Giorgio Pantano

Giorgio Pantano (born 4 February 1979 in Padua, Veneto, Italy) is an Italian racing driver, who won the 2008 FIA GP2 Series driving for Racing Engineering. The most successful driver in the second tier of single-seater racing at the end of his GP2 career, Pantano would go on to compete in various series after his GP2 career, having raced in Formula One before his GP2 debut.

Pantano joined the GP2 Series ahead of the inaugural 2005 season, joining Super Nova Racing after having spent most of 2004 driving for Jordan in F1. Immediately listed as a title favourite given his experience, Pantano would show flashes of potential during the campaign, only to settle for sixth having failed to claim a victory.

Having initially been overlooked for a seat for 2006, Pantano would be drafted into the FMS International squad mid-season in place of Luca Filippi. The Italian racer would go on to claim his maiden victory at Magny-Cours, before two wins at the finale at Monza lifted him to fifth in the championship having missed six races.

2007 saw Pantano move over to Campos Grand Prix, with the Italian racer again cited as a pre-season favourite. A mixed campaign saw Pantano claim two victories and five podium finishes, although he would fall shy of a title challenge and instead claimed third in the final standings.

Pantano remained in GP2 for the 2008 campaign, moving to Racing Engineering as the most experienced GP2 driver in the field. Four victories that season would be enough for Pantano to claim the title, with the Italian racer also setting a record for most wins in GP2 history at nine.

After leaving GP2 Pantano entered Superleague Formula, before moves to Auto GP and then IndyCar in subsequent seasons. 2013 saw Pantano move into GT racing, before the Italian called time on his professional racing career at the end of the 2014 season.

Background
Pantano's career began in karting, with the Italian racer quickly earning renown as one of the best karters of his generation, winning multiple national and later European titles. That earned him the backing of AMG-Mercedes in 1996, who funded several karting world championship bids until ending their support, before the Italian youth made his debut in single-seaters in 1999. Joining Formula Palmer Audi Winter Series, Pantano would finish third, with runs in Euro Open and British F3.

Pantano Potential: 2000 - 2004
The 2000 season saw Pantano enter the German Formula 3 Championship, claiming the title with three wins. That success prompted the Benetton F1 team to give him a test, before the Italian racer was signed as a test driver for McLaren Racing for the 2001 season. 2001 would also see Pantano move into the International Formula 3000 Championship, with the Italian racer going on to claim one win.

For 2002 Pantano would opt to stay in International F3000, and duly challenged for the title before ending the season in second with three wins. Remaining in F3000 for a third season Pantano would again challenge for the crown, although he would ultimately have to settle for third with two further wins. His exploits in F3000 would pay-off however, with Jordan Grand Prix signing him up to their F1 squad for the 2004 season.

Unfortunately for Pantano he would not have the impact that his previous exploits had hinted at, with the Italian racer failing to score in fourteen races, before being replaced towards the end of campaign by Timo Glock.

GP2 Series History
Pantano signed up to join the new FIA GP2 Series ahead of the 2005 season, with Super Nova Racing signing the Italian to lead their squad alongside Adam Carroll.

Post GP2 Series Career
After claiming the GP2 crown, Pantano would try and secure a return to Formula One, although after failing to find a route to a seat, the Italian racer settled for a drive in Superleague Formula for the A.C. Milan squad. One win carried him to seventh in the championship, before a move to Auto GP for 2010, finishing thirteenth. 2011 and 2012 saw Pantano move to North America in a bid to break into IndyCar, taking part in a handful of races across the two seasons.

In 2013 Pantano would opt to switch to GT racing, and duly claimed the championship in the GTS class in the International GT Open series. 2014 saw the Italian racer turn to the Blancpain Endurance Series in the Sprint Cup, although a disappointing campaign saw him only claim fourteenth. At the end of that season, Pantano called time on his professional racing career.

Full GP2 Series Record
Shown below are a series of tables outlining 's career in the GP2 Series in statistical form.

GP2 Series Entries
The list below includes all of the teams and cars, as well as overall finishing positions for during their GP2 career:

Career Results
Below is a table showing 's full GP2 Series record.


 * }