Denmark

NONE

NONE

Ed Jones

Great Britain

NONE

NONE

Jonathan Aberdein

South Africa

NONE

NONE

Sean Gelael

Indonesia

3

2nd LMP2 21

Robin Frijns

Holland

2

2 LMP2 wins 21 x2

Rene Rast

Germany

1

1 LMP2 win 16

Jakub Smiechowski

Poland

2

5th LMP2 21

Alex Brundle

Great Britain

6

1 LMP2 win 16

Esteban Gutierrez

Mexico

NONE

NONE

Jean-Baptiste Lahaye

France

NONE

NONE

Matthieu Lahaye

France

1

6th LMP2 12

Francois Heriau

France

NONE

NONE

Roberto Gonzalez

Mexico

6

2nd LMP2 19/20/21

Antonio Felix da Costa

Portugal

4

2nd LMP2 19/20/21

Will Stevens

Great Britain

2

1 LMP2 win 20

Rui Andrade

Portugal

NONE

NONE

Ferdinand Habsburg

Austria

2

2 LMP2 wins 21 x2

Norman Nato

France

3

3rd overall 19

Miro Konopka

Slovakia

2

10th LMP2 21

Richard Bradley

Great Britain

3

1 LMP2 win 14

Mathias Beche

Switzerland

4

3rd LMP2 17

Steven Thomas

USA

NONE

NONE

James Allen

Australia

NONE

NONE

Rene Binder

Austria

NONE

NONE

Francois Perrodo

France

9

1 GTE Am win 21

Nicklas Nielsen

Denmark

4

1 GTE Am win 21

Alessio Rovera

Italy

2

1 GTE Am win 21

 

 

 

GTE Pro –  10 drivers,  7 nations (1 debutant)

  • Italy – 3 – Pier Guidi, Fuoco, Bruni
  • Great Britain – 2 – Calado, Tandy
  • France – 1 – Estre
  • Spain – 1 – Molina
  • USA – 1 – Milner
  • Austria – 1 – Lietz
  • Denmark – 1 – Christensen

 

Driver

Nationality

Appearances

Best result

Alessandro Pier Guidi

Italy

5

1 GTE Pro win 21

James Calado

Great Britain

8

1 GTE Pro win 21

Miguel Molina

Spain

5

2nd GTE Pro 19

Antonio Fuoco

Italy

2

4th GTE Am 21

Tommy Milner

USA

NONE

NONE

Nick Tandy

Great Britain

2

2nd LMP2 15

Gianmaria Bruni

Italy

8

2 GTE Pro wins 13/14

Richard Lietz

Austria

10

2nd GTE Pro 20/21

Michael Christensen

Denmark

6

1 GTE Pro win 20

Kevin Estre

France

5

2 GTE Pro wins 20/21

 

 

 

GTE Am –  39 drivers, 13 nations (17 debutants)

  • Great Britain – 7 –  Barnicoat, Tincknell, Priaulx, Wainwright, Barker, Pittard, Fagg
  • USA – 6 – Mann, Keating, Hyett, Jeannette, Poordad, Lindsey
  • Italy – 6 – Cairoli, Castellacci, Schiavoni, Cressoni, Fisichella, Pera
  • Denmark – 4 – Sorensen, Pedersen, Gatting, Thiim
  • Switzerland – 4 – Ulrich, Leutwiler, Flohr, Frey
  • France – 3 – Dezoteux, Ragues, Aubry
  • Belgium – 2 – Bovy, Heylen
  • Japan – 2 – Hoshino, Fujii
  • Canada – 1 – Dalla Lana
  • Germany – 1 – Ried
  • Finland – 1 – Vilander
  • Portugal – 1 – Chaves
  • New Zealand – 1 – Cassidy

 

Driver

Nationality

Appearances

Best result

Simon Mann

USA

NONE

NONE

Christoph Ulrich

Switzerland

NONE

NONE

Toni Vilander

Finland

4

3 GTE Am wins 12/13/14

Ben Keating

USA

4

2 GTE Am wins 19/21

Henrique Chaves

Portugal

NONE

NONE

Marco Sorensen

Denmark

5

2 GTE Pro wins 16/19

Matteo Cairoli

Italy

4

3rd GTE Am 21 x2

Mikkel Pedersen

Denmark

NONE

NONE

Nicolas Leutwiler

Switzerland

NONE

NONE

Thomas Flohr

Switzerland

5

3rd GTE Am 17

Francesco Castellacci

Italy

6

3rd GTE Am 17

Nick Cassidy

New Zealand

NONE

NONE

Ben Barnicoat

Great Britain

NONE

NONE

Phillip Hyett

USA

NONE

NONE

Gunnar Jeannette

USA

NONE

NONE

Claudio Schiavoni

Italy

1

6th GTE Am 21

Matteo Cressoni

Italy

4

4th GTE Am 15

Giancarlo Fisichella

Italy

6

1 GTE Pro win 12

Franck Dezoteux

France

NONE

NONE

Pierre Ragues

France

5

5th LMP2 12/19/20

Gabriel Aubry

France

3

1 LMP2 win 20

Christian Ried

Germany

10

1 GTE Am win 12

Seb Priaulx

Great Britain

NONE

NONE

Harry Tincknell

Great Britain

2

3rd GTE Pro 17

Rahel Frey

Switzerland

2

8th GTE Am 21

Michelle Gatting

Denmark

NONE

NONE

Sarah Bovy

Belgium

2

8th GTE Am 21

Mike Wainwright

Great Britain

6

3rd GTE Am 19

Riccardo Pera

Italy

4

3rd GTE Am 21 x2

Ben Barker

Great Britain

6

3rd GTE Am 19

Fred Poordad

USA

NONE

NONE

Patrick Lindsey

USA

NONE

NONE

Jan Heylen

Belgium

NONE

NONE

Paul Dalla Lana

Canada

8

2 GTE Am wins 15/17

David Pittard

Great Britain

NONE

NONE

Nicki Thiim

Denmark

7

2 GTE Am wins 13/14 and 2 GTE Pro wins 16/19

Satoshi Hoshino

Japan

2

8th GTE Am 21

Tomonobo Fujii

Japan

2

8th GTE Am 21

Charlie Fagg

Great Britain

NONE

NONE

 

With thanks to 'Magic Alex' WECData